Tuesday, January 15, 2008

We Will Serve The Lord



“A family without a commitment to the God of the Bible has no hope of stemming the tide of cultural onslaught. If we mix a little biblical truth, a little secular psychology, a little romance novel ideology, and a little eastern mysticism, we will get a deadly mixture of lies. Unfortunately, this is what many Christian families do . . . If we are to experience multigenerational faithfulness we must come to a place where we throw off the shackles of our culture and live in the fullness that is found only in Christ. We must be people who live the Word in our homes.”


I would like to start out by encouraging you to read the book review Loni did for the book, "Family Driven Faith: Doing What It takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk With the Lord”, by Voddie T. Baucham Jr. In her review Loni said,”This book is convicting, motivating, and encouraging. It may show failures in our families and leadership (or lack of it), but points us to the goal of following Jesus and starting over, no matter where you are at or have been." Now, I'm excited about reading this book.

As a mother of five sons with three now out of our home now, it is hard not to feel like we have failed somewhere along the way. In fact, two of my sons are not serving the Lord right now. However, I won't let that deter me, and I will continually pray, fast and stand on God's promise for them to come back to their first love and serve God with all of their hearts.

The quote above is so true and hits home in so many areas for me. The stats are scary, and I believe now is the time we start living out our convictions like never before.

To me, the most crucial decision anyone future parent needs to make must take place at the very start of his or her marriage. That is a decision to keep the Lord first in everything. In Josh 22:5, we are instructed, “But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” This is a commitment we must first make as individuals and then as a couple.

Joshua goes on to say, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Josh 22: 15

So, it all begins with a desire, a conviction, and a willingness to obey the call God has given us. It is our responsibility to train up our children to know the same God we serve. This takes courage, and we must be armed and ready to fight all those giants of human psychology, romance novels, secular ideology, eastern mysticism, and all the many lies that try to capture and deceive our children's hearts.

As I read that sentence, I could not help but think of I Corth. 5:6, which says, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?"

As a parent I will never stop praying for my children daily, but I find comfort when I get a little discouraged by the things I see in the natural and I’m reminded that God is always "watching to see that His word is fulfilled". (Jeremiah 12)

I would like to end with a declaration David made in Psalm 78:4-7 concerning the training of our children. And like David, I will proclaim the “praiseworthy deeds of the Lord” to my children, and trust God for their complete salvation.


" We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.

He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel,which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,

so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

Thank you Loni for hosting “In Other Words,” and for being such a great example to all of us out here. Your testimony brings so much glory to God, and I consider myself blessed to know you.

If you would to see what others have written about this quote go to Loni's Writing Canvas.




4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As I read the verse ["Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?"] I am reminded that the kingdom of heaven is likened to leaven too. The Good News that you have hidden in your children's heart is powerful leaven, capable of filling your boys with the life transforming message of Christ.

Blessings ~

Heather said...

Susan,
I think prayer is our greatest tool in this goal of reaching our kids for Christ. No amount of preaching will ever compare to the power of prayer.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for sharing. I so appreciated your thoughts and words. Aren't you thankful His mercies are new EVERY morning, giving us chances to continually start over again?!?!?!?! Loni

Faith said...

Great post! ANd I truly believe that our actions coupled with prayer are our best methods for showing our children the things of Jesus. This was sooo good. I want to get that book!