"...for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
You might be in a state of waiting. You are putting footwork to your wait. But now what? God would desire that you find joy in the journey! We, as human beings, tend to seek the goal, strive for the end results, look to the finish line. But if we do this continually, we will miss out on the journey. And the journey is where we learn lessons, soak in the joy of the Lord, and come to know His strength. Your journey maybe taking you through pain, unknown territory, loss, or depression. If you turn your journey over to God, wait upon Him to change things, do the footwork of obedience and standing on God's word in the midst, then you can also find joy in the journey.
A painting that I have in my dining room says: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." I love that! Storms will come, but in the midst is joy! Where does joy come from? Joy comes from the Lord! You don't have to be joyful that you are in the circumstances that you are in. You don't have to like where you are at. But quit striving to manipulate the circumstances, go to the God Who is in Control, and praise Him in the midst. Then comes joy.
My husband and I are on the road for a 5 month stretch with a few days at home here and there. My heart wants to be home with our boys who leave for college in a few short months. I can choose to mope around about not getting what I want, or I can choose to wait upon the Lord, continue to be obedient in what He has asked me to do, and I can sing praises to My God and King. I can dance in the rain! And when I do - OH the joy that fills my soul! Joy is linked to the presence of God throughout Scripture. Get into His presence and He will get you through with joy!
The joy of the Lord is our strength! Have you begged God to give you strength to get through, to be able to move beyond your situation? That strength comes from the joy of His presence. If you are in church, read your Bible, help out with missions, etc. but still feel no joy, then you are doing, but are not being with God. Put aside the activities and bow before your Father and let Him lift you up.
Hint for the day: Learn some melodies or songs of praise. Put worship music on when you are cleaning or driving. It will lift you up and bring you into worship. If you have small kids, sing along with them to some children's songs of worship. We may not sing great, but we can make a joyful noise unto the Lord. If someone in your house is struggling, sing gentle songs of worship to them as you pray with them. Enter is house with thanksgiving in your heart and enter His courts with praise.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Foot work
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk
in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” Ephesians
4:1
Sometimes waiting requires footwork. That seems contradictory, but God works in
mysterious ways! Think about being
pregnant and waiting for that little one to be in your arms. While you are waiting, you are also eating
right, exercising, buying different clothes, preparing a room or a bed, and
preparing other children in the family for that day.
When God told the Israelites to take Jericho, He asked them
to walk around the city one time each day for 6 days and seven times on the 7th
day. I am sure that the Israelites were
thinking, “Why doesn’t God just do it!”
But, God has lessons for us to learn during the wait. Usually one of them is trust and another is
obedience.
We are on the road right now going from conference to
conference to sell our books. The
writing of the book itself was a walk of obedience that took 7 years. Then when I thought that I was finished, God
showed us the next step. He promises us
that His word will not go out void. I
claim that each time we sell a book. Not
that my book is anywhere close to the authority of Scripture, but it contains a
lot of Scripture! So now we wait for the
word to get out and for people to hear about the book. God has required us to put our resources and
energy into going out to these conferences and speaking. He could just draw people’s attention to our
webpage, or let a nationally known person promote it. That would be easier. But God has not opened those doors, so we
wait upon the Lord and we put footwork towards His promise and what we feel He
is calling us to do.
What about you? What
promise or goal are you striving for that God has placed upon your heart? One of my sons feels called to be a
missionary pilot. He is waiting for that
reality to happen and he is preparing to go to school to get the licenses that
he will need. Two sons feel led to start
a business, and if you were to ask them about footwork, they would laugh! There has been lots of that!
Sometimes waiting means doing nothing, but usually waiting
means footwork. Don’t get ahead of God,
but don’t be unaware and miss God’s answer.
Hint of the day: Help your children set goals with God’s plan
for them in mind. God would have all us
be healthy, so set a goal of physical fitness.
It may be to run a 5k or to do 100 sit ups. Then help them to wait upon God’s fulfillment
as they start training. If they plan to
go into a specific field, help them set goals to get them ready. My pilot son has been earning his ranks
through Civil Air Patrol while in high school.
He has flown many times and knows this is God’s calling. Be obedient and wait. God will guide and strengthen you in the process,
not just in the conclusion.Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wait Upon the Lord
"Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
Wait, I say, on the Lord!"
Psalm 27:14
"They that wait upon the Lord will gain new strength..." Isaiah 40:31
Waiting, that is probably the hardest thing that God askes us to do! We want it and we want it now! I hate waiting. But I have learned that when we trust God and wait upon His timing, truly our hearts are strengthened and we are renewed. I think of the example of Abraham not waiting and pushing God's will, thus having Ishmael with Hagar which has led to centuries of dispute and angst and wars. If he had waited upon God, Isaac would not have had a rival and all of history would have turned out differently.
Then I think about the times that I didn't choose to wait upon the Lord. I tend to be a bull in the china cabinet. I get an idea and I drive to get it done! Luckily, my husband is very logical and can usually keep me from doing something foolish. Recently it was an urge I had to admonish one of my sons about a relationship. I just wanted to cut to the bottom line. Lay it all out. But we, my wise husband and I, chose to wait upon God's timing. We did put some bugs in this child's ear, and recalled some things that he had learned, but we did not give him an ultimatum or tell him what he should do. My husband asked a few questions to get him thinking. Now we wait. Ughhh! That's the hard part!
But God loves my child more than I can even imagine. This child is praying and listening. Surely God will lead and guide. Mom needs to trust and wait. In our younger student book we have the kids decorate a box called their "Trust God Box". Any time they are afraid or worrying about something, they are to write it down and pray about it and give it to God by putting it in the box and letting it go. I often have a mother tell me, "I need a 'Trust God Box'!" Well, I guess I could use one also! Waiting is really about trusting.
If you have a hard time waiting and trusting, a good place to start is Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Trust, lean, acknowledge that God is in control and that He is good and that He will handle the situation. Then let go and wait patiently upon the Lord.
Hint of the Day: We all have a hard time waiting. Give yourself a goal such as not thinking about the answer to your problem for a week. Then if you reach that day and haven't worried, give yourself a treat! This works with children as well. If they don't ask about or talk about an event or worry for three days ( or another set time), give them a treat. We can train ourselves to wait upon the Lord. Pray for patience and for God's timing. Then wait and don't worry or try to solve the situation. You can do it, and your faith will be strengthened.
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
Wait, I say, on the Lord!"
Psalm 27:14
"They that wait upon the Lord will gain new strength..." Isaiah 40:31
Waiting, that is probably the hardest thing that God askes us to do! We want it and we want it now! I hate waiting. But I have learned that when we trust God and wait upon His timing, truly our hearts are strengthened and we are renewed. I think of the example of Abraham not waiting and pushing God's will, thus having Ishmael with Hagar which has led to centuries of dispute and angst and wars. If he had waited upon God, Isaac would not have had a rival and all of history would have turned out differently.
Then I think about the times that I didn't choose to wait upon the Lord. I tend to be a bull in the china cabinet. I get an idea and I drive to get it done! Luckily, my husband is very logical and can usually keep me from doing something foolish. Recently it was an urge I had to admonish one of my sons about a relationship. I just wanted to cut to the bottom line. Lay it all out. But we, my wise husband and I, chose to wait upon God's timing. We did put some bugs in this child's ear, and recalled some things that he had learned, but we did not give him an ultimatum or tell him what he should do. My husband asked a few questions to get him thinking. Now we wait. Ughhh! That's the hard part!
But God loves my child more than I can even imagine. This child is praying and listening. Surely God will lead and guide. Mom needs to trust and wait. In our younger student book we have the kids decorate a box called their "Trust God Box". Any time they are afraid or worrying about something, they are to write it down and pray about it and give it to God by putting it in the box and letting it go. I often have a mother tell me, "I need a 'Trust God Box'!" Well, I guess I could use one also! Waiting is really about trusting.
If you have a hard time waiting and trusting, a good place to start is Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Trust, lean, acknowledge that God is in control and that He is good and that He will handle the situation. Then let go and wait patiently upon the Lord.
Hint of the Day: We all have a hard time waiting. Give yourself a goal such as not thinking about the answer to your problem for a week. Then if you reach that day and haven't worried, give yourself a treat! This works with children as well. If they don't ask about or talk about an event or worry for three days ( or another set time), give them a treat. We can train ourselves to wait upon the Lord. Pray for patience and for God's timing. Then wait and don't worry or try to solve the situation. You can do it, and your faith will be strengthened.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Ignorance
"To give prudence to the naive,
To the youth knowledge and discretion."
Proverbs 1:4
I wrote yesterday about not moving the ancient boundaries. In order to keep those boundaries in place, you must know what those boundaries are. I just watched "180" on youtube. Ray Comfort interviews young people about their knowledge of Adolf Hitler and the holocaust. I was blown away by the fact that many didn't even know who Hitler was. Others just decided to believe that the holocaust was a lie.
I like to argue that there are some things that it is okay to be naive about. For example, I have a husband and 5 sons; it is okay for me to be naive about car repair. Until I am alone in a strange city with a broken down car! There are things which we can not afford to be naive about. One of those things is history, because it is bound to repeat itself if we don't learn from it. Another is God's word, God's love, God's judgment, God's provision through Jesus Christ, and our own sinfulness.
What things do you think that it is okay to be naive about? I am rethinking my answers. It wouldn't hurt me to know a little bit about car repair and could save me a big headache someday! But I will not choose to be ignorant of God's word or His love. Prudence begins with knowledge. Prudence is making wise decisions and the regard to wisdom about practical matters. If you want ot be prudent, you can't choose to be naive or ignorant. Learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of history, science, Chrisitanity, politics, etc. Challenge yourself to think. Don't just gain knowledge, but put that knowledge to use in your life. Find instruction in righteousness and truth. Reading god's word is a good place to start.
Hint of the Day: Don't teach just the Christian ideas to your students or they will not know how to repond to falsehood. Notice the word "just", Christian thoughts and ideas should be foremost in their education, but remember to let them wrestle with the other ideas and religions out there. The truth can stand on its own. I became a Christian through the study of world religions. God will speak to their hearts. Trust Him.
But remember the stages of learning and don't introduce these things too soon. 0-7 year olds learn facts by rote memory. 7-12 year olds are in the stage of instruction. Not until after the 12th birthday do children have the logic and discerning ability to handle arguments against Christianity. Protect them with the truth and let it sink deep into their hearts when they are young and they will be able to handle it wisely when they are older.
To the youth knowledge and discretion."
Proverbs 1:4
I wrote yesterday about not moving the ancient boundaries. In order to keep those boundaries in place, you must know what those boundaries are. I just watched "180" on youtube. Ray Comfort interviews young people about their knowledge of Adolf Hitler and the holocaust. I was blown away by the fact that many didn't even know who Hitler was. Others just decided to believe that the holocaust was a lie.
I like to argue that there are some things that it is okay to be naive about. For example, I have a husband and 5 sons; it is okay for me to be naive about car repair. Until I am alone in a strange city with a broken down car! There are things which we can not afford to be naive about. One of those things is history, because it is bound to repeat itself if we don't learn from it. Another is God's word, God's love, God's judgment, God's provision through Jesus Christ, and our own sinfulness.
What things do you think that it is okay to be naive about? I am rethinking my answers. It wouldn't hurt me to know a little bit about car repair and could save me a big headache someday! But I will not choose to be ignorant of God's word or His love. Prudence begins with knowledge. Prudence is making wise decisions and the regard to wisdom about practical matters. If you want ot be prudent, you can't choose to be naive or ignorant. Learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of history, science, Chrisitanity, politics, etc. Challenge yourself to think. Don't just gain knowledge, but put that knowledge to use in your life. Find instruction in righteousness and truth. Reading god's word is a good place to start.
Hint of the Day: Don't teach just the Christian ideas to your students or they will not know how to repond to falsehood. Notice the word "just", Christian thoughts and ideas should be foremost in their education, but remember to let them wrestle with the other ideas and religions out there. The truth can stand on its own. I became a Christian through the study of world religions. God will speak to their hearts. Trust Him.
But remember the stages of learning and don't introduce these things too soon. 0-7 year olds learn facts by rote memory. 7-12 year olds are in the stage of instruction. Not until after the 12th birthday do children have the logic and discerning ability to handle arguments against Christianity. Protect them with the truth and let it sink deep into their hearts when they are young and they will be able to handle it wisely when they are older.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
"Do not move the ancient boundary
Which your fathers have set."
Proverbs 22:28
Boundaries. They are there for our good. but how often we want to ignore them, step over them, or remove them. Literally, Solomon was talking about land boundaries given by God to the Hebrews as they took over the land. But I think we can also apply this to moral and Christian boundaries. Look at Proverbs 9:1-6:
"Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;
She has also set her table;
She has sent out her maidens, she calls
From the tops of the heights of the city:
To him who lacks understanding she says,
'Come, eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
Forsake your fooly and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.'"
Notice that wisdom is a done deal. It was laid down before the creation of the world and existed since before time. (Proverbs 8) There is no new wisdom of the age. God's wisdom laid the foundations of the earth and will be there when those foundations are destroyed. Therefore, do not move the ancient boundaries.
Absolute truth was also laid down with wisdom. "The sum of God's word is truth." (Psalm 119:160) His word will never change or fail. So do you want to know what boundaries you should set on relationships, finances, marriage, business, etc.? Go to God's word. It is black and white and will never change. Base your life on these boundaries and your life will be lived out within God's will and His protection and provision will be yours. This does not mean that nothing bad will ever happen; we live in satan's world for now. But (Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world! - 1 John 4:4)
Hint of the day: Some of us were born with a very good sense of right and wrong, black and white. Others were not. You can develop this sense within yourself or your children by role playing situations and asking is that right or wrong. Don't forget to discuss the motive as well as the action. Seek God's word when you are not sure. When a child has acted out of wrong motives or with wrong actions, you can ask them how they might have done differently according to God's wisdom. proverbs is a great place to start. Reading the Proverbs is good, but we don't always really learn by just reading. Nathan, my second son, said that he used to journal through the Proverbs. That is, he wrote down a proverb and then discussed it with himself - the why, the what, the who, the where, the when, and the how as well as other verses that supported this verse. Others draw out different proverbs. These are all great ideas. Then, of course, there is Practical Proverbs which can be found on our website that will take you into deeper understanding of Proverbs and help you to apply them to your life.
Which your fathers have set."
Proverbs 22:28
Boundaries. They are there for our good. but how often we want to ignore them, step over them, or remove them. Literally, Solomon was talking about land boundaries given by God to the Hebrews as they took over the land. But I think we can also apply this to moral and Christian boundaries. Look at Proverbs 9:1-6:
"Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;
She has also set her table;
She has sent out her maidens, she calls
From the tops of the heights of the city:
To him who lacks understanding she says,
'Come, eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
Forsake your fooly and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.'"
Notice that wisdom is a done deal. It was laid down before the creation of the world and existed since before time. (Proverbs 8) There is no new wisdom of the age. God's wisdom laid the foundations of the earth and will be there when those foundations are destroyed. Therefore, do not move the ancient boundaries.
Absolute truth was also laid down with wisdom. "The sum of God's word is truth." (Psalm 119:160) His word will never change or fail. So do you want to know what boundaries you should set on relationships, finances, marriage, business, etc.? Go to God's word. It is black and white and will never change. Base your life on these boundaries and your life will be lived out within God's will and His protection and provision will be yours. This does not mean that nothing bad will ever happen; we live in satan's world for now. But (Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world! - 1 John 4:4)
Hint of the day: Some of us were born with a very good sense of right and wrong, black and white. Others were not. You can develop this sense within yourself or your children by role playing situations and asking is that right or wrong. Don't forget to discuss the motive as well as the action. Seek God's word when you are not sure. When a child has acted out of wrong motives or with wrong actions, you can ask them how they might have done differently according to God's wisdom. proverbs is a great place to start. Reading the Proverbs is good, but we don't always really learn by just reading. Nathan, my second son, said that he used to journal through the Proverbs. That is, he wrote down a proverb and then discussed it with himself - the why, the what, the who, the where, the when, and the how as well as other verses that supported this verse. Others draw out different proverbs. These are all great ideas. Then, of course, there is Practical Proverbs which can be found on our website that will take you into deeper understanding of Proverbs and help you to apply them to your life.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Letting Go
“Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord,
How then can man understand his way?”Proverbs 20:24
At the graduation, a father expressed his admiration to my
husband of our being able to release our kids to God and let them move on to
become the young men of actions and dreams and godliness that they were raised
to be. (One lives in Hawaii and is
pursuing a law degree, another is in South Carolina and is a graphic artist;
these older two are also working together to start a new international
business! Our third son is finishing
college in December and can’t wait to try his hand at supervising and
entrepreneurship.)
We are able to be excited for each child and release them to
God, because we have recognized from their conception that they were
God’s. We were privileged to have the
opportunity to raise them, but they were never ours. We placed them in God’s care and allowed God
to direct their lives from birth. Then
we were faithful in the stewardship of raising them. This included their schooling, their moral
development, and most importantly, introducing them to God and encouraging them
to grow in their relationship with Him.
We have spent 18 years preparing them for the day of their
departure. They have learned life
skills, social skills, job skills, and personal skills that will serve them
well in the world.
Train up your children in the way they should go, and let
God ordain there steps and ways! He is
faithful always! That doesn’t mean that
they won’t get hurt or disillusioned. It
does mean that even though they may not understand the why, they will know that
they are loved and precious to you and to their God and that God is good and
will be their Rock.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Fruit Trees
"By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing." Ezekiel 47:12
My second son always loved his fruit. When he was young, he decided that he did not want a mansion in heaven; he would rather pitch a tent in God's orchard! I quite agree! Fruit is sweet and nutritious.
Psalm 1 compares the man that is a serious student of God's word to a fruit tree. One that is planted by streams of life giving water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaves do not wither. This man will prosper in all that he does. Are you bearing fruit each season of your life? Are you standing against the burning accusations and torrential storms of life? Are you prospering in your spiritual walk?
The answer is to be firmly planted in the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and train you through the word. Fruit will grow naturally when you are being fed and your arms are raisid in praise and adoration and worship of the Tree Maker and the Son Giver!
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22). Which fruit are you lacking in? Begin to pray to God to produce this fruit in abuncance in your life. Look for ways to practice the fruit, and rejoice when each little bloom begins to grow! This fruit will be sweet and nutritious in your life!
Hint of the day: Either draw or have your children draw some big pieces of fruit. Label each one with a different fruit of the spirit and put them on your refrigerator. Each week choose a different fruit to focus on, pray about, and research. You can find people in the Bible and in your life that display each fruit and those who don't! Role play situations at home when the fruit would be needed. Look for opportunities to surprise each other with a extra helping of the fruit of the week.
My second son always loved his fruit. When he was young, he decided that he did not want a mansion in heaven; he would rather pitch a tent in God's orchard! I quite agree! Fruit is sweet and nutritious.
Psalm 1 compares the man that is a serious student of God's word to a fruit tree. One that is planted by streams of life giving water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaves do not wither. This man will prosper in all that he does. Are you bearing fruit each season of your life? Are you standing against the burning accusations and torrential storms of life? Are you prospering in your spiritual walk?
The answer is to be firmly planted in the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and train you through the word. Fruit will grow naturally when you are being fed and your arms are raisid in praise and adoration and worship of the Tree Maker and the Son Giver!
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22). Which fruit are you lacking in? Begin to pray to God to produce this fruit in abuncance in your life. Look for ways to practice the fruit, and rejoice when each little bloom begins to grow! This fruit will be sweet and nutritious in your life!
Hint of the day: Either draw or have your children draw some big pieces of fruit. Label each one with a different fruit of the spirit and put them on your refrigerator. Each week choose a different fruit to focus on, pray about, and research. You can find people in the Bible and in your life that display each fruit and those who don't! Role play situations at home when the fruit would be needed. Look for opportunities to surprise each other with a extra helping of the fruit of the week.
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