God Gave The Job To Parents

The home and family are under attack! Why? I believe it is because the home is the fundamental, foundational element in a civilized culture. Our traditional ways are being undermined and all of the world is suffering for it. The damage is not yet complete, but there is a concentrated effort to destroy the family and all that it means to us.

Our family is precious to us. We have been blessed with six children, Twenty-six grandchildren, and One great grandchild. In our very hearts we have desires for their lives, a passion for their souls, and long for their good health and happiness for all of them. It is our habit to pray for them, to help them where we can, and to seek God's help in leaving a godly heritage for them. When they are joyful, it blesses us. When they hurt, we grieve for them. It is no exaggeration to say they mean more to us than our very own lives.

Over the years we have determined not to interfere with our sons and daughters in how they raise and discipline their children. We believe firmly that the LORD has given parents the responsibility for parenting their own children and not us. If they ask our advice, we are happy to give it. But otherwise we keep our opinions to ourselves -- most of the time. I am very sorrowful about an incident the other day, though. My two cents were contributed to one of our children. And, frankly, the thing I addressed was none of my business. I believe the criticism hurt someone doing their very best. That breaks my heart.

Thousands of years ago, GOD gave the responsibility for the teaching, training, discipline, and care of children to their parents. I love this passage from Deuteronomy 6: " These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. . . "

It is the PARENTS who will be accountable to God for all of the care, teaching, discipline, and decisions related to raising their children. It is GOD who has entrusted them with children. He will guide them and give them wisdom to fulfill his calling to them as parents. The plan of God for the family is not to be taken lightly nor is it to be infringed upon. And WE are the ones who should be encouragers, supporters, and helpers in every way that God enables us.

In our culture, the integrity of the home and the authority of parents is being undermined -- even among Christians. Children are being taught to call human services if they don't like what their parents are doing. Law enforcement is negligent about delinquency cases and parents are not supported in many cases. Some public educators usurp the authority of parents in the home. Children are violating God's command to honor and obey their parents. They are  resisting parental guidance and rebelling against their authority. As this happens, there will be grave consequences.

It is my prayer that we will help and not hinder. May we bless and not wound. We can pray instead of criticize. Let GOD be glorified as families support each other!

NOTE: I realize that in cases of violence and abuse, intervention is necessary.

 

A Place For Everyone

At breakfast time, we usually spend a few minutes reading. Right now we are reading from a book on Christian history. There is a reading for each day, detailing specific events that happened at some point on that date. What wonderful bits and pieces of Christian history! Many times the accounts are so moving that we shed tears. At other times the stories of courage in the face of persecution or those of perseverance through debilitating illnesses challenge us about our own loyalty to the Lord.

Recently we read the story of Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871).  As a result of a serious illness, she suffered pain and depression throughout her life. She often felt that because of her poor health she could offer little in service to the Lord. She longed for some ministry. At one point she anonymously wrote a poem, expressing how she was feeling. A woman found a copy and thought it was so beautiful that she published it in a pamphlet and distributed it to others. Little did Elliot know that her poem had been published and that it was being used to minister all over England. Ultimately, her pastor obtained a copy of the poem and thinking it would be an encouragement, he gave it to Charlotte. Imagine her amazement at reading a published copy of "Just As I Am" -- her own work. Charlotte had a place of ministry and a calling, but she had not been aware of it.

"Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me,
and that Thou bidst me come to Thee, Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot.
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt.
Fightings and fears within, without, Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind. Sight, riches, healing of the mind.
Yea, all I need in Thee to find, Oh, Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because thy promise I believe, Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown, has broken every barrier down,
Now to  be Thine, yea Thine alone, Oh Lamb of God, I come, I come."

Charlotte Elliot's brother was a pastor. He said that Charlotte's hymn was more effective in people's lives than all the sermons he ever preached. What a blessing to know that God is still using that hymn to His glory!

You and I may not ever write a poem or a hymn. We may never travel worldwide to share the Good News. But I know this for sure: God has given us gifts and He has called us to be used of Him in this life. We, too, have a place of ministry!

This is my prayer: I want to be the person He has created me to be. That is my "place"!

John 15: 4-5  "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

The Lord is MY Shepherd

  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down

in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~     

As I read this beautiful Psalm once again, the word "security" comes to mind. Think with me about the relationship that we have with our awesome God. What a wonderful analogy. 

A GOOD shepherd takes care of everything for the sheep. There is nothing the sheep needs that is not provided in abundance. There is peace, rest, protection comfort and refreshment. 

Even when the path becomes rough and crooked, the shepherd does not drive the sheep. He knows the way and He leads them. They are not left to their own devices, but He is with them every step of the way. The sheep are never expected to go anywhere without the presence and the comfort of the shepherd. Never! 

The sheep are loved, valued, and tended always. They are precious to the shepherd. He talks to them and they know His voice. They follow him because they trust him. 

Now what about US? Is it necessary for us to worry and stress over the circumstances of life? Do we really and truly believe that nothing can touch us without our Savior's permission? Are we convinced that He always has our best interest at heart and that HE will lead us in the right way and direct our paths? 

God has promised that He will never leave us. He has given those of us who believe a tremendous future. We are heirs of God. He has said that He will not withhold anything from us that is good for us. He loves us unconditionally. He is true to His Word. He cannot lie. He holds us in the palm of His hand and He will never drop us! He never breaks a promise. Never, ever! We can trust Him. 

In Sunday School we used to sing a little song: 

"Every promise in the Book is mine.

 Every chapter, every verse, every line.

 All are blessings of His love divine.

 Every promise in the Book is mine."

The Lord really IS my Shepherd. How blessed I am. 

When Jesus Comes, How Will We Meet Him?

Emily and Erika at The Bradford House

Tonight my heart is focused on the great HOPE of the Christian! What a wonderful thing to contemplate the fact that Jesus has promised to return to earth. In John 14, this promise is spoken by Jesus: ". . . I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, you may be also." One of these days Jesus will be ushering us into our Heavenly home. What a blessed hope! What a precious thought! .

How about you? Do you own that wonderful hope? It isn't an iffy, maybe hope. No! It is the assurance that God will always keep His promises. He, who cannot tell a lie, will do all that He promised to do and much more. The Bible says that eyes have not seen, nor ears heard what God has in store for those who love Him.

As unworthy as I am, I want to stand before Him as having been faithful to His calling. When He comes, do you also want to be watching. Will you be expecting Him. In your heart are you anticipating the joy of seeing the Savior face to face?

When Jesus comes again, I don't want to be found wasting time or flirting with the world, the flesh, and the devil. I want to be glorifying the Lord in the way I am thinking, feeling, acting, and speaking. How about you?

Question! If Jesus should return to earth today, will you and I rejoice at His appearing or will we stand shame-faced before Him? Nothing in this world is more important that being ready for Christ's return. Fanny Crosby wrote a hymn many years ago that has relevance to us today. It is sobering and compelling. Consider her words:

1. When Jesus comes to reward His servants,
   Whether it be noon or night,
   Faithful to Him will He find us watching,
   With our lamps all trimmed and bright?
   • Refrain:
     Oh, can we say we are ready, brother?
     Ready for the soul’s bright home?
     Say, will He find you and me still watching,
     Waiting, waiting when the Lord shall come?
2. If, at the dawn of the early morning,
   He shall call us one by one,
   When to the Lord we restore our talents,
   Will He answer thee, “Well done”?
3. Have we been true to the trust He left us?
   Do we seek to do our best?
   If in our hearts there is naught condemns us,
   We shall have a glorious rest.
4. Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,
   In His glory they shall share;
   If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,
   Will He find us watching there?

Life Is TOO Short For Some Things . . .

27 

". . God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1)

In The Sermon on The Mount, Jesus said, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute       you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you [only] love those who love you, what reward do you have?"  (Matthew 5)

Tonight I am not exactly sure how to say what is on my heart. How do we even begin to comprehend the greatness of our God, who spoke the vast universe into existence? How do we understand the power of the one who holds all heavenly bodies in their place? Is your mind boggled at the design and the order of all creation? And did you ever wonder how an omnipotent, ominipresent and unchanging God knows and cares about you and me? And how can he care for people everywhere through all history past, present, and future? 

It is impossible for me to understand how and why God reached down to the likes of me to redeem me and welcome me into His family. One hymn says, "amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God should'st die for ME."  Another old song says, "How big is God, how big and wide his vast domain? To try to tell these lips can only start. He's big enough to rule the mighty universe, yet small enough to live within my heart." 

We could go on and on talking about the "wonder that God loves me!" Perhaps Francis Schaeffer had some of these very thoughts when he wrote his book, How Shall We Then Live? And that is what I hope we think about: in light of all that God has done in us and for us, how should we be living? And more specifically, what should our behavior be toward others? The Bible says, "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

Friends and family, it is so easy to fall into the negativity that is so prevalent in this world. Let us be in continual prayer that we will recognize that all people are made in the image of God. Let us look into ourselves and begin to find some understanding of just what God has forgiven us -- "my sin, not in part but the whole was NAILED to the cross and I bear it no more. . ." Let's realize that if God loves us anyway, we should have such an attitude toward others. 

Life is too short for us to do less than to be, to do, and to think in God's terms. Together, we can make a difference. We can express joy, not anger. We can love, not hate. We can learn humility, and not let our pride get into the way. Let us sincerely seek to be the people GOD created us to be.  And most of all, let's be people of prayer. 

A Heart For Children

Grammie Muriel Reading a Book To Some Of Her Grandchildren 

What a wonderful thing it is for a child to be loved unconditionally and know it! How do I know? It is because I was loved like that by my Grammie Muriel. 

My generation grew up at a time when many people really believed that children were "to be seen and not heard." Now that wasn't the case in our family for we were dearly loved by our parents, grandparents, our aunts and uncles. We were a closely knit family and most of the people around us were Christians. 

That said, let me also say that my grandmother went the second mile for children. Grammie was the best child advocate ever! When we visited her house, she treated us with the same respect and dignity that adults enjoyed. Her kindness went beyond the family to the community to the extent that many other children also called her "Grammie Muriel" just as we did. She never met a child that she did not love. And they loved her in return. 

As much as she cared for our physical comfort, her greatest priority was to minister to our spiritual needs. You could say that Grammie Muriel was truly a MISSIONARY TO CHILDREN. The name of Jesus was in every conversation we had with her. She helped us memorize Bible verses and whole passages of Scripture. She couldn't carry a tune, but she rocked us and sang to us. Sometimes she would have two or three children on her lap and a child standing on each rocker and holding onto the arms of her creaky rocking chair while she sang -- sometimes silly songs, but more often "Jesus Loves Me" and other hymns and Christian songs. One that I especially loved went like this:

When He cometh, when He cometh  to make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels, His loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning, His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty, Bright gems for His crown.

He will gather, He will gather the gems for His kingdom;All the pure ones, all the bright ones, His loved and His own.

 Little children, little children who love their Redeemer,
Are the jewels, precious jewels, His loved and His own.

Grammie continually shared the Gospel with us and she taught us to pray, She took us to prayer meeting with her and made a habit of prompting us to join the adults in prayer. She was so burdened that we become people of prayer that she actually called out our names: "Brenda, it's your turn". "Andrea?" We didn't always appreciate hearing her call out our names, but we are very thankful today that she encouraged us in the way that she did. 

A verse that she quoted to us many times was from Matthew 19: "Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 

Thank you, Jesus, for giving my grandmother a heart for children. I am so glad that you chose her to show the love of Jesus to ME and every child she ever knew. She is the one who led me to YOU. It was the best day of my life.

A Thankful Heart is Filled With Joy

• "Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."
• This chorus is a wonderful reminder of the need for Christians to recognize God's blessings and to be thankful for them. All too often I find myself taking His blessings for granted. Those are times to stop, to reflect, to give thanks, and to rejoice in the Lord and His abundant blessings.
• Probably you have experienced some trying times in your life and have become so focused on the problem that the very foundations of your faith have wavered. It has happened to me. When that happens, it is time to stop and take inventory of the goodness of God and the hope that we have in the Lord. 
• May I share a story? When Jonathan was about two, he choked on a peanut. It was horrifying to us. As we rushed to the hospital for help, he coughed and coughed between short, raspy breaths. I had my hand on his back and I could feel the peanut vibrate with every breath. At the hospital, they took x-rays and saw no obstruction. In time, Jonathan calmed down and began to breathe better. With the improvement, he was discharged. 
• From that point on he got sick about once every two weeks with a fever and coughing up huge quantities of mucous. Off to the doctor we went every time. And time after time Jonathan went home with antibiotics. On antibiotics, our little boy got better -- for a few days. And then he would be sick again. After a couple of months of this cycle, a test was ordered to see if the lungs were filling equally with air. They weren't! So he was sent to Bangor for a bronchoscopy. They were going to take a look and see if there was a peanut down there, obstructing a bronchial tube. 
• As we sat in his room waiting for things to happen, the surgeon came in and he got very frank with us. He told us that a peanut -- especially a Spanish peanut with skin on it -- would be very irritating. He thought he would find damaged lung tissue. He expected Jonathan to lose as much as half of his lung. After all, if something was down there so long, it wouldn't be good. When the doctor left the room, two very shocked parents looked at each other and could barely speak. We felt a black cloud descend over us and push us down. 
• As we sat there, stunned, the Lord sent light to shine through the darkness.  He gave us the assurance that HE was in control of the situation. We grasped the truth that we could trust Him with our little guy and we clung to it. 
• The outcome was this: the doctors found an intact peanut. They plucked it out with no problem. The tissue was totally healthy. Jonathan kept his whole lung. After recovery from anesthesia he went home a healthy little boy, free of the cycle of illness and antibiotics. 
• God is GOOD. But what if Jonathan had lost half of his lung? What about God's goodness then? We talked about that. We were thankful for the miracle. Our hearts rejoiced at the mercy of God that was extended toward him and us. But we resolved in our hearts that our God is GOOD even if we do not understand what He is doing or why. 
• Think on these words from Philippians 4: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. . . do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
• Have a thankful heart! Thanksgiving brings joy. And joy brings more thanksgiving. 

There Is A Season And A Time

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace."  -From Ecclesiastes 3 (ESV)

". . .  it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. . ."   -From Hebrews 9

In May of 2013, this blog was born with an entry entitled "What Am I Doing Here?" This was meant to explain why the blog was being written. Today the same question comes to my mind and it is a more serious question. Right now the question relates to why I am still living on this earth. In the general sense, the answer is clear as can be and that is, "God has a plan and a purpose".

Circumstances over the past week have convinced me without a doubt that I have stepped into 2014 because of God's miraculous intervention and that He still has a purpose for me on this journey we call life. Last week I had a brush with death and today I am at my desk writing another entry to this blog. I have His gift of hours, weeks, or years with my family and to accomplish what He puts before me.

My earnest prayer to the Lord is to ask of Him, "help me to be the person You created me to be." God's ways are perfect, but left on my own I would just be stumbling around in the dark. My desire is to walk closely to Him, "all the days of my life".

It is a comfort to know that God is in control -- and He has been in control from before my beginning. Psalm 139 is an amazing one. Let me quote a couple of verses:

"Nothing about me
    is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together
    deep in the earth below,

but with your own eyes
    you saw my body being formed.
Even before I was born,
you had written in your book
    everything I would do."  (CEV)

Think about it! God is definitely NOT the "prime mover" who set everything in motion and then just stepped back and let things go.

He is intimately involved in our lives in the good times and in the hard times. He is moved with compassion as we journey through this broken, sinful world. (I look forward to the day He restores it all!) 

Because He knows every breath: the first one and the last one, I can trust Him completely. NOTHING can touch me without His permission. ALL the triumphs and trials of this life are being knit together for GOOD and to His glory. 

In 1833, John Henry Newman wrote a prayerful hymn:

"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,

Lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home,

Lead Thou me on!

Keep Thou my feet: I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me."

He ends it with these words that describe the attitude of the trusting heart:

"Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith,

 Home to my God

 To rest forever after earthly strife

 In the calm light of everlasting life." 

With our hands in His, let's walk anywhere He leads us for this season and for this time and until our journey is done.