Daughter of the King

Well, it's time for this years Ladies Luncheon again. Some years I can come up with a skit from online and some years I ask the Lord to give me one. This year was one of the latter. :o)

So here is the rough draft of the skit for this years Luncheon. Hope you enjoy.

Greetings, My name is Beloved. I am a daughter of the King.

You see me now dressed in beautiful clothes, my hair done up, fingers and toes painted, makeup on. See my crown? Isn’t it pretty? My Father gave it to me. I usually have pretty manners and walk with my head held high. I tend to be considerate, thinking about other people: their needs, how they feel, and asking if they need help. I have admittance to the throne room of the King. Freely I can share with him my thoughts, feelings, and fears. I can tell him about the things that hurt me and if I’ve hurt someone else, things I’ve felt ashamed of and He never turns me away. He’s always willing to spend time with me.

But this creature you see before you now is not the same as the one twenty years ago. I shudder to think about who I was and where I’ve been. But I want you to see, to know how good and loving the King is.

You see, before the crown, fancy clothes, and pretty manners—I was Mary. Before JESUS.

Before Jesus I was messy, dirty, broken and living in a pit. I had a debt I could never pay. I looked for love in all the wrong places: a bottle, a book, a man’s arms—well, many men’s arms actually. None of them could satisfy my hearts needs. I was sure one of those men would have the kiss that would break the cursed spell I was caught in, but none could.

Then, one day… Oh that precious day! The Son Of Man came to the very pit I lived in. He looked so ordinary, but when He spoke my heart—Oh my heart—it skipped a beat! He called me by name. As he spoke, I tried to smooth my hair and act sophisticated, but He saw right through my charade and called me on it. He knew who I was and where I had been. Somehow, He knew all about me. He offered to show me a new way to live. He said that He had paid that debt I owed and if I would accept that, I could be free from it. I was so ashamed and embarrassed that he knew all about me and had still chosen to save me, that I fell to my knees at his feet. Head bowed & tears flowing all I could say was, “I’m so sorry.” But do you know what he did then? He reached out to me. He lifted my head and said, “Daughter, your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.” I told him I had no one to help me and I didn’t know what to do or where to go. That was when Jesus made me an offer I could scarcely believe! He led me to his Father, who promptly offered to adopt me into the family. Well, I’d made a lot of fools choices in my short life up to that point, but there wasn’t any way I was going to turn this one down. My newly adopted Father, himself, showed me to my new rooms and beautiful clothes. I was able to get cleaned up and rest in my room for a while.

And then the King sent for me.

With my hair brushed, lovely clothes and being squeaky clean—I’d never been that way before—I nervously followed His servant to the throne room. I walked in and slowly made my way to the throne. When I was close enough to really see the King, I gasped! It was JESUS! “Jesus? He’s the King?!”, I thought to myself. He radiated in His beautiful robe. He had a sash that read: King of kings and Lord of lords! Once again I fell to my knees, stunned that the very King HIMSELF had come to rescue me. As I knelt there, I could feel Jesus approaching me. Then I felt Him set something on my head. It was a crown. I was now declared a part of the family before all.

I later found out, that as soon as I chose to follow Jesus, I had become a part of the Kingdom. The crown was my witness to all, telling them to whom I now belonged.

Oh, and did you know that I have many brothers and sisters? Yep. All adopted into the family. Jesus wants you, too. He’ll meet you where you are and his desire is to save you, too. He longs for you to know him, follow him, and join our family. You will know love and acceptance and find the satisfaction your soul has always desired. He’ll even give you a new name.

Greetings, my name is Beloved, I am a daughter of The King!

She Speaks Scholarship Entry

I've been following Lysa Terkeurst's blog for a few months now after reading her "Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl." It was an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who desires to experience God everyday.

Well this last Sunday she posted a Scholarship Contest on her blog for the 2010 She Speaks conference coming this summer.

http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2010/03/she-speaks-scholarship-contest.html

This conference is designed to teach women who desire to speak, write, lead and/or influence those around her and to answer God's call on her life. Here's a link to the event if you are interested:

http://www.shespeaksconference.com/conferenceInfo.htm

Anyway, my first inclination is to disregard this as something not really meant for me. I mean, sure I co-lead our Sunday School class, and lead worship for the kids on Wednesday evenings, and organize our Ladies Tea event in the Spring (during which I've spoken, acted out skits and directed), but I'm not really a speaker, leader, writer kind of person, right? So there isn't any reason for me to sign up for this. RIGHT? (slight edge of panic in that last word.)

So I decide to think about it, pray about it, and go listen to Beth Moore on her once a week radio show. This weeks (and last) was "How Wisdom Looks on a Wife, 1 & 2." I chose to listen to the first half of that lesson so I would know what she was talking about. "Wisdom on a Wife" does NOT sound like it would have anything to do with "She Speaks," so I'm thinking this is a safe thing to do. Ha! Uh, Huh-uh, no, not with our GOD. (Man, He makes me laugh.)

It's about Proverbs 20:4 & 22:13, the Sluggard. Lazy people who do no succeed at work say: 1) I don't want to, & 2) I'm scared to. But the first thing I truly heard was Beth saying this, "Listen, God wants you good at something you are scared to do." And then she repeats it. "God wants you to be good at something you are scared to do. God wants you so far outside of your comfort zone you are going to know it's the Holy Ghost, you understand what I'm saying to you? He wants glory."

I have to tell you that as soon as I heard this I just fell on my face and cried. Oh my, I knew that was so meant for me. Then she went onto speak about plans, perseverance, and organization. Beth even mentioned my life verse, Jeremiah 29:11. She said, "You and I have to get out of the cycle of procrastination-pressure." You all, I know God was using her words to speak straight to me. I KNOW this was meant for me to hear when I did. I love how God works.

Oh Lord, I receive it. I hear you. I am responding.

Now, does that mean I'm going to win? Probably not. I rarely win anything. (Grin) But I am going to respond by obediently entering into the contest, even though I am seriously afraid of winning. (I can't help but laugh at myself.) However, I so want to share Jesus with women. I desire others to experience the wild ride life is when we engage God. I want women to know the thrill of the adventure life can be when we stop seeing coincidences as bizarre, but as God's way of speaking to us anonymously.

Let me just say this... If I were to win, I would know-without a shadow of a doubt-it was GOD sending me.

Lord, have mercy. I do love you so!