Because He first loved us....

It's true..."We love Him, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19  Face it...we didn't want Him.  We wanted to serve the flesh and continue in our sin, all the while denying our need of God or that we were even sinning.  It was in His mercy that He came to us and opened our eyes and hearts, drawing us to His bleeding side and giving us eternal life, and that more abundantly.  We didn't want it, and we certainly didn't deserve it.  However, our Lord is patient and kind, full of mercy and grace.  God's word is clear...every one of us is born a sinner. 

I'm not writing anything new.  Any born again believer knows these things.  So why do we expect better of our children than what we were?  They are born in sin the same as we were.  Our children aren't born wanting to submit to us, to obey us, or more importantly...to obey God.  They, like we, are born selfish, rebellious, and disobedient.  As parents that have been redeemed, shouldn't we extend the same grace, mercy, and patience toward them that God so lovingly showed us?  Instead of lashing out with harsh words or angry outbursts, we must tenderly and lovingly correct them - pointing them to the One who can change their hearts.  We must never treat them cruelly or harshly because they aren't treating us the way we think they should.  That's not God's way...He is good to us, all the time - whether we are walking in obedience or stumbling along the path.  Correct them we must, but it must be done with love.

We are by no means perfect and will certainly fail.  I pray we will be quick to realize our failure and repent before the Lord, also asking our children to forgive us.  You've seen the look that crosses their precious faces when we've hurt them with our words or actions....looks of confusion and pain.  They love us and trust us...they look to us to protect them.  They are like tender little plants that need to be pruned...may we be careful not to trample them underfoot because we have failed to keep our eyes on Jesus, praying for His divine help and the patience and stamina that it takes to love them the way He loves them!

Raising Godly children

Around here we have been in somewhat of a valley for quite some time.  There have been many, many trials.  Over the past week, the trials seemed to be unending, coming from every direction and usually at the same time : )  However, through it all, God has of course been faithful!  And I give Him all the glory.  With all that has been happening, when my husband found me having a tearful moment yesterday he of course thought I was worried about bills, or the girls' recent illness, or something along those lines.  However when he asked what was wrong, I said something that I never would have said years ago...before Christ picked me up out of the miry clay and washed me clean.  I told him I was far more worried about raising children who love and live for the Lord than I was about paying the electric bill or anything else.  You see, troubles come...it's part of life.  There is no sense worrying about our food, shelter, and clothing because His word says there is no need to.  I know that God will work all those things out as He sees fit.

Now, I know that the salvation of my children is in His hand as well so I'm not really worried about that.  What I was tearful about is the example I set for them....how I live out my life for Christ before them through the years.  I don't want to fail...I can't let that happen.  I must do whatever it takes to give them a Godly example to learn from...I must feed them scripture daily for every situation in life...I must remember to praise and thank the Lord when things are hard instead of complaining!  It's a tough job...no doubt about it.  But it's one that I'm ready to tackle with a fresh determination.  Things have been pretty chaotic around here and I've let things fall by the wayside.  It's time to pick myself up, crawl into the lap of Jesus, pour out my heart to Him daily...and then let Him use me as He sees fit.  Times a wastin' as they say....    Moms who are in the trenches day to day with many children, don't let it overwhelm you to the point that you let things slip away.  Feeding and tending His sheep needs to be the top priority of every day!  Take your burdens to the Lord, and He will work it out.  In the meantime, keep quoting scripture, keep nurturing, keep disciplining.  Do it all for His glory and His namesake.

What kind of fruit do you bear?

The Lord Himself has much to say about bearing fruit. There is a clear way for you and anyone who knows you to gauge whether you are truly a Christ-follower, or a Christian in name only....by the fruit that you bear! There are plenty of people who believe in Christ that aren't truly desiring to follow Him. The Bible teaches that even the devil believes in Christ!

Matthew 7:15-20 teaches that a good tree can't bear bad fruit and neither can a bad tree bear good fruit. So what kind of fruit are you bearing? If you are walking in the spirit you should be bearing those fruits....love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.... Does this sound like your life? Are you angry, bitter, and impatient? Do you love those that hate you? Are you gentle or harsh? Are you meek or obstinate? I would humbly like to suggest that if you aren't bearing good fruit, it's time to check your heart and life. Galatians 5:24-25 says "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

If you claim to know Christ and find that you are bearing bad fruit....could it be that you are unregenerate? There will come a day when it will be too late to make it right. There is no time like the present to repent before a Holy God and start walking with the Lord....to surrender your whole life to Him. If you are living with one foot in this world and aren't fully surrendered to Him, it will be evident to those around you. How can we properly disciple our children if we aren't really disciples ourselves? For the sake of our children and the sake of our own souls, each of us that professes Christ with our mouths needs to be sure are hearts are aligned with His!

Waiting in the wilderness

Waiting is not easy. As humans, we tend to want an answer NOW, relief NOW. I suppose no one really enjoys pain....let's be honest - it stinks. But like it or not, suffering is part of the Christian walk. Suffering isn't the most popular topic among most preachers today. Everyone wants to talk about prosperity. Some claim that God would never want us to suffer. The reality is, we will suffer pain, hardships, disappointments, etc. It's just part of walking with Jesus. What makes people think they can and should escape any suffering when our precious, sinless Savior suffered so miserably for us?

God uses our suffering to mold and change us....to make us run to Him and realize our need of Him. Suffering will make us draw closer to Him! And that is what He wants so much....a close relationship with His children. Sometimes it seems that the waiting for an answer to prayer or an end to our pain and suffering will never come. Waiting for God to move goes against our "I need it now" nature. But God IS faithful and He has a plan....a plan that is much better than what we could ever imagine.

When God does move in my life I know that I will look back and see His faithfulness every step of the way. I will again be amazed at His goodness toward me. Until then, I'm still going to praise Him and bless His name. As Psalm 100:4-5 says

"4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

Living in the wilderness

So many people, when they see me with my large family, assume that I'm some kind of super mom. They often think that because I homeschool with such a large brood I must be really organized and have it all together. It simply is not true. I'm always busy, sometimes overwhelmed, and often tired. There are many little people who need my love, patience, and attention. When family and strangers comment that they don't know how I do it my first thought is "If you only knew...." Of course there are times when things are going well and I'm on the mountaintop spiritually. But other times, like now, I find myself in a dry and thirsty land.....the wilderness. When you are in a spiritual wilderness and feel like none of your prayers are being answered, it can make caring for many seem all the more difficult.

For the past few years I have seen more valleys than peaks and it sometimes seems there is no end in sight. There have been many types of struggles in my life lately and I can't seem to quiet the storm some days no matter how much I pray and seek the Lord. God has been faithful through it all, often coming through just when I thought I couldn't hang on for another minute. Am I blessed? Absolutely. Am I struggling? Absolutely.

Yesterday the Lord led me to a passage of scripture that I can meditate on while I'm in the valley. As my pastor often says - "He showed up right on time, with just enough" to get me through again.....

• ¹⁷Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: ¹⁸Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18
  

Wives....the truth about submission

Ephesians 5:22 commands "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." There is no getting around it as much as modern day feminist thinking wants to do away with this verse. For those of us who are committed to obeying this scripture there are a few things we can be sure of:

1. It is God's design for marriage
2. God will bless us in our obedience to His word

However, in Christian circles where women are committed to Godly submission to their husbands there is another "truth" I don't here many people mentioning and that is IT IS SOMETIMES HARD! Many times it's hard because it's simply a battle of the flesh - we want to be in control (which started with Eve). But, sometimes it's more than that.

Sometimes there are spiritual convictions that we have that we feel so certain the Lord has placed in our hearts - only to have our husbands disagree. Now I don't mean things that are clearly sin issues - in those you always obey God first. But you know those "gray areas" that aren't clearly spelled out in scripture as sin, but nonetheless seem clear cut to us? This can be so discouraging and even cause us to question our Lord. Have you ever cried out to Him "Why have you changed my heart in this matter Lord, only to have it cause division in my marriage?" Having more children is probably the most common area I have heard mentioned as a cause of division between spouses. Homeschooling is runner-up. It could even be dressing modestly or whether to wear a head covering. It is just such a difficult thing to deal with at times. Nagging our dear husbands is certainly not the answer but what is?

Waiting on the Lord and leaning on him....that's all we can really do. TRUST, TRUST, TRUST! We have to take comfort in knowing that He has a plan and that he knows the plans he has for our lives. As the head of the home, the husband will be the one that ultimately has to answer for the way he has handled spiritual matters. In the meantime, wives must submit.......and wait for His perfect timing.