The Christmas Robe

Every Christmas when making my list of wants for my husband and son to go shopping with, I take a mental inventory as to the condition of my robe. I reflect back on the Christmas gifts I've given over the years to my own mom and the one gift worth repeating was a new robe. What is it that mom's love so much about stepping into and wrapping up in a new robe?

I wondered a bit, was it the comfort of being clothed in the warmth and softness of something new or was it the person who gave the robe that makes it so special? Has God knitted such a desire into the very fabric of my soul to long for a new white robe at Christmas?

Looking deeper into my fondness for a new white robe I found in Revelation 3:4-5, "a few names, those who have not defiled their garments, they shall walk with Me in white for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but confess his name before my Father in Heaven and His angels."

Wow- did this excite me!

Garments in the Greek was literally a large outer garment or a loose upper garment so large that sometimes a man would sleep in it. I'm thinking a big comfy robe!

We know that Jesus is speaking of the believers who are faithful in their service and obedience to Him, it is the reward for the one who overcomes, it's a promise and a gift from God. "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Rev. 19:8)

What does faithful service look like?

1. We are to fully carry out the ministry God has given us, using our abilities. (2Tim. 4:5) (Eph.4:11-12)

2. Pour out our lives as an offering to God. Our lives are not our own.(2Tim. 4:6)

3. Remain faithful to the things we've been taught; reading the scriptures, encouraging believers and teaching them. (2Tim. 3:14) (1Tim. 4:13)

4. Be a good worker as unto the Lord, doing what the Spirit leads us to do. (Eph. 6:8,5:9)

5. Serve one another in love. (Gal. 5:13)

J.Vernon McGee puts it this way, "A saint my friend, is one who has trusted Christ and is set aside for the sole use of God. There are only two kinds of people today: the saints and the ain'ts. If you are a saint, then you are not an ain't. If you ain't an ain't, then you are a saint."

How does one keep from soiling their garments?

1. Don't break God's laws.(Matt. 7:23)

2. Don't practice immorality,impurity, greed, idolatry and the like. (Eph. 5:5)

3. Take no part in the deeds of evil and darkness.(John 3:19)

4. Don't give in to what your sinful nature craves. (Gal.5:19)

Sadly, many Christians sometimes deceive themselves into thinking that God does not require them to live righteously. Do not be deceived, those who practice such iniquity and lawlessness will not inherit the kingdom of God. Instead choose to be washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Using an illustration from Luke 5:36- here we have an old robe and a new robe. Now it would seem foolish to take pieces of my new robe and use it to patch up my old robe. I'd have a useless new robe and an old robe that is pieced together. Instead, I choose to put on my new robe and throw away the old one.

I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy a white robe because it reminds me of being washed clean by the blood of my Redeemer, it's softness reminds me of a lambs wool brushing against her Shepherds cheek, my robe is warmth to my soul on a cold morning, and comfort to my bones after a troubled day.

One day I'll be given a white robe made of fine linen that will never wear out, become soiled or fade. My robe is precious to me because of the person who gave it to me. I look forward to the day when Christ will personally wrap me in my white Christmas robe and say welcome home good and faithful servant.

The Waiting Room

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Galatians 3:27

Today, I had some tests done in the radiology dept at our local hospital. During a routine physical exam and blood work, my doctor felt it necessary to run some further tests due to abnormal findings. All week I prayed and asked my sisters in Christ to pray as well that everything would come out normal. The Lord gave me a peace during this time that can't be explained other than my mind was quiet and my heart was calm.

While in the waiting room a woman in her late 40's came in and when she sat down a few seats across from me she began to cry. She held her head in her hands and tried to hide her tears by wiping them away. I could see she was scared and sensed that she felt alone. She bowed her head making the sign of the cross over her chest and when she looked up, out of no where I blurted out, "are you okay?" She looked at me with teary eyes and shook her head no. I asked, "can I pray with you?" She simply nodded yes, my name is Marina.

After I said a simple prayer for Marina, in very broken English she searched for the words. Her son had died in a car accident in April, she only has her parents left who live in Mexico, she takes care of her grandchildren who are very young and now she is having biopsies done on her breast and she is terrified that she has breast cancer.

I told her how much God loved her and gave her reassurance to not be afraid. I sat and talked with her until they called her name, she stood up, hugged me and said thank you. Waiting for my turn to be called I prayed for God to comfort Marina, I know he was there. The thought came, if all of these tests I was going through was so I could be in this waiting room, on this day, at this time to be there for Marina and wrap her in the love of Christ then so be it. God is good, He is faithful and true!

Waiting is the Hardest Part

Anyone who has ever been told by a doctor, "you have cancer" experiences the sick feeling that naws in the pit of your stomach. To hear "we don't know what kind it is" fills you with another level of terror and fear altogether. Anyone who has ever endured suffering knows all too well that the hardest part is waiting for an answer.

Seventeen years ago, Mike and I had only been married 14 months, young and in love we were embarking on the journey of a lifetime. Mike had just been drafted two years before by the Chicago White Sox. It was his life long dream to play professional baseball and we were seeing it realized. I was head over hills in love with my buff young baseball stud and we were living the dream. What happened next brought our world to a crashing halt and the hardest part would be the waiting.

We'd just settled into our new apartment in Sarasota, Florida where Mike would play his third season for the minor "A" White Sox team. He'd been experiencing horrible back pain and swelling of lymph nodes prior to and during spring training. Just as Mike earned the starting position at 3rd base, his neck swelled to the size of a grapefruit. An ENT at the local hospital biopsied some lymph nodes and came to us with the earth shattering news "you have cancer" but "we don't know what kind it is." The hardest part was waiting for someone to tell us what to do next.


We immediately flew back to California with hopes for some kind of answers, but instead we encountered confusion and fear. There were no physicians that could diagnose the cancer. Therefore, no one knew how to treat it and the hardest part was the waiting.

These seventeen years later when a friend or a loved one is faced with the same circumstances, I find myself turning to God's word for hope and for direction when we wait. Isaiah 30:18b says, "Blessed are all those who wait for Him." When we wait for God, we are waiting till He is ready. We are waiting for the outcome that is in God's perfect will and in God's perfect timing.

Consider the story in John 11 of Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus. Lazarus was very sick and the sisters sent word to Jesus saying, "Lord, the one whom you love is sick." Mary and Martha were counting on Jesus to come quickly to heal their brother of his illness.

Isaiah 30:18- Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you. And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. Jesus delayed in his coming for two more days after he heard that Lazarus was sick. Jesus said to his disciples, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the son of God may be glorified through it."

God's purpose was to glorify his son by raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus would demonstrate his deity in an undeniable way. Seeing this demonstration of God's power, giving life back to the dead would cause his disciples to grow and for others to believe. God's timing to accomplish His purpose is always perfect.

But for Mary and Martha, the waiting was the hardest part. I'm sure confusion set in quickly. Why hadn't Jesus come right away to heal our brother? Undoubtedly, they'd expressed this to each other over the last couple of days. If Jesus had been here, Lazarus would not have died.

In the waiting, the fear and the 'what ifs' creep in. Satan whispers in our ears and the 'if onlys' arise.

But the Lord tells us to just:

Believe- Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? John 11:40

Pray- Jesus prayed, "Father, thank You that You have heard Me." John 11:41

Wait- Therefore, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Seventeen years ago, we felt alone, confused, and terrified with no real hope. At the time we were unbelievers but we were surrounded by family and friends, a band of believers who believed for us, prayed for us and hoped for us. We were led to a place called the City of Hope that identified Mike's cancer and treated him. However, it was God who did the healing. Nowadays when faced with trials, we don't have to face the waiting period alone.


Those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31