You get two for one today because I didn't get around to blogging yesterday.
"Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
Twins! Double pediatric costs, two cribs, two car seats. and I thought it was hard when they were born almost 18 years ago. Now it's double college applications, two sets of scholarship applications, two colleges requiring papers and information! But oh, twice the joy! It is so great to look at these two young men and see how God has prepared each of them uniquely and differently to follow Him in their desires and dreams. God has truly put His desires in their hearts and they wish to serve God. Lucas is heading to college to pursue a degree in aviation. He wants to be a missionary pilot. Ethan is heading to college to play soccer! Okay, he hopes to get a degree along the way in either computer technology or coaching. But mostly, he wants to play soccer. He was invited to play on a college team yesterday and we are very proud of him.
The last post was about judging, or not judging. When we realize that God puts His desires in each of our hearts and that they are unique and custom-made for each of us, then we are not as apt to judge. God put a desire in my heart many years ago to be a wife and a mom. 27 years into that endeavor, I look back and realize that was God's desire for me. I feel complete and content. It has been amazing! I loved every minute of being a mom (Well, maybe not the middle of the night throw up parties!) But almost every minute!
Now He is putting a new desire within me. A desire to mentor young ladies and teach them to follow their God in His unique call to them and their families. I can't do this in a spirit of judgment, because each person has come from a different background, has different goals, and a different personality. God has led me along the way to becoming a better listener and a better questioner. I will need both these skills as I go. God always equips us with the tools to accomplish what He asks of us. Hebrews 13: 20-21 says, "Now the God of peace... equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight..." He gets us going in the right direction, equips us, and works within us all along the way. What a mighty God!
So what are your desires? What are your dreams? If you are a Christian and walking with Jesus, you can know that God gave these to you and will help you accomplish them to His glory.
Hint for the day: As a parent it is important to know your child's learning style. Take them for a walk. When you get home tell them to tell you about their walk. Listen to their words. If they talk about what they saw, they are visual learners. If they talk about what they heard, they are audio learners, ifthey talk about what they did, they are kinesthetic learners. And, if they couldn't be quiet on the walk, they are probably oral learners. We all have a combination of these learning styles, but usually one is dominant. Once you decide the learning style, watch your child over the following week and see if that is consistent. You might even set up some "tests". Ask them if they would rather help you make dinner (kinesthetic) or open the refrigerator ad tell you all the colors that they can see (visual). Would they rather tell you about a story they heard (oral), listen to a story (audio), or read a story (visual). Once you figureout their primary learning style, you can begin to teach them their school work in that pattern. An oral or kinesthetic child will best learn spelling by dancing around the table yelling it out at the top of their lungs or bounding on a ball to a tune while singing them. An audio learning will do best if you repeat the spelling to them in a song or a verse and the visual child can write the word and draw a picture to go along with it.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Judging
Aren’t you glad that God made us all so different? He sure had a sense of humor when he made me! Some of us have freckles, some have dark skin, and some light. Some of us are extroverts and others are introverts. Some laugh easily and sing a lot; others are quiet and shy. Some of us need words of affirmation, and others just need a look of approval or a touch of love.
The comments that I get after I speak are always interesting and reveals that we all have different needs. I recently facilitated a panel of couples on marriage for our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. I explained that I was facilitating instead of being on the panel because there was no way that my husband would ever want to get up in front of a group of beautiful young ladies and talk about his marriage. When I asked him he said that he would rather eat glass. (Now, in all honesty, my sweet husband would have jumped at helping to set up, to clean up or to cook, but he is not an up-in-front-of-groups person.) We went on and had a great panel. The couples gave out lots of advice, answered lots of questions, and shared their own struggles and victories through Christ. Afterwards a young lady came up to me and very timidly asked if it bothered me that my husband did not want to come and be on the panel. I had just mentioned this in passing and there was a whole lot of other and, in my opinion, more pertinent information. I was surprised that she had picked up on this particular issue. We spoke for a few minutes and I found out that her husband has the same personality and spiritual gift of service that my husband has. This frustrates her, because she loves people and groups and speaking and going and doing. I assured her that God made us differently and that is okay!
Another time when I spoke at a women’s group about parenting, two moms came up to me afterwards. Now remember, they had just sat through the same class. The first one says to me, “Thank you, God really used you to confirm our decision to homeschool.” The second lady then came up and said, “Thank you so much, now I know that homeschooling is definitely not for me!”
We are all different and that is good. If we were all the same we wouldn’t need each other! As Christians we sometimes judge one another on matters that really just come from our differences. Things like dress, hair styles, how we celebrate different holidays, how we worship, and what translation of the Bible we use. 1 Corinthians 4:6b says, “…so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.” We are to agree on the principle matters of doctrine, but rejoice in our differences of personality, choices, dreams, and desires. As long as what you do is for God’s glory and you do it with all your heart, then others are not to judge. (Romans 14:1-10) We are to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) and remember that “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12)
In this spirit, we are pleased to now offer our Practical Proverbs for Older Students and our Practical Proverbs for Younger Students in both New American Standard and in King James Version. The wording may be different, but the message is the same! Jesus is Lord; He saves; God loves us; we are free from condemnation and shame; and we have a home in heaven! Whichever version you prefer, read it! Get to know your God; He is waiting to remind you how much He loves you.
Hint of the day: I think that I am in need of a hint today!!! How many directins can a mom go at one time? Just one! So, when things keep piling up faster than you dig out from under, just keep doing the next thing next. And, try doing it with a smile! (Not easy and sometimes impossible! - but a good goal)
Hint of the day: I think that I am in need of a hint today!!! How many directins can a mom go at one time? Just one! So, when things keep piling up faster than you dig out from under, just keep doing the next thing next. And, try doing it with a smile! (Not easy and sometimes impossible! - but a good goal)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Self-esteem
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Cor. 5:17)
On what do you gauge your self worth? Is it your performance, your looks, others' opinions, or God's Word. God says that we are a new creature! Part of the Christian walk is to find out what theis new creature looks like and what God says about it. A great Bible study to do is to go through the New Testament and write down all the adjectives that describe you as a new creature. Some of these are: child of God, beloved, alive in Christ, forgiven, God's workmanship, etc...
I made a chart of the characteristices of the Old nature and the new nature with a line down the center of my paper separating the two. It was amazing! The old nature is full of shame, condemned, and dead to the things of God. But , in contrast, the new nature is a beautiful creature, righteous before God.
As a Christian, I get to choose each day how I am going to walk. I can choose to believe Satan's lies that I am still that old, pathetic creature, or I can choose the truth of God's Word and know that I am His beloved princess. I may not always feel like a princess or act like a princess, but the truth still remains, I am a princess!!!
God loves me just because I am His! I don't have to earn it, be good enough, do enough tasks, I just need to believe that God told me the truth and that I am His!!! When we get this - I mean really get this, then our self-esteem will soar! We are children of the King of Kings! We are worthy of His love because we are His!
Hint for the day: Your precious children are also sons and daughters of the King if they have asked Jesus into their hearts. You can prepare them for salvation or, if they are saved, help them to know what God thinks about them by helping them to develop a healthy self-esteem by building them up with words of affirmation based on who they are not always on what they do. It is okay to praise them for a job well done, but it is even better to remind them several times throughout the day how much they mean to you, how precious they are, and that you are glad that they are yours! When they are filled up with feeling worthy and loved, then they will handle the discipline of actions better. Remember when you discipline that your child is not "Bad", but rather, they chose to do a "Bad thing". There is a big difference.
On what do you gauge your self worth? Is it your performance, your looks, others' opinions, or God's Word. God says that we are a new creature! Part of the Christian walk is to find out what theis new creature looks like and what God says about it. A great Bible study to do is to go through the New Testament and write down all the adjectives that describe you as a new creature. Some of these are: child of God, beloved, alive in Christ, forgiven, God's workmanship, etc...
I made a chart of the characteristices of the Old nature and the new nature with a line down the center of my paper separating the two. It was amazing! The old nature is full of shame, condemned, and dead to the things of God. But , in contrast, the new nature is a beautiful creature, righteous before God.
As a Christian, I get to choose each day how I am going to walk. I can choose to believe Satan's lies that I am still that old, pathetic creature, or I can choose the truth of God's Word and know that I am His beloved princess. I may not always feel like a princess or act like a princess, but the truth still remains, I am a princess!!!
God loves me just because I am His! I don't have to earn it, be good enough, do enough tasks, I just need to believe that God told me the truth and that I am His!!! When we get this - I mean really get this, then our self-esteem will soar! We are children of the King of Kings! We are worthy of His love because we are His!
Hint for the day: Your precious children are also sons and daughters of the King if they have asked Jesus into their hearts. You can prepare them for salvation or, if they are saved, help them to know what God thinks about them by helping them to develop a healthy self-esteem by building them up with words of affirmation based on who they are not always on what they do. It is okay to praise them for a job well done, but it is even better to remind them several times throughout the day how much they mean to you, how precious they are, and that you are glad that they are yours! When they are filled up with feeling worthy and loved, then they will handle the discipline of actions better. Remember when you discipline that your child is not "Bad", but rather, they chose to do a "Bad thing". There is a big difference.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Walking not finishing a list
A friend called this morning and is going through a tough time. She made the statement, "I wish God would just text me what to do!" I have felt like that many times as a woman, a wife, a mother, and a friend. We have 5 boys. They all have processing issues and learning disabilities. But, of course, none of them are the same! There were many days when I didn't know how to help them. I questioned our choice to homeschool. I questioned our parenting approach, our curriculum, our ability to love them and get them through. But I learned not to question God! He grew me and the boys as we researched, tried new things, and laughed and cried together. That was the making of relationship so much deeper than if God had just laid it all out to me and had told me to do 1, 2, 3. The journey allowed me to know how to encourage others as well.
Watchman Nee has a wonderful book called, "Sit, Walk, Stand." It is a journey through Ephesians. He explains how chapters 1-3 of Ephesians is about our position in heaven in Jesus. He says that we must learn to sit at Jesus' feet before we are ready to walk the Christian walk. 2:6, "...and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..."
Chapters 4-6:9 teach us how to walk. 4:1 "Therefore, I...implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called..." 5:1-2, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ..." We must learn to walk before we are ready to stand against the devil in Ephesians 6:10 et al. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."
I sometimes get the order all mixed up! I want to walk victoriously, but failed to sit at God's feet and spend time with Him first. I want to stand against satan, but have not been disciplined in my walk. I wish God would just text me the answer. But we would miss out on the joy of the journey of relationship with our God. We have the amazing privilege to be able to go before the throne of God with boldness, to call upon Him, to pray to Him, to hear from Him, to be comforted by our Savior.
Forgive me Lord, when I take that for granted, ignore the privilege and then demand the rights. Help me to be still and know that you are God, then help me to walk daily, minute by minute with You, that You might give me the strength to stand.
Hint for the day: Younger children need opportunities to train across the brain. We all tend to use one side of the brain more heavily than the other. (Right brain is creative and emotional; left side is logical). This is why it is so important to make sure that your little achiever crawls before they walk. It is not only physical training, but brain training!
Some great activities to train the brain to go from one side to the other include getting a bucket of water and house paint brushes and let the kids "paint" the house making sure they use broad strokes that go from one their far right to the far left and back. As their eyes track their hands, they are going across the ''Great Divide" in the brain. Coloring, hand painting, etc. on very large sheets of paper from corner to corner or side to side is good as well. Large motor skill writing in the sand, or playing with pudding on a cookie sheet, or watching a ball go back and forth without moving the head all cross train the brain.
This is all important pre-reading training. When the eyes can track left to right and the brain can shift from side to side the child will be better able to track lines of text and not lose their place. They will also be able to connect emotions to situations.
Watchman Nee has a wonderful book called, "Sit, Walk, Stand." It is a journey through Ephesians. He explains how chapters 1-3 of Ephesians is about our position in heaven in Jesus. He says that we must learn to sit at Jesus' feet before we are ready to walk the Christian walk. 2:6, "...and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..."
Chapters 4-6:9 teach us how to walk. 4:1 "Therefore, I...implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called..." 5:1-2, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ..." We must learn to walk before we are ready to stand against the devil in Ephesians 6:10 et al. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."
I sometimes get the order all mixed up! I want to walk victoriously, but failed to sit at God's feet and spend time with Him first. I want to stand against satan, but have not been disciplined in my walk. I wish God would just text me the answer. But we would miss out on the joy of the journey of relationship with our God. We have the amazing privilege to be able to go before the throne of God with boldness, to call upon Him, to pray to Him, to hear from Him, to be comforted by our Savior.
Forgive me Lord, when I take that for granted, ignore the privilege and then demand the rights. Help me to be still and know that you are God, then help me to walk daily, minute by minute with You, that You might give me the strength to stand.
Hint for the day: Younger children need opportunities to train across the brain. We all tend to use one side of the brain more heavily than the other. (Right brain is creative and emotional; left side is logical). This is why it is so important to make sure that your little achiever crawls before they walk. It is not only physical training, but brain training!
Some great activities to train the brain to go from one side to the other include getting a bucket of water and house paint brushes and let the kids "paint" the house making sure they use broad strokes that go from one their far right to the far left and back. As their eyes track their hands, they are going across the ''Great Divide" in the brain. Coloring, hand painting, etc. on very large sheets of paper from corner to corner or side to side is good as well. Large motor skill writing in the sand, or playing with pudding on a cookie sheet, or watching a ball go back and forth without moving the head all cross train the brain.
This is all important pre-reading training. When the eyes can track left to right and the brain can shift from side to side the child will be better able to track lines of text and not lose their place. They will also be able to connect emotions to situations.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Our Journey
I am so excited! We had 21 boxes of books delivered to our door a few days ago! That's a lot of books! Now we wait upon our God to give us opportunity to sell them! What a mighty God we serve! I originally responded to God's prompt to write a book about 8 years ago. We lived in a state where we felt it was best to school under a private school. By doing so, we were required to offer the courses that they deemed necessary, although we had the right to choose the curriculum. They required a class in "Life Management" and recommended the only curriculum on the market at that time. We were very disappointed when we previewed this curriculum. It threw in a few Bible verses but was not grounded in the Word of God. It taught the names of the street drugs. Not what I think of when I think of life management! So, we tore into Proverbs. My oldest was 16. We had posters on the wall comparing and contrasting the characteristics and results of wisdom and foolishness, posters with Bible memory verses, daily readings and discussions, matching cards to match the first part of verses with the second, and we also took current events and held them up to Scripture.
I remember one time we were reading Proberbs 8:36: "But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death." In the newspaper that morning there was an article about a well- known basketball player who opened a restaurant and showed up for the grand opening in a coffin. His lifestyle was one of rebellion. We began to look around at the culture of death that we live in. We compared life and light and the joy we have in Jesus to what we saw around us. We have choice!!! I choose life!
I began to write down the curriculum. There were days, weeks, months, where I layed it down because life was happening. Usually, God had lessons that I needed to learn before I could keep writing. Sometimes it was a matter of choosing to be obedient even when I felt inadequate or lazy! Seven years later, Practical Proverbs rolled off the presses! We went to homeschool conventions all across the nation this last year (20,000 miles!) and were well recieved, but many requested a book for younger students. We are glad to announce that our Practical Proverbs for Younger Students is now available! This book is geared to 5th -8th graders. Both books are also now available in NAS and KJV. That was truly a work of the Lord!
We are looking at attending 20 conferences this year, starting in a couple of weeks. We are so excited! God has opened up many speaking opportunities and we are launching a mentoring service. Someone can call and set up a session on phone or skype. I can't wait to see what wonderful things God does this spring and summer! I look forward, most of all, to the chance to meet great people, pray with them, and to share God's love and grace with them.
Hint for the Day: Younger children don't really understand time, especially longer lengths of time. If a parent is going to be away from the house for a couple of days, it is helpful for the child to have some way to count down the days until the parent returns. A calendar where they can mark off days is good. You can make it part of your morning or bedtime prayer time and pray for the parent that is away. A friend of ours in VA was going to be away from his kids for several weeks. The kids got to mark the calendar days off with marker, and each Saturday they got to open a gift from dad! They kept these small tokens wrapped and in a basket in the kitchen. As the kids saw the pile dwindle, they knew it was getting closer for dad's return!
My husband used to travel quite a bit. If he left in the morning before the boys woke up, he would decorate paper plates with funny faces for their breakfast. If it was going to be a long trip, he would often put together a scavenger hunt for us to figure out. We had fun, called Dad for clues, and enjoyed the prize at the end - sometimes a token, sometimes a promise of a fun outing when dad got home!
I remember one time we were reading Proberbs 8:36: "But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death." In the newspaper that morning there was an article about a well- known basketball player who opened a restaurant and showed up for the grand opening in a coffin. His lifestyle was one of rebellion. We began to look around at the culture of death that we live in. We compared life and light and the joy we have in Jesus to what we saw around us. We have choice!!! I choose life!
I began to write down the curriculum. There were days, weeks, months, where I layed it down because life was happening. Usually, God had lessons that I needed to learn before I could keep writing. Sometimes it was a matter of choosing to be obedient even when I felt inadequate or lazy! Seven years later, Practical Proverbs rolled off the presses! We went to homeschool conventions all across the nation this last year (20,000 miles!) and were well recieved, but many requested a book for younger students. We are glad to announce that our Practical Proverbs for Younger Students is now available! This book is geared to 5th -8th graders. Both books are also now available in NAS and KJV. That was truly a work of the Lord!
We are looking at attending 20 conferences this year, starting in a couple of weeks. We are so excited! God has opened up many speaking opportunities and we are launching a mentoring service. Someone can call and set up a session on phone or skype. I can't wait to see what wonderful things God does this spring and summer! I look forward, most of all, to the chance to meet great people, pray with them, and to share God's love and grace with them.
Hint for the Day: Younger children don't really understand time, especially longer lengths of time. If a parent is going to be away from the house for a couple of days, it is helpful for the child to have some way to count down the days until the parent returns. A calendar where they can mark off days is good. You can make it part of your morning or bedtime prayer time and pray for the parent that is away. A friend of ours in VA was going to be away from his kids for several weeks. The kids got to mark the calendar days off with marker, and each Saturday they got to open a gift from dad! They kept these small tokens wrapped and in a basket in the kitchen. As the kids saw the pile dwindle, they knew it was getting closer for dad's return!
My husband used to travel quite a bit. If he left in the morning before the boys woke up, he would decorate paper plates with funny faces for their breakfast. If it was going to be a long trip, he would often put together a scavenger hunt for us to figure out. We had fun, called Dad for clues, and enjoyed the prize at the end - sometimes a token, sometimes a promise of a fun outing when dad got home!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Holy Spirit
I don't know about you, but as I read the Old Testament, I can sure be judgmental. If I was an Israelite back in the time of the Exodus, the timeof Jeremiah, etc., I would have been true to God!!! But God reminded me this morning that we have a new covenant that these people did not have. We have the Holy Spirit living within us, teaching us, training us, rebuking us, and comforting us. We can have a relationship with God, they could not. They stood afar off from Mt. Sinai as God spoke to Moses. They had to go to the temple to offer sacrifices.
Yes, the reward of their obedience was more tangible and more immediate - good land, good crops, material prosperity and peace. But our reward is eternal and spiritually fulfilling. We can have peace in our hearts in the midst of circumstantial chaos!! We can talk to God, go before His throne, dance at His feet, know His presence, His comfort, His amazing love!!! Jesus promised that in this life we would have trouble and tribulation, but that He would be with us through it. Before you judge the Israelites too harshly, remember that we are so blessed to have the Holy Spirit living in us!!! Don't take the Holy spirit for granted, make sure you work on that relationship and go before God and praise His Holy name.
Hint for the Day: I have a list for my chores (not just the kids!) Laundry on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, floors on Wednesday, dusting on Thursday, pickup on Friday, bathrooms on Saturday. True, I have to throw a load of laundry in just about every day, but when I do the bulk of it on Monday, the rest of the week is easy!! By having a list, there is no guilt. When the task is done, the rest of the time is for everything else. This way I know it will all get done eventually. (I often skip the Thursday dusting for a week or so - not my favorite thing!!) When unexpected company drops by, I am not too embarrassed! I asked my husband early in our marriage what needed to be done for him to feel comfortable. He replied that if the dishes were done and the bed was made, he was fine. I can do that !!! And usually a whole lot more. By giving myself a schedule that has lower expectations, I can meet them and do even more! Kind of like extra credit on a test!!!
Yes, the reward of their obedience was more tangible and more immediate - good land, good crops, material prosperity and peace. But our reward is eternal and spiritually fulfilling. We can have peace in our hearts in the midst of circumstantial chaos!! We can talk to God, go before His throne, dance at His feet, know His presence, His comfort, His amazing love!!! Jesus promised that in this life we would have trouble and tribulation, but that He would be with us through it. Before you judge the Israelites too harshly, remember that we are so blessed to have the Holy Spirit living in us!!! Don't take the Holy spirit for granted, make sure you work on that relationship and go before God and praise His Holy name.
Hint for the Day: I have a list for my chores (not just the kids!) Laundry on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, floors on Wednesday, dusting on Thursday, pickup on Friday, bathrooms on Saturday. True, I have to throw a load of laundry in just about every day, but when I do the bulk of it on Monday, the rest of the week is easy!! By having a list, there is no guilt. When the task is done, the rest of the time is for everything else. This way I know it will all get done eventually. (I often skip the Thursday dusting for a week or so - not my favorite thing!!) When unexpected company drops by, I am not too embarrassed! I asked my husband early in our marriage what needed to be done for him to feel comfortable. He replied that if the dishes were done and the bed was made, he was fine. I can do that !!! And usually a whole lot more. By giving myself a schedule that has lower expectations, I can meet them and do even more! Kind of like extra credit on a test!!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Our God is compassionate
Deuteronomy 4:29,31 "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul...For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forge the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them."
So often I hear that the God of the Old Testament was such a judging God. But if you truly read the OT, you will see instead a God of compassion, love, and patience. He is a Father God and wants the best for His children. He provided the best for the Israelites, but they had to choose to go in and take it. Instead they chose the way of the nations around them. God knew that there was so much more - a relationship with Him!!! So, God punished the Israelites again and again, not in judgment, but in love that they might turn back to Him and know abundant life. Finally, God had to turn on the tough love and banish them from their land into Babylon. Again, that they might seek Him and eternal life. Even through Jeremiah, the prophet of the time, God tells the Israelites that this will be only for a time. He has a better plan for them. He will be with them in the midst, He will restore them to their land, and He will send a Redeemer. (Chapter 33) This does not sound like anger and judgment, but rather of concern and love.
I met a man yesterday who ws at the end of his rope. He was a Christian, but did not know the love of God, the forgiveness of Christ. He knew about them, but didn't really understand the depth of them for Him. Our God is compassionate. He cares to the core of His being. Seek Him, go deeper, hang on to His promises; He will hear and listen and answer. He loves you.
I learned recently that when the word "Lord" is all capitals in the KJV or NAS that it is translated from the Word Adoni which is the name for God that relays relationship and Fatherhood. If your child goes astray, your heart cries for him/her to return to you. You might have to punish them to get them to listen, but your punishment is from love. God is a compassionate Father. It matters not what you have done, but rather what you will do. Will you choose Him today? Don't just believe that He is Who He says He is, but that He will do what He says He will do in your life, and that He loves you: upfront and personal. You are His bleoved child.
Hint for Today: Learn your spouse's and childrens' love languages. Read The 5 Love Languages. This book helped me to know how to better love and convey that love to my family daily, in discipline, and in joy. My husband's love language is service. When I do something very small for him, he notices and feels love. My love language is words of affirmation, when my husband does the dishes for me, it doesn't speak love to me at all, but I learned that that was his way of expressing his love. I receive that from him and feel loved. I also tell him that I need the words of affirmation and he is learning to give those more generously! Some of my children need touch, some time, some gifts, some words, and some service. By knowing how they receive and give love, we can communicate even better. God also knows your love language and will communicate with you that way. Watch for Him. Search for Him with all your hear; He will answer!
So often I hear that the God of the Old Testament was such a judging God. But if you truly read the OT, you will see instead a God of compassion, love, and patience. He is a Father God and wants the best for His children. He provided the best for the Israelites, but they had to choose to go in and take it. Instead they chose the way of the nations around them. God knew that there was so much more - a relationship with Him!!! So, God punished the Israelites again and again, not in judgment, but in love that they might turn back to Him and know abundant life. Finally, God had to turn on the tough love and banish them from their land into Babylon. Again, that they might seek Him and eternal life. Even through Jeremiah, the prophet of the time, God tells the Israelites that this will be only for a time. He has a better plan for them. He will be with them in the midst, He will restore them to their land, and He will send a Redeemer. (Chapter 33) This does not sound like anger and judgment, but rather of concern and love.
I met a man yesterday who ws at the end of his rope. He was a Christian, but did not know the love of God, the forgiveness of Christ. He knew about them, but didn't really understand the depth of them for Him. Our God is compassionate. He cares to the core of His being. Seek Him, go deeper, hang on to His promises; He will hear and listen and answer. He loves you.
I learned recently that when the word "Lord" is all capitals in the KJV or NAS that it is translated from the Word Adoni which is the name for God that relays relationship and Fatherhood. If your child goes astray, your heart cries for him/her to return to you. You might have to punish them to get them to listen, but your punishment is from love. God is a compassionate Father. It matters not what you have done, but rather what you will do. Will you choose Him today? Don't just believe that He is Who He says He is, but that He will do what He says He will do in your life, and that He loves you: upfront and personal. You are His bleoved child.
Hint for Today: Learn your spouse's and childrens' love languages. Read The 5 Love Languages. This book helped me to know how to better love and convey that love to my family daily, in discipline, and in joy. My husband's love language is service. When I do something very small for him, he notices and feels love. My love language is words of affirmation, when my husband does the dishes for me, it doesn't speak love to me at all, but I learned that that was his way of expressing his love. I receive that from him and feel loved. I also tell him that I need the words of affirmation and he is learning to give those more generously! Some of my children need touch, some time, some gifts, some words, and some service. By knowing how they receive and give love, we can communicate even better. God also knows your love language and will communicate with you that way. Watch for Him. Search for Him with all your hear; He will answer!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)