My Dad raised us in the church. We attended a Parochial grade school and we expected in church every Sunday as long as we lived under his roof. We prayed before and after every meal. We were baptized and confirmed. Our baptism sponsors gifted us with bibles and prayer books at confirmation. The church prayed for us. He was directing all of this in our lives so why is he so surprised that I am a Christian today?
My Dad commented today that he remembers having to drag my sister and I out of bed every Sunday morning to attend church and now, in his words, we are both going overboard with our religion.
I suggested that maybe we are doing exactly what he intended to happen when he made it a priority for us to get a Christian upbringing.
He said, "No, we have gone overboard."
I, then, suggested that maybe we're not overboard but maybe he's underboard. I'm not sure if this is a word but it gently got his attention.
To this he said, "Yes, that's probably true. I am underboard. I didn't go to church last Sunday because it was Friendship Sunday and they always do extra things I don't care to take part in and I didn't go the Sunday before because they were doing a survey about how you might help serve in the church. I would say I am underboard."
No more on this topic was said but somehow in his mind, I moved from the overboard right, closer to the middle, and he moved further to the underboard left. The distance between he and I remains the same but maybe with the quiet adjustment came the realization for him that's it not my sister and I who are off but rather he who is lacking something.
I love my Dad and I thank him for the sacrifices he has made and the Christian upbringing he made sure we had. I wish he could experience for himself the love and freedom found in the very Lord he made such a great effort to make sure we would know. Isn't it ironic that he is surprised by the outcome of the foundation he helped lay? I know it took a long time to take hold but it did and I wish he would be able to celebrate that not be perplexed by it.
I know the Living Christ, Dad! The relationship has saved my life! I wish you would know him, too! I hope you see Him in me! In my sister! I hope you are able to move from underboard to overboard someday! This is my prayer for you.
Love you Dad!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Kingdom of God Is Now
The Kingdom of God is not a far off place I wish to live in someday - I live in it now!
The King Jesus is not a King I will worship and serve someday when I get to heaven - I worship and serve Him today!
The laws of His kingdom are not laws I will obey later in heaven - I obey them now!
The ways of His kingdom are not the ways I will follow once I live in heaven - I follow them now!
The inheritance of the kingdom is not an inheritance I wait to inherit - I claim it today!
The army of the kingdom is not one I wait to be protected by - I am protected now!
I believe, therefore, the kingdom of God is within me - now!
It has come for me, I do not wait for it, it lives in me, and I in it.
I serve Christ and walk in His ways which are contrary to the ways of this worldly kingdom here on earth.
I trust in my perfect King that He knows best what I should do, where I should go, and how I should live. I strive to do as He says.
I understand to live this way among a people of a different kingdom will bring me ridicule, rejection, judgement, suffering, and persecution because the world does not know the Lord I love.
I rest in His promises and faithfulness and trust His Word to be true.
On Judgement Day, He will separate the sheep from the goats. He will take the sheep home and relieve their suffering and reward their faithfulness and allegiance to Him as their King.
I want to be a sheep, His child, called home to rest in His love and provision for all eternity.
In the meantime, I want to be a worker in furthering His kingdom here on earth. I don't always know what that looks like but I trust He will show me.
I depend of my King for strength, wisdom, guidance, and approval. It's His approval and His version of success that I seek!
If I am found faithful in His eyes then my life was well spent.
The King Jesus is not a King I will worship and serve someday when I get to heaven - I worship and serve Him today!
The laws of His kingdom are not laws I will obey later in heaven - I obey them now!
The ways of His kingdom are not the ways I will follow once I live in heaven - I follow them now!
The inheritance of the kingdom is not an inheritance I wait to inherit - I claim it today!
The army of the kingdom is not one I wait to be protected by - I am protected now!
I believe, therefore, the kingdom of God is within me - now!
It has come for me, I do not wait for it, it lives in me, and I in it.
I serve Christ and walk in His ways which are contrary to the ways of this worldly kingdom here on earth.
I trust in my perfect King that He knows best what I should do, where I should go, and how I should live. I strive to do as He says.
I understand to live this way among a people of a different kingdom will bring me ridicule, rejection, judgement, suffering, and persecution because the world does not know the Lord I love.
I rest in His promises and faithfulness and trust His Word to be true.
On Judgement Day, He will separate the sheep from the goats. He will take the sheep home and relieve their suffering and reward their faithfulness and allegiance to Him as their King.
I want to be a sheep, His child, called home to rest in His love and provision for all eternity.
In the meantime, I want to be a worker in furthering His kingdom here on earth. I don't always know what that looks like but I trust He will show me.
I depend of my King for strength, wisdom, guidance, and approval. It's His approval and His version of success that I seek!
If I am found faithful in His eyes then my life was well spent.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Noble Men
But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands. Isaiah 32:8
What does it mean to be a noble man?
What are noble plans?
What are noble deeds?
I believe a noble man is a Godly man.
I believe noble plans are plans in accordance with God's will.
I believe noble deeds are the acts we do in the name of Jesus to serve others and to glorify God. It's the living out of God's will for us in our lives.
A man without a saving faith in Jesus Christ is not a noble man. He has not gained nobility yet by becoming an adopted son and co-heir to the kingdom of heaven. He has not entered the royal line.
A man without a saving faith in Jesus Christ cannot, therefore, make noble plans because he will not be seeking the will of his Father in heaven. Instead, he will make plans out of the desires of his evil heart and in accordance with worldly measures. To the world, his plans will look very good but they are not noble plans flowing from the King of Kings.
A man without a saving faith in Jesus Christ cannot do noble deeds because he has no idea who Jesus is, what Jesus would want him to do, nor how to glorify the living God.
A man who does not have a saving faith in Jesus Christ will not understand a noble man, his plans, or his deeds. To follow someone God's will, to go against worldly standards, or to put others ahead of yourself will be foreign concepts to him who does not know Christ.
The saved should act like noble men making noble plans and doing noble deeds. We should be bringing glory to our Father in heaven who saved us through the blood of his Son, Jesus. We should be seeking God's will and doing it.
To those who are not yet noble men, do you know God loves you, and wants to bring you into his Kingdom as co-heirs, as well?
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life.
Noble men take heart when the world does not understand your plans and deeds for our God who saves will also redeem and reward those who walk in His ways. Your actions may also work with the Holy Spirit to draw others into a life of nobility.
What does it mean to be a noble man?
What are noble plans?
What are noble deeds?
I believe a noble man is a Godly man.
I believe noble plans are plans in accordance with God's will.
I believe noble deeds are the acts we do in the name of Jesus to serve others and to glorify God. It's the living out of God's will for us in our lives.
A man without a saving faith in Jesus Christ is not a noble man. He has not gained nobility yet by becoming an adopted son and co-heir to the kingdom of heaven. He has not entered the royal line.
A man without a saving faith in Jesus Christ cannot, therefore, make noble plans because he will not be seeking the will of his Father in heaven. Instead, he will make plans out of the desires of his evil heart and in accordance with worldly measures. To the world, his plans will look very good but they are not noble plans flowing from the King of Kings.
A man without a saving faith in Jesus Christ cannot do noble deeds because he has no idea who Jesus is, what Jesus would want him to do, nor how to glorify the living God.
A man who does not have a saving faith in Jesus Christ will not understand a noble man, his plans, or his deeds. To follow someone God's will, to go against worldly standards, or to put others ahead of yourself will be foreign concepts to him who does not know Christ.
The saved should act like noble men making noble plans and doing noble deeds. We should be bringing glory to our Father in heaven who saved us through the blood of his Son, Jesus. We should be seeking God's will and doing it.
To those who are not yet noble men, do you know God loves you, and wants to bring you into his Kingdom as co-heirs, as well?
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life.
Noble men take heart when the world does not understand your plans and deeds for our God who saves will also redeem and reward those who walk in His ways. Your actions may also work with the Holy Spirit to draw others into a life of nobility.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Quote - The Pear Tree
The Pear Tree
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, the fulfillment of your fall.
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.
Author Unknown
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, the fulfillment of your fall.
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.
Author Unknown
Quote
"Ambition is a passion, at once strong and insidious, and is very apt to cheet a man out of his happiness and his true respectability of character."
- Judge Edward Bates, July 1859 diary entry, as noted in Dois Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals - The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
Friday, March 26, 2010
How 'the pill' led to societal infantilism
Very interesting article by Geoffrey Botkin in response to the birth control pill being introduced 50 years ago this year and it's affects on society.
How 'the pill' led to societal infantilism
How 'the pill' led to societal infantilism
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Don't Be Afraid
1 Peter 3:3-6
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.
They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.
You are her daughter if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
..................................................................................................................................
Proverbs 3:25-27
Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
Raising and training our children to love God and their fellow man is a good thing! Our desire to do so comes from knowing God ourselves and then understanding the impact we are to have on raising godly offspring that will be used in God's Kingdom.
As daughters of Sarah, we have a distinct privilege to influence the world through the generation that we raise up for Him. The sacrifices we make today for our children so that they are given every opportunity to grow up in the knowledge and wisdom of Christ may bring more to the world than any other area of contribution we could make.
Our sons and daughters may grow up to be politicians, lawyers, Supreme Court Justices, college deans, college founders, teachers, and parents. The world needs these positions to be filled with Christians who love and honor Christ.
I don't want to be afraid to prepare my daughters for whatever God calls them to do for him in his kingdom. I will not let the world influence me and make me afraid to do what God is calling me to do today.
I will not be afraid!
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