Baby boy wearing diaper and blue towel in white sunny bedroom. Newborn child relaxing in bed after bath or shower. Nursery for children. Textile and bedding for kids. New born kid with toy bear.
The Gerber baby food company in 1988 adopted a great tag line, “Babies are our business, our only business.
If tattoos were around when Sara, Rachel, or any of the women in the Old Testament were alive they would have had this tag line tattooed on their foreheads’. They were all about having children. Psalm 127:3 was a hope of their hearts:
Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
They held on to the first command God gave His children:
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
Would these two verses resonate in the hearts and minds of our society?
To be honest, some of the women in the Old Testament went a little overboard, but they did see the value of babies, children and family. The women of old were all about the business of children.
I have a friend that has gone to great lengths to conceive a child, and I know another couple who are in great anxiety over the fight within the womb for both of their twins to survive. One twin is using up all the nutrients of the other. But these families are fighting for their babies.
Raising a family is hard work and while you are doing the work you can become weary. There is not a paycheck for raising a family or children praising you for your hard work. Most children just think we are out to ruin their good time.
I know this from experience, but I send hope to those of you who are in the middle of raising young children, being a grandmother is easier.
It has been a while, but I will never forget the first time I held each of my children in my arms and the first time I held one of my grandchildren. I was in love immediately. They melted my heart like a popsicle on a hot summer day.
Jesus had a word to say about children in Matthew 19:14:
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”’
If Jesus valued children, it is time for us to stop and take notice. How do you think He feels about the millions of babies that are aborded each year or the children that are abused? No doubt He grieves over the condition of our world.
I am prolife in every sense of the word. Baby puppies, baby kittens, and baby birds make me smile. But a baby girl or boy warms my soul, and they represent a heritage from the Lord. They deserve our love, protection and our very best effort.
“Train up a child in the way he should go
And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these”’ (Matthew 19:14)
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13).
Pray with me:
Dear Father,
You sent Your Son to us as a baby, and he was loved and cared for by Mary and Joseph. You showed us firsthand the value of family. Lord, help us in this country realize the value of children. The privilege of being parents and grandparents. Help us point our children and grandchildren to You, our Creator, Redeemer and King. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Pluto stoops down to the level of a child and brings her delight and joy.
Encourage is a wonderful word, in fact it is extravagant. When someone encourages you, they give you strength to continue. The opposite is also true when you discourage someone with your words or actions you are taking away their strength.
This is a powerful thought to think about. I can actually give or take away strength with my words, actions and even in my facial expressions.
Do you hear more encouraging or discouraging words in your life? If you are like me, you probably have both.
What about you, are you an encourager or do you have a habit of putting others down?
For encouraging words to have strength they must be sincere and true. It isn’t flattery. The strongest form of encouragement comes from God’s Word.
Think about that for a moment. God, through His Word extents to us His strength. There is no power like His power and there is no strength like His strength. When God speaks to us through His Word, He is offering us a way to live beyond our abilities, wisdom, and strengths.
Not only does He give us wisdom and truth, but we extend that to others by the way we live. We become encouragers out of the strength His Word gives us.
We can have impact now and after we leave this world.
“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).
God’s strength and encouragement that we received can pass on to our children, our children’s children and to those our lives have touched.
I was thinking about my friend Sharon who has gone on to be with the Lord. She faithfully taught God’s Word, and those Words of strength still impact my life and others who were under her teaching.
I thought of the great saints of old whose writings continue to speak and teach those who will listen.
I also thought of Charlie Kirk who now after his tragic death is speaking louder than ever with his courage of faith and love for people.
Oh, I want to be a woman of God’s Word, allowing those words to strengthen others in their walk with the Lord. Will you join me as we encourage others with truth, wisdom, and strength?
Pray with me:
Dear Father,
Thank You for giving us Your Word. They help us have courage to face life knowing that we are never alone. You, Holy Father, are with us and You will by Your Words strengthen us to live with confidence, love, joy, truth, and strength. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For encouragement read: 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17 and 1 Peter 5:10-11
Picture from our Cruise Ship in the Alaska waters.
During our trip to Alaska my husband decided he would entertain everyone by singing the song, “North to Alaska." This song was released in 1961 and was sung by Johnny Horton.
Few in the family had heard the tune, and even fewer were thrilled by him constantly singing it. But my husband is a natural born leader and has a way of capturing his audience. Before the trip was over many of us were singing along with him or at least had the song stuck in our heads.
He enjoyed influencing our new granddaughter-in-law and two of our granddaughters. Yes, “North to Alaska,” had a great comeback influencing the younger generation.
It is so true that we are influenced by what goes on around us. It is easy to see how our society has changed and things that were considered offensive and wrong are readily acceptable. I remember my grandmother being shocked at Doris Day movies, but today these movies would be considered for the general audience. They would most definitely be rated G.
As Christians how well are we protecting our eyes and ears to the influence around us. Are we careful about what movies and television shows we watch? What about music? What kind of music do we listen to and does it turn us toward or away from the Lord?
I have often heard that if you look at someone’s friends you will know their heart. I think the bottom line is that what we see, what we hear and who we spend our time with will influence our thoughts, our hearts and our actions.
This is why I believe it is important for me to begin my day with the Lord. I start each morning listening to praise music. This helps me set my mind and heart on praising my Heavenly Father. Then I use the rest of my time seeking Him through His Word and prayer.
Of course, there are days when I am distracted or half asleep, but when the Spirit moves in my heart, I have a clearer view of who I am and who I belong to.
If this is something you haven’t tried, why don’t you? This world wants to influence us, but God wants to fill us with love, joy, peace, kindness and goodness. He is our hope and our deliverer from the harmful influences all around us.
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” James 3:17-18.
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father,
How we need your mercy and protection over the wrong of this world. Our prayer is that we will be influenced by You so we can make a difference in those around us. Influencers for good not harm. Father, make changes in our souls. We want to praise and worship You above all others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Can a child have influence for God’s Kingdom? Can a child influence our lives?
My mom became pregnant when she was in her forties, and she was not expecting her little bundle of joy. At the time I was a teenager and I was not prepared for the responsibility she put on me to help her care for my baby brother.
This left an impression on me and as a young wife I was a little leery of motherhood. I was in no hurry to jump into being a mother. But my heavenly Father wanted to give me a new perspective.
My brother and his wife had their first-born son, Jeff. He was such a cute little boy with an imagination that melted my heart. He was like a little king in charge of the world. He would demand that a tree move and by his strong imagination you would watch to see if it would. I loved watching him play and take charge of the world around him. It reminded me of God’s first command to Adam and Eve.
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis1:28).
Jeff came out of the womb with God’s command written on his heart and it was a joy to watch.
This great little guy changed my heart about having children. His influence turned my desire 100 percent. I don’t believe I have ever told him that or thanked him for the influence he had on my life. Because of his influence I am a mother of three grown children and a grandmother of six.
As much as I am thankful for the influence of Jeff, God gave us the gift of all gifts when He came to us as a baby boy.
I can imagine him telling a tree to move and Mary watching as it did. His authority, His dominion has no end. We are not told much about Him as a child, but I am sure His influence was powerful for all to see.
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 19:14).
So, to answer my own questions, God does use children to speak His truths even without their knowledge. He can use a child to melt our hearts and prepare those hearts to reach for Him. Children can touch us with their fearless courage, their contagious laughter, their unbridled joy, and their tender loving hearts.
Children are a gift from the Lord, but when God sent Jesus to us as a baby, His influence changed everything. His influence began the moment He was born and has not stopped one second. Mary was touched, the Shepherds were moved, the Magi were humbled and Herod was afraid.
What influence does Jesus have over your life? How has, His birth, life, death and resurrection affected you? The answers to these questions will determine the direction of all our days and our eternity.
Pray with me:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the wonderful gift of Children. They teach us so much about freedom, joy and love. Help us embrace them with grateful hearts. Father, You sent Jesus to us as a baby. That is a powerful statement of the worth of children. Lord, You changed everything by sending Your Son to us. Just as Your Son was born into our world to save us, we must be born again by accepting His gift of salvation. We praise You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
This was the first and only Easter I would sit with my parents in church. The whole family had gathered to celebrate. As the service began, I glanced over at my Dad.
He was singing with a hymnal in his hand and tears streaming down his face. When I looked over at Mom, her tears equaled his. They were brand new Christians, just a few weeks old, and my heart exploded with joy. But then something strange happened. Conviction washed over me. How long had it been since I worshipped with the same humble heart? Wasn’t God deserving of my full focus? Where was my passion for the Lord?
This was a fleeting moment, but one I have often thought about. As I sat there, my mind wandered back to their remarkable story of mercy.
Go with me as I journey back.
Jesus became my Savior when I was sixteen, but even though my parents were good people, they were not believers. The burden I felt for them was more than I could stand. As a young mother and wife, I traveled from my home in Georgia to their home in Florida. I went to share the gospel and God’s love for them.
I do not remember what I said, but my words sent Dad storming from the room and Mom crying. I felt like a total failure. But that night in my old bedroom God gave me a song. “When We All Get to Heaven.” I held on to that moment for years. Every chance I had, I asked others to pray for my parents’ salvation.
I had dear friends who shared my concerns by making a stop in Florida to take my parents to lunch. During lunch they shared how much I loved them and how Jesus loved and had a plan for them. They were gospel seed planters.
Their visit did not appear to have any results.
Every visit to Florida filled me with pressure and fear. The responsibility for their salvation drained me. This burden was too heavy to bear.
Dad and I had always been close, but now he was distant and aggravated at me. This grieved my heart. He had a tough time being in the same room with me. My family noticed the change, and they were frustrated with him.
However, God, in His mercy, showed me that Dad was in the middle of a spiritual battle. This helped me to understand and release my hurt.
After my parents had both retired, they took a trip with friends and Dad did something that made my Mom angry. She is not a person you wanted to make mad or in this case furious. She was done with him, but he must have groveled enough for her to give him a chance to make things right.
These were her demands: One, they would start going to church together, and two, he would learn to play bridge. He said, “Okay, fine.” He would do that if she learned to watch football with him. They both agreed to the demands. Thank goodness!
They started attending Lakeshore Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. My husband and I had history with this church. I was baptized and married there. A friend in my church in Georgia was from Jacksonville, and her parents were members of the church my parents were attending.
The world is small in the Hands of the Lord.
When I heard that they were attending church, I didn’t want them to be overlooked. I called the church office to make sure the pastor knew my parents were not Christians. I must have sounded a bit bossy, but we sometimes forget that older people are not all saved. It was important for the church to know.
Months went by, and from a conversation I had with my Dad, I began to give up hope. I was questioning that God had given me a song of promise years ago in my old bedroom. My faith and hope were disappearing.
Mom was seventy-four, and Dad was seventy-six. Time was running out. What more could I do? All my Christian friends were praying. If someone knew me in the church, they were praying.
I was selling tickets for Wednesday night supper at church when my friend, Nancy came bouncing full of joy. She told me the most wonderful news.
My parents had made a profession of faith on Sunday.
I am not much of a crier, but the floodgates opened, and I was sure I was about to flood the Christian Family Life Center.
My church family didn’t know what had happened, but their concern turned to joy when they heard the news. Many of them had wrestled in prayer for the salvation of my parents.
There is more to the story, but for now, as we are getting close to Easter, I hope and pray that we will celebrate the wonderful gift of Jesus. He has made a way for us to be righteous before Him. I pray that tears of joy run down our faces as we come together in awe of the goodness of our God.
“When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory.”
“When We All Get to Heaven,” by Eliza E. Hewitt (1898).
Pray with me:
Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your provision of Jesus. A provision that gives us a new identity and a new eternal home. We need Your grace and mercy to fill our hearts as we prepare for Easter. May the praise and honor of that celebration be sweet music to Your ears. Oh, Father, we bow before You, our great merciful God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“But what about you?’ he asked. “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29).
If Jesus was to ask you this question, what would you say?
Paul Tripp, one of my favorite writers ask this question in his book, Everyday Gospel, “If you were to “paint” a verbal picture of Jesus, what words would you use to capture who he is, what he came to do, and what he continues to do in and for those who put their trust in him?” I have pondered this question for days, and even though Jesus is beyond explaining this is where my mind has taken me.
He is light. We live in a world of darkness; Christ is the light of the world. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Another translation says, did not overcome it. I love that imagery.
When you were a little child, were you afraid of the dark? Most of us have some fear or at least uncomfortableness in the dark. When you go to bed at night do you have night lights on in your home and flood lights outside to protect you and your property? We have lights in our toilets that light up when you walk in the bathrooms. I will admit that my reasons for these lights were not so much about being afraid, but that is another story altogether.
Light changes everything.
In a world of darkness, we need light. Jesus gives us a promise in John 8:12 when He said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
As I pondered what my verbal picture of Jesus would be, these are the thoughts in my mind:
Jesus, you are like the dawn. You come to me and light all the darkness in my soul, defeating the fear that is in my heart, and you draw me close. You become brighter, warming my heart and giving hope to my soul.
Lord, You light up Your Word as I read it, and I find comfort from Your touch. Jesus, you heal me with your warmth, and again and again you draw me close. Even in the shade you can be seen. You minister health all around me. In life’s trouble you shine. I have felt you in the midst of my troubles. Lord, You come close and pour your light into circumstances that are dark, lonely and fearful. Jesus, You are my light and there is no darkness in You!
Jesus is the light of the world and yet not all will welcome Him.
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:19-21).
This is a warning to us. Jesus is our light, and He wants to come to us and bring His truth, mercy, love and wisdom so we can see. He gives us Himself so we can see deception. Through Him we can walk in truth with confidence that the darkness will not overcome us. We are safe in the light He gives. He is the light of the world.
If you were asked to paint a word picture of Jesus, what would your words be?
Pray with me
Dear Lord, Jesus,
There is no darkness in You, only light. You give us sight, hope, and forgiveness. How we honor and praise You. There is no one like You, no one Lord! We come to You to see, walk, live, and treasure Your light, and bask in the wonder of Your love. Jesus, give us eyes to see You and a heart to believe You. We love You, Lord. In Your name we pray, amen.
