After hearing of the decisions that have been made in California this past week and all the ramifications that may involve, it is a great comfort to me that God is “my strong refuge”! As the old song puts it, “Where could I go but to the Lord?!” Ladies, this coming election is for the heart and soul of America as we know it and the only hope we have is our trust in God! And Praise the Lord, He knew about that California decision before it was made and He was NOT surprised. Let’s keep the prayer a priority and let’s see what God will do. We know He can do whatever He wants, so let’s ask Him boldly for great things!
1. Pray for God’s mercy on our land as our courts continue to legislate morality.
2. Praise for God’s mercy and longsuffering as we have deserved His judgment many times even before this.
3. Pray for wisdom for our leaders as they make decisions concerning the economy of our country.
4. Finally, let’s praise and be thankful that God is in control and He will have His way in every decision and plan that our leaders will make!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
More on Proverbs 22:6
Proverbs 22: 6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
I started a series of lessons on this verse last week and will add a short idea this week. I am getting things ready for a trip and so my time is limited. I just want to repeat a thought that I wrote about several weeks ago relating to “the fear of the Lord”. I believe it fits in this series concerning in what areas our children need training so “that when he is old he will not depart from it”. I have come across a couple of verses that I think are pertinent to this topic, so I would like to add those to what I wrote in the previous lesson.
The first lesson in this series was concerning making sure that your children understand their need of Salvation and making sure that they are born again at a young age. Actually, “the fear of the Lord” may be a great thing for them to understand even before they are born again as this may get them to thinking about where they are and whether they are happy with their standing before God. If they aren’t familiar with “the fear of the Lord” before they are saved, then it would be a good thing to cover as soon as possible.
The first verse is in Proverbs 15:33 (NLT). “Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom…” And the second one is Proverbs 16:6. “…By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.” As I read these two verses, I became even more motivated to teach the fear of the Lord to everyone, but especially to our children There is great reward for fearing the Lord and if we desire for our children to be wise and to avoid evil, then we need to take steps to be sure that they learn this concept. It is very evident that they will not learn this from the culture, so again, Moms, it is up to you and your husband to teach these concepts.
Live it before them as an example. Teach them the Scripture. Make sure that they understand that besides “God is love”, there is “God is just” and let them know that sin brings consequences! God will not play the “blame game” that so many are getting away with in our culture. They will be standing before God one day and they need to know that now so they can be ready!
I will be away from the computer for a couple of weeks. Trust you are having a great summer. I will be back soon!
I started a series of lessons on this verse last week and will add a short idea this week. I am getting things ready for a trip and so my time is limited. I just want to repeat a thought that I wrote about several weeks ago relating to “the fear of the Lord”. I believe it fits in this series concerning in what areas our children need training so “that when he is old he will not depart from it”. I have come across a couple of verses that I think are pertinent to this topic, so I would like to add those to what I wrote in the previous lesson.
The first lesson in this series was concerning making sure that your children understand their need of Salvation and making sure that they are born again at a young age. Actually, “the fear of the Lord” may be a great thing for them to understand even before they are born again as this may get them to thinking about where they are and whether they are happy with their standing before God. If they aren’t familiar with “the fear of the Lord” before they are saved, then it would be a good thing to cover as soon as possible.
The first verse is in Proverbs 15:33 (NLT). “Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom…” And the second one is Proverbs 16:6. “…By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.” As I read these two verses, I became even more motivated to teach the fear of the Lord to everyone, but especially to our children There is great reward for fearing the Lord and if we desire for our children to be wise and to avoid evil, then we need to take steps to be sure that they learn this concept. It is very evident that they will not learn this from the culture, so again, Moms, it is up to you and your husband to teach these concepts.
Live it before them as an example. Teach them the Scripture. Make sure that they understand that besides “God is love”, there is “God is just” and let them know that sin brings consequences! God will not play the “blame game” that so many are getting away with in our culture. They will be standing before God one day and they need to know that now so they can be ready!
I will be away from the computer for a couple of weeks. Trust you are having a great summer. I will be back soon!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Prayer List for June 12
This verse reminds us of how to do battle in this world! The verse following these two verses reminds us that our battles are spiritual and not physical. Take a few minutes today and read through Ephesians 6 and remind yourself of the pieces of the Armor and the significance of each piece. It is very obvious that we are in a battle, but we need not despair as we are on the winning side!!! Let’s be part of the army of God and make a difference in the battle that is raging all around us!
1. Pray for President Bush as he finishes up the trip he is on. Pray for wisdom and safety for him.
2. Pray that we will all realize the nature of the battle we are fighting.
3. Pray that we will be willing to fight using the weapons God has offered to us. (ie. the Word of God, the breastplate of righteousness, etc.)
4. Pray that the truth will prevail in the midst of all the “talk”.
1. Pray for President Bush as he finishes up the trip he is on. Pray for wisdom and safety for him.
2. Pray that we will all realize the nature of the battle we are fighting.
3. Pray that we will be willing to fight using the weapons God has offered to us. (ie. the Word of God, the breastplate of righteousness, etc.)
4. Pray that the truth will prevail in the midst of all the “talk”.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Prayer Requests for June 5
Praise the Lord! It is so comforting and energizing to KNOW that God is greater than everything we see out and about! If we can truly get a hold on this concept, it will give us great peace and help us to move on with joy as we see the things unfold concerning the coming election. Let’s continue to pray together and find support in knowing that many are praying with us! God is NOT surprised by anything that is going on around us. And even if those who are doing the talking and seeming to be in charge are not believers, God STILL rules and overrules in the affairs of men.
1. Pray for the ongoing decisions that are still needing to be made in the Presidential race.
2. Pray for the decisions concerning the Vice Presidential choices on both sides.
3. Continue to pray that righteousness will prevail.
4. Pray that Christian people will assess the moral issues and vote Biblically.
1. Pray for the ongoing decisions that are still needing to be made in the Presidential race.
2. Pray for the decisions concerning the Vice Presidential choices on both sides.
3. Continue to pray that righteousness will prevail.
4. Pray that Christian people will assess the moral issues and vote Biblically.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Prayer Reminders for May 29
Of course, the verse referenced in the prayer reminder refers to the sacrifice of our Lord. However, we are just past the celebration of Memorial Day which is set aside for remembering those who have given of themselves to give us the freedoms we have in our wonderful country, the United States of America! For all of its flaws and all of the things that are not right, we still live in the greatest country ever, in this world! And we need to remember that there are many who have laid down their lives for us so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today! My dad didn’t give his life, but he gave several years of his early married life during World War II in order to help in that cause. So I have some first hand reminders of what is cost for the men and women who have fought for us! Just because I am so very proud of him and what he did, I am just going to let you know that he was on the island of Iwo Jima when the flag was raised there. I often praise the Lord for giving him safety during those days or I wouldn’t be here! I was one of the “baby boomers” in the truest sense of the phrase! Here are some praises and prayer requests for us to remember this week.
1. Praise for the men and women who fought and gave their lives for our freedoms!
2. Praise for those who are fighting today in order to maintain those freedoms!
3. Pray for those who are far away from home and needing Christian friends. Pray that the Christians will find each other for the purpose of encouragement and fellowship.
4. Pray for this whole election process as we know that some of our freedoms are being gravely attacked.
1. Praise for the men and women who fought and gave their lives for our freedoms!
2. Praise for those who are fighting today in order to maintain those freedoms!
3. Pray for those who are far away from home and needing Christian friends. Pray that the Christians will find each other for the purpose of encouragement and fellowship.
4. Pray for this whole election process as we know that some of our freedoms are being gravely attacked.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Prayer Requests for May 22
Isn’t it comforting to remember that “the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord”, that God has the power to turn that heart wherever He wishes?! We have some people running for President who think that they are pretty much able to accomplish anything they want to do and who think that you and I and everyone else will believe everything they say and trust them with our lives! How sad for them to overlook the power that God wields in this world! How sad for them to think that they have control of anything! Let us rest in the joy of knowing that our Heavenly Father not only watches over us, but He is in full charge of His Creation and will move His plan forward with or without the help of any particular human being!
1. Praise for the safe trip of President Bush to the Middle East and back.
2. Pray for the ongoing results of the Primaries. There are three more, so keep praying.
3. Pray for the safety of the candidates as they travel around the country.
4. Pray that righteousness and truth will prevail!
5. Pray that those who speak falsely will be held to God’s standards of Truth.
1. Praise for the safe trip of President Bush to the Middle East and back.
2. Pray for the ongoing results of the Primaries. There are three more, so keep praying.
3. Pray for the safety of the candidates as they travel around the country.
4. Pray that righteousness and truth will prevail!
5. Pray that those who speak falsely will be held to God’s standards of Truth.
Summary of Deuteronomy 6
I hope you all had a happy Mother’s Day with your mother or with your children! All of my children and grandchildren were home and it was a terrific day! There were 13 of us in church on Mother’s Day morning and we needed TWO rows! That was the fulfillment of one of my prayers and hopes!
I thought I was finished with Deuteronomy 6, but I have one more thought that I would like to insert before I go on to another topic. I was talking with one of my daughters over the past couple of weeks and it gave me a thought concerning something that has been on my mind for a time now. There is a verse in James 4:14 which says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Now that verse could come across as a bit fatalistic or depressing if we don’t catch the thoughts behind the message. I have been thinking about it for a time and this is what I have come up with from the perspective of family issues. Some of you may have thought this through long ago, but as a math person, it takes me time to think through things that are a bit more abstract in nature!
In the discussion of Deuteronomy 6, I discussed the importance of putting reminders around your home that would remind your children of their heritage, both their family heritage and their ‘spiritual’ heritage. After thinking about James 4:14 and the concept of the “vapor”, I have come to the conclusion that in reality all we have is this present moment! Everything else we have in our minds to think about is either a memory or an anticipation of some future event. We can hold something in our hand that is with us for this one moment, but the future or past for that item is only in our minds as a memory or an anticipation! So how does this relate to Deut. 6? I think it means that it is more important than ever that we make sure that our children grow up with LOTS of memories and it is even more important that we make those memories meaningful! If a huge percentage of their mind is full of memories, wouldn’t we want those memories to be good and wholesome and something they can grow with? Hence we see the idea that we as parents are responsible to see to it that there are things around our homes and also events that will bring good memories to their minds! God forbid that when they think about growing up they would remember the television, or the computer or the video games more than they remember Mom or Dad reading them some stories or playing games with them or having family devotions at a scheduled time. God forbid that they would remember everyone scurrying around getting ready to go off in all different directions every morning more than they would remember family outings or “family devotions” or “family game night”!
So what do we do to make sure that the memories that our children remember are the right memories? Some of that was discussed in a previous entry, but you should start right now and determine each and every day that you will do one thing that you would like your children to remember and that would give them some warm memories of their growing up years. Do one thing that would help them remember the spiritual emphasis you displayed in your home. It takes a lifetime to live a life, so don’t assume anything is too late! Start where you are and take little steps and you will be surprised how things will grow and become what you would like them to be.
Trust this makes sense to you. It has been mulling around in my mind and I trust God has enabled me to give you the gist of what I am trying to share! We are all on this journey called life and just as I like it when someone gives me clues as to where the best campgrounds are and best places to eat when we go on vacation, I trust we are that desirous to know some of the road signs on this journey called “parenting”!
I thought I was finished with Deuteronomy 6, but I have one more thought that I would like to insert before I go on to another topic. I was talking with one of my daughters over the past couple of weeks and it gave me a thought concerning something that has been on my mind for a time now. There is a verse in James 4:14 which says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Now that verse could come across as a bit fatalistic or depressing if we don’t catch the thoughts behind the message. I have been thinking about it for a time and this is what I have come up with from the perspective of family issues. Some of you may have thought this through long ago, but as a math person, it takes me time to think through things that are a bit more abstract in nature!
In the discussion of Deuteronomy 6, I discussed the importance of putting reminders around your home that would remind your children of their heritage, both their family heritage and their ‘spiritual’ heritage. After thinking about James 4:14 and the concept of the “vapor”, I have come to the conclusion that in reality all we have is this present moment! Everything else we have in our minds to think about is either a memory or an anticipation of some future event. We can hold something in our hand that is with us for this one moment, but the future or past for that item is only in our minds as a memory or an anticipation! So how does this relate to Deut. 6? I think it means that it is more important than ever that we make sure that our children grow up with LOTS of memories and it is even more important that we make those memories meaningful! If a huge percentage of their mind is full of memories, wouldn’t we want those memories to be good and wholesome and something they can grow with? Hence we see the idea that we as parents are responsible to see to it that there are things around our homes and also events that will bring good memories to their minds! God forbid that when they think about growing up they would remember the television, or the computer or the video games more than they remember Mom or Dad reading them some stories or playing games with them or having family devotions at a scheduled time. God forbid that they would remember everyone scurrying around getting ready to go off in all different directions every morning more than they would remember family outings or “family devotions” or “family game night”!
So what do we do to make sure that the memories that our children remember are the right memories? Some of that was discussed in a previous entry, but you should start right now and determine each and every day that you will do one thing that you would like your children to remember and that would give them some warm memories of their growing up years. Do one thing that would help them remember the spiritual emphasis you displayed in your home. It takes a lifetime to live a life, so don’t assume anything is too late! Start where you are and take little steps and you will be surprised how things will grow and become what you would like them to be.
Trust this makes sense to you. It has been mulling around in my mind and I trust God has enabled me to give you the gist of what I am trying to share! We are all on this journey called life and just as I like it when someone gives me clues as to where the best campgrounds are and best places to eat when we go on vacation, I trust we are that desirous to know some of the road signs on this journey called “parenting”!
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