Come Fill Your Cup

Equipping Women For Study and Service

Mary Rose and Me “In The Clouds”

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Matthew 24:42-44
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
NASU

“Cotton balls! The clouds look like cotton balls!” Mary Rose was on her first plane ride and had a window seat. She could hardly keep from pressing her face against the window to see how the earth and sky looked from so high up. The clouds actually seemed like something she could walk or sit on. They looked so soft and fluffy. She imagined herself hopping from one cloud to another. Then laying down for a rest.  Maybe she could even make a small hole in the cloud so she could look way below and spy her house and what was happening there.  Suddenly they flew right through a cloud and her view was blocked by a heavy dense fog. The window became wet with drops of water sliding across it. Sitting back in her seat, Mary Rose thought about the clouds and how God had made the sky and the first time it rained. There must have been clouds for it to rain. She wondered how many times the Bible actually talked about clouds. She asked her parents who were sitting next to her. “How many times does the Bible talk about clouds?” Her parents did not have the exact answer, but they could find out by using a study help book called a Bible Concordance. When they were home they would look it up on their Bible study program on the computer. In the meantime, her parents gave her some examples of Bible events where they could remember clouds being mentioned.

  • Noah and the Flood – Gen 9:12-17
    God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 “It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
  • When God leads the Israelites out of Egypt – Ex 13:21-22
    The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
  • At Mount Siani when God gave the commands and laws for the Israelites –Ex 24:16-17
    The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day, He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
  • When Jesus was ascending up into heaven – Acts 1:9-11
    And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
  • After the drought and Elijah prays – 1 Kings 18:42-46
    But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.'” 45 In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.
  • When Jesus was being questioned by His accusers – Mark 14:61-63
    Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”

Mary Rose listened as her parents told her about these times of a cloud being mentioned in the Bible and sat very quietly as she thought of what it would be like to look out and see Jesus coming with the clouds. Her eyes grew large and she sat up straight and slowly said, “Wow, you mean we are going to see Jesus coming with the clouds?” Her parents answered her, “Yes!” As the plane came out of the cloud, she went back to looking out the window and wondered just how long she would have to wait to see Jesus.

 

Greetings to my sister Bible class teachers!

Children can ask some first-rate questions and I would love to hear some you have been asked and how you responded to them. Remember, when a student asks a question we need to do our best to be sure to give them an answer.  It may not be easy to say “I don’t know”, but it is OK, and be sure to let them know if you need to take time to look up an answer for them outside of class. Or if you know a verse or study book that answers their question, give them the information and let them look it up. Some questions can be simply and truthfully answered in class, but if their question doesn’t pertain to the Bible lesson or they need a lengthy explanation, it can be answered outside of class time.

How special a simple cloud can become in a child’s eyes. It IS amazing, that we WILL see Jesus coming back with the clouds! The second coming of Jesus is one of my favorite Bible lessons. God has given us several scriptures to inform and prepare us for this glorious event. My students are always amazed at what they find in the scriptures. I hope you have the opportunity to share the second coming of Christ with your Bible class!

To find this month’s “Gold Star” visual aids just click on the gold star below!

My prayers and encouragement go with you!

Serving in Christ,

Gwendolyn Schnell

Gwen Schnell
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CFYC About Image Welcome! We are so glad you stopped by. Come Fill Your Cup is a group of Christian ladies dedicated to equipping women for study and service. We know you are busy and that life’s hectic pace pulls you in so many directions, but you can’t truly be the woman God desires unless you take time to fill your own cup…not with spa days (though we love a good spa!) or the latest novel…but with God’s Holy Word. We want to help you with that! Our goal is to reach you in the midst of your busy day and give you encouragement, education, and fellowship as you strive to live the life God has laid before you. Our prayer is that we can help fill your cup so that you, in turn, can overflow to all those around you. So, as we like to say…come fill your cup, and let it overflow!