This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon; "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, do not decrease. "Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
Jeremiah 29:4-7
These were the words of Jeremiah in a letter to those who were carried away in exile to Babylon. Other false prophets spoke of a quick return to Jerusalem. They promised that God would bring them back out of his strength, goodness and grace. Their words brought hope. Their words were the one's they wanted to hear. Their words brought joy and meaning. Yes the people wanted the false prophet's words. They wanted to leave this God forsaken land in which they were taken captivity. But their words were not God's words. Their words were hollow and empty and over time these empty words would bring greater despair.
Jeremiah's words told them to settle down. His words were to make roots where they were for they would never return to the Promises land again save for their children. It would be 70 years if God was truly speaking through Jeremiah.
Seventy years! It's enough to make you despair. Yet, Jeremiah says to settle in, make this place your temporary home. Have children.... and teach them about the home that they will return to some day. I added that last part but I believe that is was implied. "Yes, teach them to be good Jewish boys and girls and prepare them for the day they will return."
I read someone who wrote something like this. "Do you know your children may be your greatest contribution to the world."
Yes future generations would have to rebuild the great nation of Israel. For now they had to settle in and pray. They would pray for the nation that things would go well for them and pray for the hope of future generations. Pray, call out, seek God, live productive lives and provide for their children.. They would be the seeds of future blessings. There's would be the great sacrifice for future generations and if they were lucky they would find some joy as well.
Today, I wonder how much we think about the future generations? Their Hope? Their world?
It might have been easy for the people of Israel siting in exile to say, "Why bring children into this God forsaken place?" "Why bring children into this world with such struggles and pain"...
Have you ever said that about our world? If you have I believe Jeremiah has some words for you and me. "God is faithful." "God has plans." "God will honor your sacrifice." God will listen to your prayers for them."
Prayer: Today we call upon You and seek You with our heart. Please bring this nation back to its greatness again. Please help this place to be a nation where we and our children will prosper. Protect our children. Oh Lord, may they see a future peace that we could only dream about. In Jesus name, Amen
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Friday, July 26, 2013
Offering your best with Joy 1 Samuel 1:11
If you read the first chapter of 1 Samuel you will find Hannah weeping near the door posts of the Temple. She's crying out to God and making a vow to God saying, "O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death." 1 Samuel 1:11 NRSV. In these words we hear the heart of a humble servant pleading with he Lord. Some however might say she was making a bargain with the Lord. If you do this one thing for me. I will do this for you. Perhaps you've made such bargains with the Lord as well. Some say things like, "Oh Lord if you save me from this crisis I will give my life to you as a servant of the Lord perhaps as a pastor." Or people say, "Oh Lord if you do this, I promise to never do that------ (fill in the blank) sin ever again.
Frankly some of these prayers are selfish by nature. In addition if everyone upheld there end of the bargain our seminaries would be overflowing. The Bible discourages us from making such vows or promises however Hannah's prayer was honored by God and she received a son just as she had prayed. His name was Samuel who was one of the greatest of the prophets and perhaps the last judge to serve in Israel.
I think God listened to her cry because there was something special in her heart. This is not to say that God, out of his amazing grace, doesn't give us things full well knowing that we can't or will not choose to fulfill our end of the bargain. However for a moment lets consider her prayer and her faithful response to the blessing.
Hannah was obviously a Godly woman and she loved her husband and her God so much that she wanted to give birth to a child as a gift to the Lord. In addition I'm sure she wanted the joy of bringing a child into the world and thus end her shame. However, her request wasn't purely selfish by any means. How do I know this? Because she freely gave her child, her gift, to the Lord just as she said. After she had weaned the boy she brought him to Eli in the temple and after that moment she would only visit with him once a year. This was indeed a great sacrifice to her.
But what we might find interesting is the timing of Hannah's song. In the end of the first chapter and start of the second we are made aware that she is lifting up these wonderful joyous words of praise to God not at the birth of her child but at the moment that she was giving him up to the Lord.
I'm sure that she had a prayer and a song at the birth of the child as every mother has but it's amazing that it was at the moment she was giving away her son that she exclaimed. "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high." 1 Samuel 2:1a The horn was the symbol of strength.
Most women would have wept bitterly to leave their child. Perhaps some would offer another bargain to the Lord like.. "If you allow me to keep him I will be sure to raise him in a God fearing home and teach him every day." This was not the response of Hannah. She knew that from beginning to end that the gift she held in her hands was a gift of God and now she was offering the gift with gladness of heart.
To ponder: What gifts has God given you? Has God called you to share that gift? Do you sacrificially offer that gift back to the Lord with Joy? What about your financial resources is it your joy and pleasure to offer your gift to the Lord and the Lord's work?
Hannah showed great faith. She made a vow and kept that vow long before she knew that the Lord would be faithful to give her other children as well. God is faithful to us especially when we put the Lord first and offer our best with Joy!
May we offer our best offering with joy as we walk through the Word together.
Frankly some of these prayers are selfish by nature. In addition if everyone upheld there end of the bargain our seminaries would be overflowing. The Bible discourages us from making such vows or promises however Hannah's prayer was honored by God and she received a son just as she had prayed. His name was Samuel who was one of the greatest of the prophets and perhaps the last judge to serve in Israel.
I think God listened to her cry because there was something special in her heart. This is not to say that God, out of his amazing grace, doesn't give us things full well knowing that we can't or will not choose to fulfill our end of the bargain. However for a moment lets consider her prayer and her faithful response to the blessing.
Hannah was obviously a Godly woman and she loved her husband and her God so much that she wanted to give birth to a child as a gift to the Lord. In addition I'm sure she wanted the joy of bringing a child into the world and thus end her shame. However, her request wasn't purely selfish by any means. How do I know this? Because she freely gave her child, her gift, to the Lord just as she said. After she had weaned the boy she brought him to Eli in the temple and after that moment she would only visit with him once a year. This was indeed a great sacrifice to her.
But what we might find interesting is the timing of Hannah's song. In the end of the first chapter and start of the second we are made aware that she is lifting up these wonderful joyous words of praise to God not at the birth of her child but at the moment that she was giving him up to the Lord.
I'm sure that she had a prayer and a song at the birth of the child as every mother has but it's amazing that it was at the moment she was giving away her son that she exclaimed. "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high." 1 Samuel 2:1a The horn was the symbol of strength.
Most women would have wept bitterly to leave their child. Perhaps some would offer another bargain to the Lord like.. "If you allow me to keep him I will be sure to raise him in a God fearing home and teach him every day." This was not the response of Hannah. She knew that from beginning to end that the gift she held in her hands was a gift of God and now she was offering the gift with gladness of heart.
To ponder: What gifts has God given you? Has God called you to share that gift? Do you sacrificially offer that gift back to the Lord with Joy? What about your financial resources is it your joy and pleasure to offer your gift to the Lord and the Lord's work?
Hannah showed great faith. She made a vow and kept that vow long before she knew that the Lord would be faithful to give her other children as well. God is faithful to us especially when we put the Lord first and offer our best with Joy!
May we offer our best offering with joy as we walk through the Word together.
Monday, July 22, 2013
It's on to the Histories! By now you probably know that I love stories and the Old Testament history books are filled with great stories. The books of the Old Testament Histories are included in the books of 1 Samuel through Esther. They are filled with heroes and heroines but they also filled with disaster and devastation. They are filled with the faithful but also the proud and sinful. In the histories you find real people whose lives are changed when they trust fully in the Lord and gravely altered when they trust in foreign goods and compromise in their sin.
Frankly it's hard to find a man or a women who is without sin when you look at these books. Like our great westerns we want our cowboys to wear white hats. Unfortunately it seems that every white hat is stained with blood and mired in the mud. Yet, through it all we get a picture of God. Sometimes that view is challenging and we wonder, "Can anyone stand under the judgment of God?" Other times his grace abounds and God is revealed as one who's faithful to his people despite their sins.
Yes, I love the Old Testament history books! I hope you'll sense that as I blog over the next several weeks but perhaps like you at times I'm challenged and disturbed especially by the blood shed and destruction.
Today I'm thankful that I can look back upon the history books through the lens of the New Testament. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus is the one who takes the punishment that I deserve. God's grace abounds through Jesus but don't be surprised if you'll find his amazing grace in the Old Testament as well. So join me as we walk through the word.
Let's begin!
There are many wonderful hero's of the faith to be found in the first and second book of Samuel. Samuel the prophet and judge was one such man! But seeds of his greatness came from the heart of Hannah his mother.
Hannah was a woman of prayer and her prayers came from the burden and pain in her heart. She was unable to conceive and bare a child to her husband Elkanah. This was a sin of shame for women in those days because children were viewed as the blessing of the Lord. To complicate things her husband was married to another woman as well. Her name was Peninnah and she did have children. Peninnah also had a way of making sure Hannah knew all about it which didn't help matters for Hannah. But Elkanah loved Hannah.
At one point he said to her. "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" 1Samuel 1:8.
Now I want to offer a note to husbands out there everywhere. Don't say things like that to your wife. It doesn't really help. Now I know that Elkanah may not have meant it this way as most of us men don't mean everything we say. Generally speaking men don't always think before they speak. ha!
But I wonder if all Hannah hear was this..... "Honey I'm sorry you don't have a child but look on the bright side, at least you have me!" I'm sure that wasn't what Elkanah meant. It was obvious the Elkanah deeply loved her as evidence to her kindness to her and you can read about that in the first chapter of 1 Samuel which I would highly recommend you do!
Hannah was in the temple one day praying to the Lord pleading with the Lord for his favor to overshadow her. There she made a vow to the Lord saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." 1 Samuel 1:11
God was faithful to her and over time she proved to be faithful to God and to the child given to her as a gift. As we read Hannah's song or Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, we see just how over joyed she was. These are beautiful words indeed! They are words that might remind you of another later song offered by Mary the mother of Jesus many years later.
To Ponder: Perhaps you could read those words as your own today. I pray that the Lord has been your rock and deliverer. I hope you can say along with Hannah that there is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
I'll talk more about these words and the wonderful story of Hannah and Samuel in the week to come but today I encourage you to read 1 Samuel 2: 1-10. Thank God that he is your strength and your provider. Indeed God continues to guard the feet of his saints! 1Samuel 2:9a
Frankly it's hard to find a man or a women who is without sin when you look at these books. Like our great westerns we want our cowboys to wear white hats. Unfortunately it seems that every white hat is stained with blood and mired in the mud. Yet, through it all we get a picture of God. Sometimes that view is challenging and we wonder, "Can anyone stand under the judgment of God?" Other times his grace abounds and God is revealed as one who's faithful to his people despite their sins.
Yes, I love the Old Testament history books! I hope you'll sense that as I blog over the next several weeks but perhaps like you at times I'm challenged and disturbed especially by the blood shed and destruction.
Today I'm thankful that I can look back upon the history books through the lens of the New Testament. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus is the one who takes the punishment that I deserve. God's grace abounds through Jesus but don't be surprised if you'll find his amazing grace in the Old Testament as well. So join me as we walk through the word.
Let's begin!
There are many wonderful hero's of the faith to be found in the first and second book of Samuel. Samuel the prophet and judge was one such man! But seeds of his greatness came from the heart of Hannah his mother.
Hannah was a woman of prayer and her prayers came from the burden and pain in her heart. She was unable to conceive and bare a child to her husband Elkanah. This was a sin of shame for women in those days because children were viewed as the blessing of the Lord. To complicate things her husband was married to another woman as well. Her name was Peninnah and she did have children. Peninnah also had a way of making sure Hannah knew all about it which didn't help matters for Hannah. But Elkanah loved Hannah.
At one point he said to her. "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" 1Samuel 1:8.
Now I want to offer a note to husbands out there everywhere. Don't say things like that to your wife. It doesn't really help. Now I know that Elkanah may not have meant it this way as most of us men don't mean everything we say. Generally speaking men don't always think before they speak. ha!
But I wonder if all Hannah hear was this..... "Honey I'm sorry you don't have a child but look on the bright side, at least you have me!" I'm sure that wasn't what Elkanah meant. It was obvious the Elkanah deeply loved her as evidence to her kindness to her and you can read about that in the first chapter of 1 Samuel which I would highly recommend you do!
Hannah was in the temple one day praying to the Lord pleading with the Lord for his favor to overshadow her. There she made a vow to the Lord saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." 1 Samuel 1:11
God was faithful to her and over time she proved to be faithful to God and to the child given to her as a gift. As we read Hannah's song or Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, we see just how over joyed she was. These are beautiful words indeed! They are words that might remind you of another later song offered by Mary the mother of Jesus many years later.
To Ponder: Perhaps you could read those words as your own today. I pray that the Lord has been your rock and deliverer. I hope you can say along with Hannah that there is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
I'll talk more about these words and the wonderful story of Hannah and Samuel in the week to come but today I encourage you to read 1 Samuel 2: 1-10. Thank God that he is your strength and your provider. Indeed God continues to guard the feet of his saints! 1Samuel 2:9a
Friday, June 14, 2013
What We Bring with us. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
"These commandments that I give you today are to be open your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9
When I was young I used to remember being in a Sunday School class or in a youth group setting and we would play this game called "what would you bring with you?". Back then it seemed like there was a real problem with people being lost on a deserted Island so the question in the game went like this. "If you were to be stranded on a deserted Island and you could only take 5 items with you what would those items be?" Now our mothers of course would want us to take a change of underwear or something practical like that. ha! I think I would take a Wilson volleyball to keep me company.
Well we could have fun with about four of the items but being the good "Christian Kids" that we were we knew that one of the "right answers" had to be the Bible. To tell the truth we probably said the Bible to avoid a long lecture by the Sunday School teacher about the importance of God's word......
Today this game isn't nearly as fun because people could say they would take their Ipod, tablet or cell phone with a Bible already loaded on it along with pictures, video games...... Hopefully you could also take a solar charger with you. My point is that even as children in the church we knew we should take the Bible with us.
Our problem today is the Bible tends to takes up more space on our coffee table then it does in our heart. Actually as a pastor when I visit people in their homes, I wonder if the Bible on the coffee table is more for my sake... Perhaps they think I'll feel more at home with the Bible around. (Ok... I'm just joking. Actually, I don't mind that you display your Bible when I show up as long as you book mark our text for this week and ponder it in your heart if only for a brief moment). To tell the truth I believe that most of us do truly value the Word of God.... especially those who would take the time to read my blog!
The key for God, as expressed in our passage for today, is not simply having a Bible in hand but to have the Bible in heart. As parents we receive the added burden of impressing the commands on our children's hearts as well. The idea of course is to know the Word of God enough to share it with our children. And like everything else the best way to get it into our heart and into our minds is to prepeat the words, write them out, repeat them some more and by all means live by them!
Sadly most of us probably know the rules and commands regarding games like baseball than we do about the word of God. However, no matter how many excuses we use regarding not understanding the Bible and not having time to read it, God makes it very clear in passages like ours today that we are indeed required to become familiar with the commands, laws, and the words of Scripture. Yes, God believes that having the Bible on the top 5 items is a very good idea.
Thought to ponder: What creative ways can you come up with to meditate upon the Word of God throughout the day? What ways can you impress the word into your children's heart.
Give me your comments! Let's share some ideas! Maybe your good at memorizing Scriptures. Let us know how you do it! Or maybe you can share what five things you would bring with you on the deserted Island. May the Lord bless you as you "walk through the Word".
When I was young I used to remember being in a Sunday School class or in a youth group setting and we would play this game called "what would you bring with you?". Back then it seemed like there was a real problem with people being lost on a deserted Island so the question in the game went like this. "If you were to be stranded on a deserted Island and you could only take 5 items with you what would those items be?" Now our mothers of course would want us to take a change of underwear or something practical like that. ha! I think I would take a Wilson volleyball to keep me company.
Well we could have fun with about four of the items but being the good "Christian Kids" that we were we knew that one of the "right answers" had to be the Bible. To tell the truth we probably said the Bible to avoid a long lecture by the Sunday School teacher about the importance of God's word......
Today this game isn't nearly as fun because people could say they would take their Ipod, tablet or cell phone with a Bible already loaded on it along with pictures, video games...... Hopefully you could also take a solar charger with you. My point is that even as children in the church we knew we should take the Bible with us.
Our problem today is the Bible tends to takes up more space on our coffee table then it does in our heart. Actually as a pastor when I visit people in their homes, I wonder if the Bible on the coffee table is more for my sake... Perhaps they think I'll feel more at home with the Bible around. (Ok... I'm just joking. Actually, I don't mind that you display your Bible when I show up as long as you book mark our text for this week and ponder it in your heart if only for a brief moment). To tell the truth I believe that most of us do truly value the Word of God.... especially those who would take the time to read my blog!
The key for God, as expressed in our passage for today, is not simply having a Bible in hand but to have the Bible in heart. As parents we receive the added burden of impressing the commands on our children's hearts as well. The idea of course is to know the Word of God enough to share it with our children. And like everything else the best way to get it into our heart and into our minds is to prepeat the words, write them out, repeat them some more and by all means live by them!
Sadly most of us probably know the rules and commands regarding games like baseball than we do about the word of God. However, no matter how many excuses we use regarding not understanding the Bible and not having time to read it, God makes it very clear in passages like ours today that we are indeed required to become familiar with the commands, laws, and the words of Scripture. Yes, God believes that having the Bible on the top 5 items is a very good idea.
Thought to ponder: What creative ways can you come up with to meditate upon the Word of God throughout the day? What ways can you impress the word into your children's heart.
Give me your comments! Let's share some ideas! Maybe your good at memorizing Scriptures. Let us know how you do it! Or maybe you can share what five things you would bring with you on the deserted Island. May the Lord bless you as you "walk through the Word".
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