Monday, July 5, 2010

LINGERING

Gen. 19:16a "And while he lingered..."

Lot had a problem-he loved the pleasures of the world. Even though he knew the consequences of staying, he still hesitated to leave Sodom. The angels had to drag him. He lingered.
  1. First, he was slow to leave. When God convicts my heart of a sin, am I quick to let it go or do I hang on with a tight grip? Do I linger in places that are not glorifying to my Saviour?
  2. Next, He was slow to start. God has plans for me and for my family, but he limits himself to our obedience. Starting is only good if you finish. A slow start is almost as bad as no start.
  3. Last, his spiritual life was just remaining feebly alive. Even after leaving Sodom, we find that Lot had carried with him some sin. His daughters had to have found the wine in something that they had brought out of the city. They got him drunk and committed wicked things--things that they had learned in Sodom. Why do we think we will fare any better? Even a short stay in the world can have disastrous consequences.

There are some place that I want to linger--my quiet time with God, fellowship with other christians, and memory making with my family.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

I CAN'T DO IT!

Gen. 12:1-3

There is almost always a point in life where God shows us that we are not in charge. Sometimes we may have the illusion of being in control, but soon life crashes in and even those we love cannot help us out of the mess. I like this Scripture. God is giving Abraham some great promises that I think we can apply to circumstances today.

  1. I will shew thee--Why do we go to other sources for direction? God will show us the way! His will is clearly outlined in the Bible. His individual will for our lives will be disclosed only one step at a time...what does God want you to do NOW? If we take care of the NOW with obedience, God will take care of the future.
  2. I will make of thee--God has a wonderful plan for my life and the right tools to make it what he wants it to be. Some of those tools may be sorrow or pain. That doesn't mean that God is cruel. It is part of the building process. I would rather be what he wants to make me than what I can make of myself.
  3. I will bless thee and make thy name great--I want God's blessing and I want a good reputation but that will not happen automatically. I need God. I need him all the time--constantly reminding me of his directions, consistently working on all areas of my life and confirming his love to me through his Word.

I can't be a good wife. I can't be a good mom. I can't be a good christian. Only God can make me those things by shewing me his path, making me according to His plan and blessing me with Spiritual blessings. Why? Not so that I can be some hot shot--but so that I can be a blessing to others. Abraham and his family were a blessing to the whole world. Just think about what God could do with you!

Monday, June 28, 2010

WHAT IS THIS THAT THOU HAST DONE? Gen. 3:13b

After Eve ate of the fruit and gave to Adam, God came searching for them in the Garden. He addresses Adam first asking "Where art thou?" When we sin, we place ourselves at a distance from God--this question makes us realize how far away we have become. If we don't see the separation, our sin seems quite small. Sin is never a "little" thing.
After talking to Adam, God asks Eve a question: "What is this that thou hast done?" Do you hear the anguish in his tone? I always thought he was accusing her, an angry God scolding a stupid decision; however, it may be that God was seeing all the hurt that this sin would cause. His heart must have been breaking over the horrible pain that mankind would go through and the terrible price his Son would pay to buy them back.
What should my reaction be to a sin that my child has commited?
  1. Show them the separation-this is the rule and it is broken
  2. Show them the pain it causes my heart-the broken fellowship
  3. God provided a way for the fellowship to be healed--never let them feel that the sin caused me to stop loving them.
  4. Show them how to make better decisions in the future.

What should my reaction be to God as he asks me this question?

  1. Admit my guilt
  2. Agree with God about how wrong my sin truly is
  3. Change my conduct so that our fellowship will be healed
  4. Search the Scriptures to find better ways to make decisions-seek wisdom
  5. Allow my heart to feel the hurt in God's voice as he seeks me--his love is so abundant

If we ever knew how much God loved us, we would never chose to be disobedient. We would always be on the look out for temptation and try to avoid it.

Dear Father, Help me to hear the love in your voice as you ask me the question: What is this that thou hast done? Help me to immediately answer with humility. Help me to react in love to those who have wronged me. Amen

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Goals

What are my goals in educating my children?

  1. A servant's heart for God Luke 22:24-27
  2. An understanding of why we believe what we believe (Good doctrine) II Tim. 2:15
  3. An ability to communicate this message to others both with written and spoken words. This may also include learning other languages. Matt 28:19-20
  4. A good work ethic Prov. 10:4
  5. Compassion/Charity as opposed to hypocrisy I Cor. 13

As I look over these goals, I realize that I stress the less important subjects. Although they need the core skills, these are eating away all the time that could be spent learning the skills for life. If anyone learned the five things that have been listed here, they would have the ability to learn anything else they needed.

How do I go about accomplishing these goals:

  1. I become a servant of God. If they do not have an example, they will not be able to follow.
  2. Start Bible study time--one doctrine at a time from the Bible.
  3. Read well written books to my children and have them start writing their own thoughts in a journal. Another goal is to learn sign language.
  4. Make work fun! Reward a job well done! When a job is given little effort, they lose the reward.
  5. Here, again, it is all about example. If I am selfish and complaining about giving, they will be also. I need to be a cheerful giver of my time and substance.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Family Recipe

Afew years ago, my mom gave me a book of family recipes. It is a small black binder filled with colorful laminated pages--my mom knew I was a messy cook!;) Today, I took that book out and make some sweet rolls for Sunday School. Here is the recipe with a few tweaks that I have added:

No-Knead Refrigerator Rolls (from Betty Crocker)
2 Pkg. Active Dry Yeast
2 C Warm water (Not hot-110 to 115 degrees)
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp. salt
6 1/2 to 7 C flour
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Measure flour by dip-level-pour method. Add sugar, salt, and half of the flour to yeast. Beat thoroughly 2 min. Add egg and oil. Gradually beat in the remaining flour until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and place in the refrigerator. Punch down occasionally as dough rises in refrigerator. About 2 hours before baking, cut off the ammount needed, shape into rolls, and let rise on a greased baking sheet for about 1 1/2 hours
Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 400

To make cinnamon rolls:
Take about 1/2 of the dough and roll out flat
brush with about 1/2 stick of butter
sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (1 C sugar to about 1Tsp. cinnamon)
Chopped walnuts are optional
Roll up like a jelly roll and slice.

In the bottom of the cake pan, Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and dot with about one stick of butter. Place rolls on top.

Topping:
1 package of cream cheese
About 1/2 of maple syrup
1 8oz. tub of cool whip

My mom also gave me another recipe book: a godly example based on the KJ Bible. She has shared this recipe with her children and grandchildren--all of whom have professed Jesus as Saviour. She was firm when we needed it but was always willing to make a fun memory

Lord,
Please help me to pass on your recipes to my children. Help me to be fun yet firm. Thank you for the special family that you have given to me.
Amen

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Why JoyxThree

JoyxThree has a double meaning. First, in Isaiah 12 we read that God is our strength, our song and our salvation. This is the greatest joy of all. No matter what happens in life, we have a Helper, a Saviour, and a Song leader! The next meaning for my blog title is the three blessings that make my life busy: 2 girls and 1 boy!