About the Children

Illustration courtesy of AKARAKINGDOMS on Freedigitalphotos.net

By Lisa Nordell-Detres

So much is said and done for the children, whether it is truly for the sake of the children or not. What did Jesus have to say about children? He had a lot to say about them in Matthew 18:1-10. The first thing He said was that we all need to be humble like children when we are converted to faith in God, and those who have the humility of children are considered greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (verses 2-4)

Jesus then went on to warn adults against misleading or offending children in verses 5-6:

“Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives me. But whoever causes one these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (NKJV)

Looking at the first verse, it is clear that Jesus wants us to be involved in the lives of children as much as our involvement in His kingdom. Children are the future of the church and the world. If we refuse to take an active role in the lives of children and teach them how important they are to Jesus, somebody else with less honorable intentions will cause them to stumble.

Not only are we to be as unassuming as children and value children as Jesus did, we are instructed in verse 10 “do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”

The very lives of children of all ages (the Greek word for “little one” is fetus) are sacred to God. This means that we need to speak up for the right to life for children; we need to protect the sanctity of the lives of all children. We need to come along side the injured women who have had abortions and show them the love and forgiveness that surrendering to Jesus brings while encouraging them to speak out about their experiences.

Children are extremely important to Jesus and His kingdom; we who are serious about serving God. We need to do everything within our power to help children and their families from the womb until adulthood.

Lisa Nordell-Detres is a mother of four, grandma to three boys, a pastor’s wife and has worked in the garment and customer service industries in southern California. Besides writing, Lisa enjoys cooking, sewing, organic gardening, hiking, skiing and doing most anything outside. Lisa is a member of the Central Oregon Writers Guild.

Lisa was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied Christian Apologetics at Simon Greenleaf University, holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Design from Woodbury University and an MBA from California State University at Northridge. Lisa, her husband and their youngest child now live in central Oregon. 

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ

The Healer

Man with palsy lowered to Christ by James Tissot on Christimages.org.

By Lisa Nordell-Detres

Is there anyone among us who has never sought healing for themselves or for loved ones? The pain and suffering that often accompany health issues are common to all people. Healing was one of the major signs that Jesus was the Messiah who was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. Throughout His ministry, Jesus healed physical defects, illness, injury and demon possession wherever He went. Matthew 9:36 describes Jesus’ heart towards people:

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary (harassed) and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” (NKJV)

Health issues that cause pain and suffering may be a part of life in this fallen world, but this verse makes it clear that this is not what God wants for us. He hurts right along with us and cares deeply about our well-being. Jesus’ healing ministry also made it clear that God is indeed powerful enough to heal any infirmity and even raise the dead.

So why doesn’t God just waive His mighty hand and wipe away all sickness from this world? I would love to be healed and live forever here without pain or suffering, but this world is still fallen. The thought of living indefinitely in this world reminds me of the movie “Death Becomes Her” in which two vain women drank a magic potion that gave them eternal life. The problem was that even though they could not die, they could definitely get dinged up over the years.

This brings us to two points to consider: first of all, if we belong to Jesus then this world is definitely not our home, but rather our current assignment. We need to understand that when we do get to our Heavenly home, we will be healed and will get to live forever without dings!

The second point to remember is that every single person who Jesus healed when He walked the earth eventually died. If we spend our existence focused on our own physical needs rather than sharing the hope of Jesus’ eternal healing with others who are hurting, we short change ourselves and may even deny others the opportunity of eternal life through Jesus. Focusing outwards may bring us to a place in which our infirmities are eclipsed by our compassion for the spiritual needs of others.

Lisa Nordell-Detres is a mother of four, grandma to three boys, a pastor’s wife and has worked in the garment and customer service industries in southern California. Besides writing, Lisa enjoys cooking, sewing, organic gardening, hiking, skiing and doing most anything outside. Lisa is a member of the Central Oregon Writers Guild.

Lisa was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied Christian Apologetics at Simon Greenleaf University, holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Design from Woodbury University and an MBA from California State University at Northridge. Lisa, her husband and their youngest child now live in central Oregon. 

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ

A Man of Prayer

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane painting by Heinrich Hofmann on Christimages.org.

By Lisa Nordell-Detres

Just as reading the Old Testament chronologically puts the events and people of the ancient years into a different perspective, reading the New Testament in the timeline of events also gives a fresh outlook on the life of Jesus and the history of the early Church. Jesus’ ministry began with His water baptism by immersion and then His departure into the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days. (Matthew 3:13-4:11)

The accounts of Jesus healing a man in the Temple on the Sabbath in Matthew 12, Mark 3 and Luke 6 each provide different insights into the encounter with the religious leaders over the question as to whether it was within the Law to heal a man on the Sabbath. Matthew details the tongue lashing that He gave the Pharisees; Mark points out that Jesus became angry at the challenge (hence the tongue lashing) but Luke 6:12 says that “…in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (NKJV)

Try to imagine the anguish that Jesus must have experienced when the religious leaders who were responsible for the souls of the people became angry and plotted to kill Jesus for making a disabled man whole. Even though He laid into them and warned them about the consequences of their disbelief, He still loved them and wanted nothing else than for them to place their trust in Him, the Messiah who came to save them.

The fact that Jesus withdrew often to the mountain to pray all night shows that even Jesus needed to spend great quantities of quality time with His Heavenly Father. If that is what Jesus needed to get Him through those stressful days, we need to do the same thing to get through our stressful times. Hopefully, nobody is plotting to kill you for the good things you do, but our lives are marked with uncertainty, disappointment, betrayal and brokenness. Don’t know how to pray or what to say? The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) gives a great model which can be broken down into the acronym ACTS:

• Adoration: praise God for loving us and listening to us and for being powerful enough to act in our lives and in the lives of others.
• Confession: tell God what you have done wrong and ask Him to forgive you. This is also a great time to forgive those who have hurt you and release any hurt feelings you might have.
• Thanksgiving: give God gratitude for all His many blessings. Count them out!
• Supplication: this is one of those “Christianese” terms that means to ask God for what you need and want. This is also a good opportunity to pray for other people, our nation and the world.

Just like Jesus, we need to spend lots of quality time with God the Father and trust in the wisdom, provision, strength and peace that only He can give.

Lisa Nordell-Detres is a mother of four, grandma to three boys, a pastor’s wife and has worked in the garment and customer service industries in southern California. Besides writing, Lisa enjoys cooking, sewing, organic gardening, hiking, skiing and doing most anything outside. Lisa is a member of the Central Oregon Writers Guild.

Lisa was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied Christian Apologetics at Simon Greenleaf University, holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Design from Woodbury University and an MBA from California State University at Northridge. Lisa, her husband and their youngest child now live in central Oregon. 

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ