A Household for Christ: July 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Thoughts on Family Worship by James Alexander

"The daily, regular and solemn reading of God's holy word, by a parent before his children, is one of the most powerful agencies of a Christian life. We are prone to undervalue this cause. It is a constant dropping, but it wears its mark into the rock. A family thus trained cannot be ignorant of the Word. The whole Scriptures come repeatedly before the mind. The most heedless child must observe and retain some portion of the sacred oracles; the most forgetful must treasure up some passages for life. No one part of juvenile education is more important. Between families thus instructed, and those where the Bible is not read, the contrast is striking. To deny such a source of influence to the youthful mind is an injustice, at the thought of which a professor of Christianity may well tremble.”

James W. Alexander

Jesus LOVES Children

Jesus LOVES children.

Something I am led to do and I hope you might join me:

I plan to tell my children everyday how Jesus loves them. Hear me... I hope to do all I can humanly possible to communicate the truth of these words in their ears while harmoniously praying and believing the Holy Spirit will etch this message permanently into their souls so they cannot forget.

I plan to wrap them in the warmth of my cuddle and look directly and deeply into their eyes saying, "JESUS loves you! Jesus LOVES you! Jesus loves YOU!", putting emphasis on a different word each time I say it.

I plan to quote to them my sources from Scripture.

"13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." Mark 10:13-16

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." ~Mark 18:1-4

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:5,6

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." ~Matthew 18:10-14

Psalm 127:3-5

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 139:16

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

... and there is much more to pull from.

Next, I pray the Lord will use my body to physically convey the love of Jesus through encouraging words, wise leadership, loving and serving hands, considerate and firm discipline, gentle understanding and grace. Lord, use my body to communicate Your love for these children.

Wouldn't it be a shame if I wept over children of unfortunate circumstances who have no mommy or daddy or caregiver, whom I cannot reach to tell of these wonderful words, but failed to, on a daily basis, impart them to my own blessed children? In this case, I suppose, that my own children, too, are not as blessed as they could be...

Who is better qualified to deliver than the one of whose flesh these little ones were derived? God put them into my body, He gave me strength to deliver them. Now, He has honored me to be the voice of His love. My credibility validated by my intimate understanding that Jesus must love us very much to bring us together into one family. To Him be ALL the glory!!

With God's grace, these are my plans for every day. Imagine... the foundation this would establish in the faith of our children if they became so keenly aware of a personal love from the God of all Creation. And... I can't help but wonder, as I deliver this simple, inspired message, if I might receive its reciprocating effects. Perhaps, as I speak of His love for Alexey, Catherine, Aaron, Victoria and any other child who gives me the opportunity, I might begin to more deeply take in that I, too, am His child, therefore JESUS LOVE ME!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

General Notes on Titus 2:3-5

"3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:3-5

Some things I am learning on this journey:

Certainly, Titus 2 has much to say about the interaction of younger and older women. Though this Scripture does not speak directly to her, the young lady definitely has a role. When a younger Titus 2 woman is with her elder, she should wear an attitude of reverence and humility seeking ways she may can glean from her. She is not required to agree with all the more experienced woman has to teach, but she should give careful consideration.

When she is with younger ladies, she should continue to treat them with reverence and humility, as one might have much to learn from their freshness, but even still, she must try not to overlook invitations to share how the Lord has led her in her walk as wife and mother.

When led by the Holy Spirit this Dance of Women is beautiful and fruitful. As stated in verse 4 the outcome would be that younger Titus 2 women might better understand how to love their husbands and children, and that the older might have, by now, become seasoned at it, thereby, together glorifying the Lord in the roles He has suited for our gender.

A constant prayer of mine is that I will be both teachable as a young lady and that the Lord would give me something worth sharing with my younger generations.
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Words of warning:
A Titus 2 woman must make sure her words and actions are motivated by genuine love, continually adjusting her motives and actions to the standard of God's Word.
A Titus 2 women equips herself to defend the Scriptures and their guidelines for Salvation, as well as, defending their guidelines for her irreplaceable role in the family.
A Titus 2 woman must be prepared to be met with opposition from woman whose worldview has been influenced by feminism.
A Titus 2 woman must discern when and where the soil is not fertile lest her time and energy be wasted.
A Titus 2 woman cannot let her passions become aggravated lest she become distracted from her own calling as wife and mother. She will not likely change someone's mind who is rigid and unteachable, nor is it necessary for her to engage in such a battle for this battle belongs to the Lord.
A Titus 2 woman should remember that a majority of a Titus 2 woman's influence will come from her actions and not her words.