Hear O heavens ! Listen O earth !
For the Lord has spoken:
"I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
the ox knows his master,
the donkey his owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand."
How many times have we either heard of or witnessed a lament by a father (or parent) about how as his children grew they turned from his teachings and rebelled against him. If you have had the pleasure of raising children through their teen years and have tried to set rules and boundaries you will discover that the common accepted rite in our society is that they will act out and separate themselves from their parents.
Your children will rebel !
God loves the people of Israel, they are his chosen people. What pain he must feel to make this opening statement. I am sure today is no different; God is crying out, are we listening?
You are so right Bill. Any parent of any age child knows that they are strong willed creatures. It is easier to control/cajole them when they are younger, but when they become teenagers they decide its time to make their own decisions and nothing you say will sway them. That is until they get in trouble or hurt.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent it is a hard thing to watch your child go through challenges and make mistakes. But we all have to do it. God does it too. Are we listening?
We shouldn't want to separate ourselves from God yet we do. For what reason? To suit our own will and satisfaction. 'Surrender yourself completely to God and you will have all of his promises' Mike Guzzardo said this during one of his talks at our mission trip last year. I listen to him every few weeks just to keep these thoughts going in my mind and to try to listen to Gods will for me.
There is no question that there is a disconnect
ReplyDeletebetween what God wants and expects of His people and our motivations at times. Clearly it is on us to listen and act according to what His will is. The problem I have sometimes
is I am driven by my self interest and not that of my Maker. It's progress not perfection.
Please God help me follow what you would have me to do today.
Following up on Sue's final comment above: It's for that reason that I have gone to camp and/or on a mission trip every summer for more than a decade. Like I can't function well week by week without a Sabbath and season by season without some down time or continuing ed, I need that time to restore my soul, so that I can continue to fight the good fight.
ReplyDeleteOn Wednesday, most if not all of the small groups included something about sharing God's word in their purpose statements. My intensive continuing ed class this winter and spring is called Tending the Fire. We who study the Bible and blog are tending God's word.
In the intro to Isaiah, I learned that the characteristic name for God in this book is "The Holy". Holiness is described as "firsthand living, a furnace that transforms the men and women who enter it. Our ordinary and often disappointing human experience is the very stuff that God uses to create and save and give hope. His work is remaking the mess we have made of our lives." How do we use our hands to help him accomplish that?
We connect to each other, raising our children in the faith, hoping that they won't stray too far from it as teens. Again, that's why we take kids to Calumet, do 30 Hour Famines, and go on National Youth Gatherings. For the most part, they aren't interested in coming to mom and/or dad's church. It's boring. Too early (even 10 am!). And doesn't seem to speak to them. But in the gap, those other experiences do. Hopefully, as young adults, they will come back to worship. What can we do to help keep God present in their lives throughout those tumultuous years?
For the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, we will hear messages of judgment. Then 16 chapters of comfort and 11 chapters of hope. Let's join hands, walking through the refiner's fire together. I trust you to be there for me and I will be there for you. We can trust God. He will bring us through.
To help us focus, God gives us these words, "Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless." As we leave worship strengthened, we are to be about these tasks, as one body.
In one week, we will be starting our fast. Please consider doing one of the following things:
1. Fast with us.
2. Pray for us.
3. Buy a car wash from Jean Bates, benefiting Feeding Children International and Faith's pillow ministry. $10/wash and ALL of the money is split between those two causes. The car washes can be used any time.
"God's work, our hands" is really happening at Faith! We are on the verge of something incredible.
Keeping my children focused at 6 and 4 is challenging on many levels. Can't wait until they are asking for a DS or their own cell phone. In this age there is so many things out in the world that make parenting that much more taxing. I was no prize to my parents as a youth, hopefully the foundation that J & J are receiving at Faith will keep them on the right path.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Mark, keeping my daughter focused even as young as she is at 17 months can be a challenge. She is fearless....and at times wants nothing to do with what we say..if she had her way there would be cookies all around at 7 am and walks at 9:30 at night. We are surely in for a challenge as she gets older! My goal at this point is to do what I can to equip her to make the best choices for her life....as we lay the foundation of her relationship with God at Faith I pray that she will continue to seek a relationship with God throughout her life.
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