Mission Possible

For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. – Luke 1:37

I looked up the meaning of impossible on dictionary.com and found this amazing explanation:

Impossible: (adjective) not possible

Why thank you. All jesting aside, here are some other words that define impossible; unable to be, unable to be performed, incapable of being true, not to be done with any degree of reason, utterly impracticable. And then…I saw this one, which really hit home for me,” hopelessly unsuitable or difficult.” Have you ever been in a situation you could describe with those words? Unable. Void of reason. Impracticable. Hopeless. I would venture to say we all have, I know I have. But there is good news!!! When it comes to God and his will for us, those words have no meaning! Last week we learned that we can have Joy because God always keeps his promises, and this week we’ll be learning we can have Joy because NOTHING is impossible with God.

Our story this week is one many of you are familiar with. It’s the story of the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary. He told Mary she had received special favor from the Lord, and that God was very pleased with her. But that’s not all Gabriel said. He told her “You are going to have a baby, a son. You must name him Jesus. He’ll be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.” Say what?! That must have been Mary’s response. Actually, that’s almost what it was. Mary responded “HOW can this be?” She went on to tell the Angel that she wasn’t married yet, so how could she have a baby? I believe Gabriel might have smiled as he spoke next; “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you… Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age (remember her)… For nothing is impossible with God.” And Mary, in her amazing faith, said “may it happen to me just as you have said.” She knew and understood that anything was possible with God. And she, even though fearful and probably a little confused, could have Joy in knowing this! (Luke 1:26-38)

So as we head into this season and new year, let us not forget that lesson that Mary so quickly understood, to not look at our problem/situations as impossible. I was 19 when God taught me this lesson. Working a good paying job and….paying rent for a house that was much bigger than one should need at 19. Then one day, I lost my job. And as some of us know all too well, the bills didn’t stop coming. I was out of work for a little over 5 months with no savings and no income. And to this day I don’t understand it, but I never missed a bill or rent payment! It didn’t make sense to my small brain (and it still doesn’t), but it was living proof of Luke 1:37. Let us also heed Gabriel’s words….and Mary’s faith. When we put our complete trust in God, and truly believe he can do anything, we can take "impossible" out of our vocabulary and see that the possibilities are, in fact, endless! :)

Joy to the World!!

"Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!" – Philippians 4:4

YAY!! It's December now, which means, Christmas season if officially ON, and in full swing!! Joy to the world!! Hmm…wait a minute….Joy to the world? Joy? What is that? What is Joy? Is it just a feeling? Is it just an outward expression? Is it just a dish soap? Well, that's the Virtue we are going to be talking about this month in Cove Kids! Together, we are going to learn that Joy isn't just a feeling or expression (or an awesome dish soap). Feelings are circumstantial, but Joy is something much deeper than that. Joy is finding a way to be happy at ALL times, even when things don't go your way, a "Defiant Happiness" if you will. Knowing that no matter what, we have a God and Savior who loves us, protects us, fights for us, and works good in all things for us. So, even if things aren't going the way WE thought they should, or would like them to, we can have Joy in Christ.

This week in Cove Kids we are learning about the Joy that comes with knowing that God always keeps His promises! The Bible says "The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. – Psalms 145:13. The story this week takes place in Luke Chapter 1, and it's about a very godly couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth. One day, Zechariah got a visit from an angel of God, who promised him a son, who he was to name John. The thing was, Zechariah was an old man and his wife well along in her years when this happened, so he momentarily doubted God's promise. The Angel Gabriel assured Zechariah that this good news was straight from God and would surely come true at the proper time. But because of his brief moment of unbelief, he would not be able to speak until that day came. Well, as it turns out, God was faithful in his promise! Elizabeth gave birth to a boy, and they named him John. And he would later prepare the way for the Messiah, another promise God would keep, over 400 years in the making!

It's not always easy to have Joy. Sometimes when difficult circumstances come, it can be hard to have a defiant happiness. Especially when we have to wait, when things don't happen when we wish they would. When everyone else seems to have it together, and it seems like everything in your life is constantly falling apart, it can be tough to find Joy. BUT!!! We CAN have Joy, because we know that God always keeps his promises!!! "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ." – 2 Corinthians 1:20. And even though the wait for God's promises may seem long at times, "…wait, It's on its way. It will come right on time!" – Habakkuk 2:3.

Joy to the world!!! The Lord HAS come!!! :D