Last night I spoke in our Bible study group. We had planned to watch a video from John Bevere, but we had already seen it. I wasn't prepared to teach anything, so I just let the Holy Spirit lead me. I happened to open my Bible to the book of Jonah and we proceeded to read the whole book since it was only 4 chapters.
I found it refreshing that each chapter taught a different lesson. The most intriguing lesson was in chapter 3.
It seems that Jonah was warning people that God would destroy their city in 40 days because of their disregard for God and his commandments. To Jonah's surprise and dismay they changed their course, humbled themselves, fasted, and turned from their evil. Everyone from their king down to the lowliest person became aware that God was watching and was not pleased with them.
God had compassion and renounced his judgement. Apparently the only one not happy was Jonah!
Sometimes, we pray and ask for things and when God brings it about we aren't very happy with the outcome. It's almost like we ask only because we like the idea of having something. If I'm confusing you, I'll give you an example.
I'm mature enough to understand that I love beautiful cars...only when someone ELSE owns them. I love to admire Corvettes, Porsche's, BMW's, and all kinds of high performance vehicles. I know, however, that I don't want to own one because of the high cost of maintaining such a luxurious vehicle. I don't even like washing my little old red truck!
I know a woman who prayed, and cried, and prayed, and cried that the Lord would bless her with a Godly husband. When God answered her prayer, she suddenly changed her mind and was frightened at the thought of marriage even though this man loved her with all his heart and had very good values.
Sometimes we pray, Lord bless my family, let my children have good grades, let them excel at sports, or let them have good friends. Then when God answers us, we don't want to show up to their sports events, science fairs, open house at school, and we don't want their friends coming over to our house. God answers your prayer and then suddenly you realize you don't really want that after all?
We need to be careful what we pray for. God, in his infinite wisdom, sometimes says "No", sometimes says, "wait", and then there are times when he says, "YES!" For those occasions, be ready to receive His blessing with open arms. Show Him your gratitude for the wonders of his love toward your life and watch him continue to bless you with other desires of your heart if you are obedient and a good steward with all He has given you thus far.
Learn to show interest in the things your children excel at and be patient when they are slow to learn. Above all, love them through their failures and cherish their triumphant victories.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you" - Matthew 6:33
Man O God
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Bless and Curse Not...
A few years back, I spent some time in a foreign country where I was in constant danger. I recall seeing the terrible conditions in that country where teachers were rejoicing because their monthly earnings jumped to $30 a month from $3 a month! I saw children as young as 8 years old working for a living driving tractors, filling sandbags, digging trenches, and cleaning up human waste. I remember feeling overwhelmed with compassion for them, but at the same time realizing that we who live in the developed world take many things for granted.
I spoke with my wife about allowing the children to have whatever they desired. For some odd reason, I felt that I should be showering my children with gifts. I think it was an attempt to make up for time lost without them. In any case, when I finally came home, my children lacked nothing.
To this day, however, my children tend to overlook the bountiful home they live in and I have to continue to remind them that we live in a world where everything can be gained and lost very quickly.
With this in mind, I would like to remind fathers that they should always seek to bless their children and their families in every way possible. Granted that you don't spoil your children by lavishing gifts that are dangerous or wastefully extravagant, you should, nevertheless see to it that they receive gifts whenever they accomplish goals that you set for them or whenever you see that they exhibit excellent behavior above what is expected.
Additionally, be careful not to curse your children even when they behave badly. It is too common for parents and guardians to say things like, "You'll never amount to anything!" or "You're going to end up in prison!". Although you may think you are correcting your child, you are setting things in motion that may forever alter your child's future.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - Ephesian 6:12
This means that there are things unseen in the world around us that influence the decisions we make and have the ability to twist circumstances in ways that are both beneficial and malignant toward us. When we speak blessings over our children, we grant angelic forces permission to manipulate our surroundings to fill their lives with wonderful things including health, joy, friends, wealth, and wisdom. When, on the other hand, we speak curses into the lives of our children, we will allow demonic beings to fill their minds, bodies, and spirit with malicious thoughts, ideas, disease, loneliness, and confusion among other terrible maladies.
We ought, therefore, to be careful to bless our children as our heavenly father blesses us. We ought to bless and curse not. Remember the law of sowing and reaping. Those things that we sow into our children's lives will inevitably come back as fruits in our own lives (for good or evil).
Before you begin to think that this is some kind of recipe for total well being or utter destruction, let me make something clear. Speaking blessings does not guarantee that our children will be without trouble and neither does speaking curses automatically induce failure, but the likelihood of these things increases dramatically with each blessing and each curse.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:11
Man O God
I spoke with my wife about allowing the children to have whatever they desired. For some odd reason, I felt that I should be showering my children with gifts. I think it was an attempt to make up for time lost without them. In any case, when I finally came home, my children lacked nothing.
To this day, however, my children tend to overlook the bountiful home they live in and I have to continue to remind them that we live in a world where everything can be gained and lost very quickly.
With this in mind, I would like to remind fathers that they should always seek to bless their children and their families in every way possible. Granted that you don't spoil your children by lavishing gifts that are dangerous or wastefully extravagant, you should, nevertheless see to it that they receive gifts whenever they accomplish goals that you set for them or whenever you see that they exhibit excellent behavior above what is expected.
Additionally, be careful not to curse your children even when they behave badly. It is too common for parents and guardians to say things like, "You'll never amount to anything!" or "You're going to end up in prison!". Although you may think you are correcting your child, you are setting things in motion that may forever alter your child's future.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - Ephesian 6:12
This means that there are things unseen in the world around us that influence the decisions we make and have the ability to twist circumstances in ways that are both beneficial and malignant toward us. When we speak blessings over our children, we grant angelic forces permission to manipulate our surroundings to fill their lives with wonderful things including health, joy, friends, wealth, and wisdom. When, on the other hand, we speak curses into the lives of our children, we will allow demonic beings to fill their minds, bodies, and spirit with malicious thoughts, ideas, disease, loneliness, and confusion among other terrible maladies.
We ought, therefore, to be careful to bless our children as our heavenly father blesses us. We ought to bless and curse not. Remember the law of sowing and reaping. Those things that we sow into our children's lives will inevitably come back as fruits in our own lives (for good or evil).
Before you begin to think that this is some kind of recipe for total well being or utter destruction, let me make something clear. Speaking blessings does not guarantee that our children will be without trouble and neither does speaking curses automatically induce failure, but the likelihood of these things increases dramatically with each blessing and each curse.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:11
Man O God
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