Once Upon A Time ...
there lived a little boy named
Manasseh.
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.
Just a little boy,
but not such a good little boy
because
Once Upon A Time...
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
He sacrificed his children in the fire (6)
And
Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites....
BUT
The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people,
But
they paid no attention.
Once Upon A Time...
So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria,
who took Manasseh prisoner,
put a hook in his nose,
bound him with bronze shackle sand took him to Babylon.
Once Upon A Time...
From a little boy to a man with a hook in his nose.
He reaped what he sowed.
I bet no one ever put a hook in your nose
and took you prisoner
but
have you ever felt like that~
doing what you want to do
when you want to do it
knowing that it isn't what you really should be doing
but in the moment
it is the only thing that you want to do
so you do it..
anyway and you are immediately
hooked?
But God is still God.
He still calls your name
He calls you to come.
But
How do I come as I am in the midst of what I have done and continue to do?
So instead
I will continue doing "whatever"
and continue to
be a prisoner in my own skin
even though
Someone
is
calling me to
Come to Him....
But God showed His great love for
_______________________ (PUT your name)
by sending Christ to die for
_______________________ (PUT your name)
while
_______________________ (PUT your name)
were (was ) still (a) sinner(s). Romans 5:8
"Were still sinners"~
in the midst of
no matter what your whatever is,
no questions asked
covering every ...
that follows your
Once Upon A Time.
Hmm...
The Manasseh in my story
when I was not such a good little girl or
when I continue to be a not so a good little grown up.
How about the not so good little boy/girl or that not so little good grown up in you?
But that isn't how his story ends
and that isn't how my or your story has to end,
no matter what you or I have or haven't done
or will do again
or
no matter what someone has done or not done to you or for you~
because read how
God finished Manasseh's
Once upon a time...
In his (Manasseh) distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to Him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.
Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God...
Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to
serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 Chronicles 33
And that is how his story ends
his
Once Upon A Time
is changed in an instant.
How about yours, whatever
. . .
follows your Once Upon a Time?
Your once upon a time moment
when you did what you wish you didn't do
or when
someone did something that you wish they didn't do,
causing such pain
in your life.
Well
Put Me in His Story
In _______________'s (PUT your name)
distress
________________ (PUT your name)
sought the favor of the Lord
________________'s (PUT your name)
God and humbled
himself/herself ...
And when
________________(PUT your name)
prayed to Him, the Lord was moved by
____________________'s (PUT your name)
entreaty and listened to
_______________________ (PUT your name)
plea; so He brought
_______________________(PUT your name)
back...
Then
_______________________ (PUT your name)
knew that the Lord is God.
Hmm...
In an instant
Forgiven
no more hooks in the nose
keeping one a prisoner.
To now live
Happily Every After
just as Manasseh continued his new life to the very end...
Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace.
And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.
Hmm
Now Amon's story, that is another
Once Upon A Time....
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done.
But
unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the Lord;
OOPS....
now that is a story that you will not want to
Put yourself in....
So let's
stick to the original script
And
Put Me in His Story