Instead, we were like young children among you.Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 NIV
When our twins were born they were covered in prayer for their health, their weight and no other complications. God answered those prayers to the “t”. We mistakenly did not give the same covering for Pam. She went from birthing babies in the morning to almost dying in the ICU that night.
It took nearly 5 more days for them to diagnosis the fluid in her lungs and heart were causing the problem. She was in the hospital for an additional 7 days in which they were giving her medicines to drain the fluids from her body, this affected her breast milk also.
Pam had only a limited amount of time to see the boys the first 2 weeks of their lives. Upon returning home from the hospital, she was very anxious to reunite with her boys. She was so nervous as a first time mother would be to know if she would be able to nurse the boys. She was told the trauma that her body experienced may have been too much. The boys were already accustomed to feeding from a bottle. Oh, the joy she experienced bonding with our boys as her milk supply returned.
As Paul reflects on his time among the Thessalonians, he remembers the hardship that he physically endured to share the gospel with them. Like mothers after the pain of giving birth, the joy of new life supersedes all of the sacrifice to bring forth a new child. Now, the nurture and care is a 24/7 demand upon mom. The baby can’t feed themselves, clean up their mess, clothe themselves to keep warm or communicate what they want. Mom is now on call. Bonding is worth it.
Thoughts about passion for the lost to become born again
- God loves the world of people first and places His love within hearts to begin to pray for salvations
- There is a gestation period which includes preparing hearts and minds with words and actions of God’s love. This time period is necessary for a healthy child. The length of time is known only to God, but the step is never skipped.
- Conviction is like birth pangs, sometimes they thoughts go away before its time. A broken heart and mind over sin and God’s holiness is ready for new birth. Remember at Pentecost the people heard Peter’s message were cut to the heart and asked “what must we do to be saved”?
- The miracle of the new birth is the work of the Holy Spirit, our job is to testify of what we have seen and heard. How much testifying is happening?
- The good news of Jesus life, death, burial and resurrection is the heartbeat for a new believer coming to eternal life. It is not enough to try to be a better person. Jesus is the center of it all.
- Discipleship and nurturing for a new believer takes time and sacrifice. Who are you nurturing right now?
Even the burliest of men, becomes soft and tender looking at his new born. There is joy of spiritual new birth that can only be captured by experiencing it personally. May you pray daily for passion for the lost to become followers of Jesus. Then may our heavenly Father give you the privilege to experence the transformation of a person becoming a new creation right before your eyes. You’ll be amazed how a new believer longs for the pure milk of the word of God. Be ready with a full supply from your own heart.
Blessing Love y’all