Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The Motherly Love of Our Father!

Do you remember the story of Moses and his mom in Exodus 2:1-10? How she gave her son away to protect Him from danger? She placed Him in a basket and sent him down the river entrusting him fully to God. By God's sovereignty, He allowed Pharaoh's daughter to find the baby Moses crying and miraculously in His mercy and love God allows Moses' mom to nurse him after all, even in the safety of Pharaoh and is wife.

Like Moses' mom.....

1. Trust God to allow you to see His hand on your children.

Even if it puts your life at risk, as it did for Moses' mom. It is crucial that we realize that our children are marked by the hand of God. That they are unique and precious to God, just like they are. Remind your child every day who they are in Christ and who's they are. That they are one of a kind. They have designer genes. They are not one in a million, they are one in 6 billion! That it really matters to God that they wake up each morning. This will give them a wonderful, blessed, opportunity to see themselves through the eyes of God, as they grow up in a world where right is wrong and wrong is right. As they grow up learning to live from their identity in Christ, soon we began to instill in them this next application.

2. Believe that God has a special miraculous purpose for their lives.

Your kids can live their lives on purpose, not on accident. God is working in their lives and nothing will prevent Him from completing the work He has begun in their lives. Not their wrong choices or their bad decisions, not even the ugly mistakes that we are very sorry for as parents. Remind them daily that Jeremiah 29:11 is an application promise from God for their lives. "For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans to give you a future and a hope, not to hurt you but to help you." Then we can with confidence exercise His faith to believe Him for this next application.

3. Entrust and surrender each child back to God.

Trust that God will sovereignly take care of each one of your precious kids in His way and in His timing. Remember moms that your child came through you, but from God. He delicately wove them in your womb. He knew everything about your child long before they were conceived. They are beautifully and wonderfully made. This will encourage your child and position them to serve the Lord all the days of their lives.

Parents always be available to let Father pour through your life His never ending forgiveness, mercy, patience and love towards your kids, no matter how bad their behavior has been or what they have done. Remember that the best thing you can do for your children is to love your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. You will parent your child according to your experience of being parented by God in your own life. Your kids don't need you to be a perfect parent, they simply need a parent that will allow God to parent them through you as you enjoy Him yourself.

May we rest in the motherly love of our heavenly Father!

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The Greatest Lover!

"I am the vine, you are the branches, if you abide in Me and I in you then you can bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do NOTHING!" John 15 :1-5

Have you ever tried to sum up in one sentence all that God is really trying to say to every one of us on the planet? I did recently and I came up with this. "My children, love me and love people!"

Maybe you're thinking is that it? Yes! In 66 books, that were written by 40 different authors in a period of 1600 years, that is it. Love me and love people! God wants to pour His love (Himself) in us and through us to others!

Jesus told us to, "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself."

He also said, You will know My children by their Love, for one another. Notice that He didn't say you will know my children by their giftedness, anointing, passion, their deep spiritual truths, miracles, ministry, impact, speaking ability. etc. He said "You will know My kids by their love.

Why is this so simple, yet so incredibly difficult to do? Because, we can't love, trusting in our own resources.  Thats why Jesus said, ..... for apart from Me you can do NOTHING!

God's nature and character is one of love. We all know John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He Gave.... The world longs to see and the church longs to experience the love of God living through a host of people who intimately know Jesus as their Lord, Savior and Life!

Can you imagine what it would feel like, what positive impact it would make on the Church, our society, our country and our world, if we all lived with the understanding that nothing matters more than loving God with all of our hearts, then experiencing His love personally in us and through us to others?

God has given us everything we need for life and Godliness to live this life of love, by giving us His son who now lives inside of us. Learning to live out of our identity and our union in Christ, is the key to enjoying this life of love.

Imagine exchanging our weakness for His strength, our impatience for His patience, our insufficiency for His sufficiency, so that we can practically experience this life of love and all its relational benefits.

No matter how tough the relationships get or how difficult your circumstances are with friends, family, co-workers or at church, the answer will always be to choose to let Christ love through you. I always say, "When in doubt love your way out."

Why is living a life of love so important? Because, without love, we are nothing.

Paul said it this way to the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

"If I speak in the tongues of men and or angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge... but have not love I am nothing...and if I have the faith that can move mountains, but have not love I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor... but have not love, I gain nothing. If I were burned alive for preaching the gospel, but didn't love others, it would be of no value what so ever!"

In other words, Paul is saying, I can have the eloquence of an orator. I can have the knowledge of a genius. I can have the faith of a miracle worker. I can have the generosity of a philanthropist. I can have the dedication of a martyr. But, if I don't love, it just doesn't matter. It equals NOTHING! Life - Christ's love = 0

So what do you think my friend? Shall we surrender to Father and allow His Son to live in us and through as the greatest lover the world has ever seen or known.

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Monday, March 2, 2009

Help In Time Of Need!

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.  Hebrews 4:16

Have you ever awaken in the morning feeling lonely, sad, or empty? Thinking how can I feel this way I'm not even officially awake yet, let alone begun my day. Isn't it true that loneliness can cling to your heart like a wet sheet on a cold night?

What if some of these feelings we experience from time to time are used by God to bring us to a place of desperate dependence upon Him. He may allow us to feel the emptiness in trusting in or living for anything or anyone more than He.

It's times like these that we are often tempted to depend upon survival strategies that we have invented throughout our lives in order to make the pain go away and our lives better. Soon we realize that these strategies have a short shelve life, and the promises they made to us were in vain and worthless.

If you can relate to these feelings at, be encouraged, because I have great news for you. God offers us to come boldly into His throne room of GRACE to find help in our time of need. There are several encouraging thoughts from this verse that I hope will bless you.

First Father says, it's a throne of grace, not a throne room of perfection, rules or laws to uphold. Then He says, You will find a gracious God waiting for you. He also says that He wants you to come be with Him. Why? Because He loves you so very much. He says, "I'm safe!" Notice His invitation is to come boldly. The idea here is that of one walking into a room feeling deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted, and absolutely complete in Christ. One who actually belongs there with the living God.

Then He says, when you get there you will find mercy, and grace to help you, not to hurt you, in your time of need. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. That my friend is a safe place to be. In the very presence of a loving, gentle, gracious and merciful Father.

Would you go to Him today? He's waiting for you. He longs to be merciful and gracious to you.

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