Ponderings From a Feverish Head

Spending a few days sick in bed has an amazing way of changing your perspective. I have always been blessed with good health, and have been physically able to care for my family for almost 20 years now with no limitations. The few times over the years that I have been sick makes me remember what a great blessing it is to do the simplest things like walking around, having a clear head to think and make little decisions, and having stable body temperature. It has been good to be reminded of these things this week as I lost the fight against that nasty virus that has been going around.

Sickness also reminds me that we are completely dependent on the Lord, and shouldn't presume upon Him for any future plans. As it says in James, we must say "Lord willing" about the things we make plans to do, since we never know what a new day might bring. Catching this virus made us miss our spring break trip to my sister's house, which made for many opportunities to talk with our children about God's wise and loving sovereignty over the events of all of our days.

Interesting timing...I have been reading in John 11 this week about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. What an encouraging, yet convicting and challenging thought that Jesus was in control of the timing of Lazurus sickness, death, and resurrection. Imagine the anguish of the sisters as Lazarus grew worse and worse. A message had been sent to Jesus about his condition, and they waited, hoping the Lord would come. But think about how hopeless they must have felt once Lazarus died. What is more final than death? If they had known that Jesus delayed two days longer after he got the message, I can imagine that they would have even become angry!

But when Jesus did finally arrive, He showed that He is Lord over time, sickness, death, and our lack of faith in Him! He had a reason for all of it, namely "so that the Son of God may be glorified by it" (11:4)! His words to Martha are life changing, and are for us to ponder and embrace in every big trial and little irritation,

"I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

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Bread from Heaven

In John 6, Jesus says that He is the Bread of Life, a statement about himself that preceded His first miracle. After the miracle of feeding the 5,000 with a little boy's lunch, there was a group of people following Him just because of the food He provided. This was in a time when just finding enough food for each day was such a focus of life. Yet, the Savior responded to these "followers" by exhorting them to not labor for such temporal things as food. He said to pursue the eternal things, namely belief in the one whom God had sent. But they continued to push Him for more "bread from heaven" and so He said,"I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."

Jesus was talking to the people about eternal life and finding true satisfaction. Neither can ever be found in anyone or anything else. We are to find our satisfaction in Christ alone.

While we may not spend our existence just finding our next meal, it is easy in our time to chase after a myriad of temporal pleasures and things that will never satisfy for eternity. Pursuing houses, furniture, jobs, relationships, position, a savings account, entertainment, hobbies, a retirement plan, or a college degree will never bring to our lives the true joy and fulfillment that is in Christ. Not that any of those things are wrong in themselves, but Jesus is to be our highest pursuit! "Taste and see that He is good"!

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The Word and Wisdom for Parenting

My husband and I have been parents for 18 years now, and I still stand amazed by the power that the Scriptures hold to bring about change in our lives. There have been countless times that we have been anxious and burdened over our children and as we have turned to the Scriptures we have always found the wisdom, comfort, and instruction that we need. Parenting requires great wisdom, and with every passing year I am more aware that I do not have the wisdom to raise my children on my own. But God does! And He promises it to those who ask Him for it.

The book of Proverbs is a good place to start in the search for wisdom. Every parent should become well acquainted with it, for it is the ultimate manual for imparting wisdom to anyone that will read it and heed it! We need it, and so do our children.

Proverbs 23:15, 16, 24, and 25 says, “My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart also will be glad; and my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you.”

The writer of Proverbs was reminding his son that wise children are a source of great joy to their parents. I’m sure we all long for the day, when we can say of our children, “God has given them a heart of wisdom!” We want them to be “wise unto salvation” or righteous as this verse states it. We pray that our children will be known for godly wisdom in their thinking, in their actions, and in their words.

Proverbs draws a sharp contrast between two kinds of people in the world. There are those that are wise, and those that are foolish. The children produced by our homes will either be wise or foolish, and will accordingly bring their parents…


joy, blessing, delight and happiness, OR shame, sorrow, grief, and bitterness

Proverbs 10:1- “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.”

Proverbs 17:21- “He who begets a fool does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.”

Proverbs 17:25- “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.”

So, how do children gain a heart of wisdom? First, through the teaching of the Word of God. If we want wise children, we must teach them the wisdom of God. We must teach them God’s Word. If they leave your home with nothing else, give them a love for and knowledge of the Bible.

Once again Proverbs is full of passages that talk of a mother and a father imparting the wisdom of God to their children.

Proverbs 6:2-23: “My son, observe the commandment of your father, And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. When you walk about they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life…”

The wise instructions of parents are to be the constant companion of our children. They should adorn themselves with them when they dress for the day, take them with them to bed, listen to them as they awaken and go through the day. The wisdom of God will be a lamp and a light to our children, a source of guidance for wise living.

Many people have come up with elaborate ways to teach the Bible to their children, but we prefer a simple approach. We gather around the dinner table, read a book of the Bible out loud, and talk about it briefly. This has yielded great fruit in all of our lives. With our smallest ones we go through a simple Bible story book.

As you are exposing your children to the Bible, you must have a focus on introducing them to the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 5:39 that the Scriptures bear witness of Him. He is the perfect embodiment of all wisdom. Colossians 2 says that in “Christ…are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Another way that our children will gain a heart of wisdom is through observing the example of godly parents. Not only are mothers to teach their children the Scriptures, but they are to daily show their children how wise it is to walk in the ways of the Lord. Pray that God would make your life a beautiful and attractive example for your children to follow.Teach them what the Bible says about being honest and kind, gracious and giving, but then make sure you treat them with all those same character qualities, especially when they are undeserving and fighting against you. Teach them the Scriptures about humility and forgiveness, and then when you sin against them, confess it to them and ask their forgiveness. Children are never fooled by a parent who doesn’t live by the same standard that they teach. Ask God to make you able to say with the apostle Paul, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”

I heard someone say once that good parenting means walking close to the Lord, and keeping your children close enough to you that it rubs off on them. Of course that will only happen if you spend time with them. That must be a priority in your life if you would influence them for Christ.

When you think about all that is involved in being a godly parent, I hope you will have a heart full of hope and joy and not be overwhelmed. To teach our children the Word of God and then live it out before them is indeed a weighty task! In fact, it is beyond our strength, but the Lord has not left us alone in our inability and inadequacy.

Remember:

The Lord will enable us to do His will, through the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:13 tells us that “it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

The Lord will equip us to do His will, through the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

The Lord will empower us to do His will through prayer. Paul set the example for us when He prayed for the Ephesians. Ephesians 3:14-16 says, “For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”

The Lord will encourage us to do His will, through other believers. Hebrews 10:24, and 25 says “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.” God has put other believers in your life to be a source of encouragement for you.

May the Lord raise up a generation of wise children and graciously use us, imperfect and unworthy vessels, as His instruments!

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Questions to End the War of Words

Paul David Tripp's book War of Words has been a favorite of mine for many years now. Ever since the first time I read it, I haven't been able to escape Tripp's challenge to let my speech be "an agent of grace in the lives of those around me." Of course, like many struggles against sin, there's a cycle of victory and then defeat, and the need to repent and keep striving, with the Spirit's enabling.

Recently I started reading this book out loud to our children, and I'm so thankful to have it's influence around again to help us work on loving, gracious speech. At the end of the first chapter, Tripp includes a list of wonderfully convicting questions to help evaluate our progress. Here's a few:

1. Does your talk with others lead to biblical problem solving?
2. Does your talk have a "stand together" or a "me against him/her/them" posture?
3. Do your words encourage others to be open and honest about their thoughts and feelings?
4. Are you approachable and teachable or defensive and self-protective when talking with others?
5. Is your communication healthy in the principal relationships in your life?
6. Does your talk encourage faith and personal spiritual growth in those around you?
7. Do you talk with others to develop relationships with them, or do you only talk to solve problems during times of trouble?
8. Do you speak humble and honest wods of confession when you sin and words of sincere forgiveness when others sin against you?
9. Do your words reflect a willingness to serve others or a demand that they serve you?
10. As you face the struggles of talk, do you do so with a recognition of the gospel--God's forgiveness, his enabling grace, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit?

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Superhero???!! What??

I was sitting at my dining room table this morning, during a very stressful hour of our homeschool day, trying to have a sweet attitude and at the same time keep everyone working. It was one of those scenes that makes me sometimes look around for the hidden camera. On one knee was the 2 year old, snuggled against my neck with his thumb in his mouth, and understandably grumpy because of a fever. My 11 year old appeared with an English lesson, a distressed look on her face, and a plea for help, and took the other knee. She really had no choice, as both chairs on either side of me were already taken. On my right was my 6 year old who was slumped in his chair with the handwriting workbook before him that was to blame for wrecking a carefree day of Playmobile guys and make-believe battles. The chair to my left was occupied by my 9 year old, who was hurrying through her work with the hope that today was a computer day, and she would have the first turn.

In the back of my mind was the thought that my three teen-agers were somewhere upstairs with a list of assignments that were hopefully being accomplished. I would need to track them down and make sure, but that would have to wait for a few more minutes, because the needs in the dining room were great. The scene came to an exciting climax as one child swung the toddler's special blanket across the table to him, and in the process knocked over a large glass of water, soaking the books and papers collected there. We all jumped up in an uproar. I ran for a towel, and the responsible child ran out of the room crying!

At that moment, I suddenly had a flashback to a conversation last night with a friend about the stresses and challenges, yet blessings of homeschooling. She had jokingly called me a "superhero" for homeschooling all these kids for all these years. But here I stood in my dining room with water dripping off the table, and the furrowed brow/tight-lipped expression on my face proving that I was anything but a superhero! I wanted to run out of the room crying!

I hope the imagined hidden camera kept rolling, because the hour of stress ended. We all had lunch, the sick toddler went down for a nap, everyone finished their work and I even got to take a quick shower. But there were things of even greater significance that happened around here this week. Had my children been anywhere else, we would all have missed many blessings. There were glimpses here and there, as we went through our days together, of the work that God is doing in their hearts. I got to be around to see it, and to just enjoy time with my children.

There were so many opportunities to talk to them about the Lord. Woven in and around the stressful scenes, (and believe me, they are really less frequent than when I had 6 kids and the oldest was 9!) were many conversations that let me into their world. We talked of finding ultimate joy in Christ alone, about the connection between submission to parents now and submission to authorities later, and about the need to love one another.

There were times this week that I came face to face with my children's sin. It was not a pretty sight! But what a mercy that God exposes their sin, so that they can repent, and we can try to help them learn and grow. God also used my kids to show me a view of my own heart through different conflicts, as I fell to sins of pride, selfishness, and lack of love. It is very humbling to ask forgiveness of my children, but also very necessary. But God is gracious, and my children are forgiving.

We also learned some really interesting things together. I love to see their faces light up when they discover something new. Or see them finally obey and complete an assignment, even though they have no interest in it, and didn't enjoy it. I'll take that as a blessing!

So, when I put the challenges, irritations, and tiring work on one side of the scale, and the joys of all God is doing in the lives of my children on the other side, the latter far outweighs the former! These fleeting days with my children will soon be passed, and no sacrifice is too great while I still have the opportunity. What a privileged position it is to be a mom!

It's been a good day.

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Comforting Words for Little Sheep

John chapter 10 is full to bursting with words of comfort and assurance from the Good Shepherd to all of us who are His little sheep.

First, the portrait painted of our Shepherd, here, shows Jesus Christ to be the one and only entrance into the fold of eternal life. He shows that He is the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11), because He laid down His life for the sheep, He holds them securely in His hand, he leads them, going before them, and speaking to them, as He calls each one by name. The Good Shepherd protects them from harm, and provides them with food, water, and rest. He gives His flock life, ABUNDANT LIFE! And while He is Life to all who would follow Him, anyone else claiming to deliver eternal life is actually intending to steal, kill, and destroy those who follow them.

Second, the sheep can't help but follow the Good Shepherd. He has paid with His own life to bring each one into the fold, and they know that He can be trusted. His presence with them assures them that they will not be lost as they travel from their safe fold to pasture lands. When the wolves attack, He will be protection to them. His words soothe their hearts as He speaks to them, addressing each one intimately. They trust His promise of provision and rest, and they know that where He is taking them is for their ultimate good, their abundant good!
My favorite verses from this passage:
John 10:27-29: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternl life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
I will go through my day today with the comfort of knowing that I am resting safely in the hands of my Good Shepherd! What a wonderful place to be!

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Let the Idols Bow Down

Did any of you see the amazing sight that I saw last night at the end of "Idol Gives Back"? I couldn't quite believe my eyes and ears, but the show ended with all the "idols" on stage dressed in white with white confetti fluttering down around them and a choir in blue robes behind them. And they were singing "Shout to the Lord", one of my favorite praise songs that we sing at our church! I didn't see any of the show that came before that closing song, but walked in at that sight and was astounded.
I had to chuckle at the amazing show of God's sovereignty as the most watched, googled, gossipped about and listened to Hollywood wannabees got on a stage and sang, "Lord there is none like you!" Ok, so they did change the first words, "my Jesus" to "my shepherd" but still the very fact that they sang the words they did amazes me. Let the rocks cry out and praise Him....and the idols, too!
Click here to see it.

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