From the mouth and mind of a child

We all know as parents we have a responsibility to teach our children.  Prov 22:6 says, “⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

But let us also not forget that our children can (and often do) teach us as well.  Christ taught in Mt 18:2-3 that we are to become as little children, “² Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I recently had the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for this concept when listening to my 8 year old son say his prayers before bed time.  Below is his prayer as best I can remember:

Thank you God for all the things You have given us, even the bad stuff.  Thank you for the Church, the Bible, everything Lord.  Take away our sins if You think You should, You don’t have to.  Please help us to teach the baby only what is right.  We love You God and Jesus no matter what.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

What a great example.  Starting off his prayer by thanking God even for the bad things, then asking for forgiveness but only if God thinks He should, and finally reminding God and Jesus that he loves them no matter what.  Let us all take the opportunity to listen to our children and those children around us because we might just learn something.

Would you like a sample???

So my wife and I had to go to Family Christian Bookstore this morning to pick up some materials.  When we finished up it was heading into the lunch hour and since we were at the mall we decided to check out the food court.  As most people know, there are multiple different places to eat within the food court but many of the choices between restaurants offer the same types of food.  Because of this, many of the restaurants have offers of free samples.

As I sat eating, I looked at the various restaurants one fact became increasingly clear, the ones offering samples were much busier than those that didn’t.  This got me thinking about how this could apply to God’s people as well.  If we are not out offering a “taste” of what God has to offer them to help encourage them to come into our worship service, they are very likely to walk right past us and in favor of others who may be sharing a “taste” of what they believe “Their Church” has to offer.  If we really want to help increase the size of our attendance, we have to be willing to reach out to people and draw them with a “taste” of what God can and will do for them.

I believe very strongly that Paul understood this concept when he makes the statement in 1 Cor 3:6, ” I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”  We as individuals need to follow this example and individually we can plant the seed by reaching out and speaking to others, the congregation can water by helping others when they visit the worship service or class, and God will provide the increase.

Let’s all take the opportunity to learn from the example of this simple question above and reach out to others and ask them if they would like to hear about what God can do for them.  The results will be positive and we will be fulfilling our responsibility to teach others about God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Prayer, a misunderstood blessing

When I think of prayer, I often think it is one of the most misunderstood or under-utilized blessings God has given us.  Many times people are not sure what to say or how to say it.  Other times people do not pray because they are afraid of what others may think if they see them praying.   Lastly, people choose not to pray because they don’t have enough faith in the fact prayer truly does work.

A solution to the first problem can be found in Mt 6:9-13 which many mistakenly call the Lord’s Prayer but is better termed, “The Model Prayer.”

Paul teaches us in Rom 1:16 the proper attitude we should have toward the Gospel.  If we have this attitude we don’t need to worry about the second issue listed above.  If we’re not ashamed of the gospel, we won’t be ashamed to show it in front of others, no matter what they may say.

The Hebrew writer in the 11th chapter and verse 6 deals with the final issue above, reminding us that we must believe in God’s power and ability to answer prayer.

This section will be devoted to the study and discussion of prayer and it’s importance to our spiritual life.  Feel free to share thoughts and comments as well as any prayer requests you may have.

One of God’s Greatest Gifts

To see a newborn child is one of God’s greatest gifts to us.  We have right before us the picture of sinless innocence.  As we look upon this child we can’t help but think of the love and support he/she will need to make it in this life.  There is complete and utter helplessness but a life full of hope just waiting to be loved and taught.  This reminds me of how I should be feeling each and every time I am blessed to see a newborn Christian.  This person is now once again a sinless individual in the sight of  God who needs to be nurtured and taught.  He/she is the hope and future of the Lord’s Church and should be precious in our lives.  Let us all respect the gift of all newborns both into a physical family and into the Lord’s Church.  They are a gift from God and an opportunity for us help do what God expects us to,  train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The inspiration for this site

The inspiration for this site comes from Is. 40:31.  This particular passage became one of my favorite verses back in high school where it was the reason for our mascot being an eagle.  I feel this verse offers a great hope and reminds us of how we can get through the tough times.  We must remember to wait upon the Lord and seek His guidance in all things.  If we can do this we are promised that our strength will be renewed and we will be able to carry on.