Jun 29

Clouds

Posted by: bdaws49 in Courageous Living No Comments »

Dear Friends,

Glorious uncertainty…that is what Oswald Chambers called it. It is the idea that you are in a situation where you can not see what is ahead but you are certain of God that He will not let you fall. Oswald Chambers puts it this way, “One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God, “Because thou didst keep the word of My patience.” God takes the saints like a bow which He stretches and at a certain point the saint says, “I can’t stand any more,” but God does not heed, He goes on stretching because He is aiming at His mark, not ours, and the patience of the saints is that they ‘hang in’ until God lets the arrow fly. If your hopes are being disappointed just now it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled. Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly; one or two things lie unsolved, and the biggest test of all is that God looks as if He were totally indifferent.”

I made the comment a couple of weeks ago that ‘clouds’ are one of God’s great tools. It is in these ‘cloud’ experiences that some of our greatest growth takes place. If you will do a study of clouds in Scripture, you will find some very interesting reading. There are seven uses of clouds in the Bible.

1. Clouds are used to teach us about God’s promises.

Genesis 9:13-14
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. [14] And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

The rainbow is a promise to the world. But God said that He would bring the cloud first and that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud. Most of us want to remove all clouds from our experience. It looks as if the clouds are necessary to appreciate the rainbow of promise.

2. Clouds are used to teach us about God’s guidance.

Exodus 13:21-22
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: [22] He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

God guided His people through the wilderness by a cloud. The principle of faith is the main element here. We walk by faith, not by sight … He is still our guide.

3. Clouds are used to teach us about God’s protection.

Exodus 14:19-20
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: [20] And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

The cloud became a partition between them and their enemy. God will protect us from the attack of the Enemy.

4. Clouds are used to teach us about God’s provision.

Exodus 16:10-12
And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
[11] And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, [12] I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.

God abundantly provides for us:
• Abundant Life – John 10:10
• Abundant Power – Ephesians 3:20
• Abundant Supply – Philippians 4:19

5. Clouds are used to teach us about God’s glorification

Exodus 24:15-18
And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. [16] And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. [17] And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. [18] And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Moses was surrounded by God’s glory in a cloud. Can we see the glory of God today? How? 2 Cor. 3:18 (GW) As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

How can we reflect the glory of God?
• By Good Works – Matthew 5:16
• By Bearing Fruit – John 15:8
• By Consecration – 1 Corinthians 6:20

6. Clouds are used to teach us about God’s presence.

Exodus 40:33-38
And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
[34] Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [35] And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [36] And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: [37] But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. [38] For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

Today God dwells in us who are believers; we are God’s “temple”…His dwelling place on earth. We should practice His presence daily.

7. Clouds are used to teach us about God’s coming again.

Acts 1:9 (KJV)
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Jesus will take us home in a cloud – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Wow…that means when we go to heaven, we will be accompanied by His glory (the cloud).

In Exodus 24 & 25 God’s cloud covered the mountain just before God spoke. Exodus 33:10 & 11 says that from a cloudy pillar the Lord spoke to Moses ‘face to face, as a man speaks to his friend’. Thank God for your cloud…this is where He speaks to His friend!!! Be grateful today that God loves you enough to put you in a cloud of uncertainty…He is about to speak. Start focusing on the certainty of God and His promises and listen to your Friend!

Remember to live in such a way that when the world and the church see you, they will know that God can be trusted!

Listening in our cloud,

Billy and Sheilah Daws

Share
Jun 21

What Does God Value?

Posted by: bdaws49 in Family No Comments »

God’s Word is a deep reservoir of spiritual nourishment. Spend time with the Lord today. Talk to Him of all that you are concerned about. Don’t waste any day! Learn of Him and lean on Him!

God continues to tell me that His focus is the process which is defined as the ‘as we go’, or the ‘journey’, or the ‘day in and day out’ or the ‘daily living’. At the same time, my focus seems to always be the end which is the ‘final destiny’ or ‘the job’ or ‘the position’ or ‘the date’ or ‘the opening’. Guess who needs to shift their focus? God is enjoying the process because in this uncertainty we draw near to Him. I believe God’s favorite tool is a cloud. Recently I was reading from Oswald Chamber’s book, Still Higher For His Highest, these words, “…spiritual insanity must result if we push down barriers before our spiritual progress is ready for the revelation. Men will not wait for the slow, steady, majestic way of the Son of God; they try to enter in by this door and that door. The barriers are placed by a Holy God, and He has told us clearly, ‘Not that way.’ God grant we may accept His clouds and mysteries, and be led into His secrets by obedient trust.” Remember, the walk is a walk of faith not of sight. Our biggest opportunity to please God is when we are in the thick cloud and we choose to trust Him even when we can’t see anything ahead.

Part of the problem is that we don’t seem to value the same thing that God values. Let’s face it…most of us feel that most of our problems would be solved if we were financially secure. I recently did a word search looking for all the things that God values more than gold. I found seven things. So…what does God value more than gold?

  1. God values wisdom which is defined as “seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference” Proverbs 3:13-15 reads, “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; [14] For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. [15] She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.”
  2. God values understanding. Proverbs 3:13 says, “ Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding”.
  3. God values knowledge. Proverbs 8:9-10 reads, “They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. [10] Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

Those with knowledge are able to collect, remember, and access information. They “know” the Scriptures. God’s word is literally “in them”. But, it is possible to have knowledge and lack understanding and wisdom; to have the facts, but have no clue as to the meaning or what to do next.

Those with understanding are able to abstract the meaning out of information. They “see through” the facts to the dynamics of what, how, and why. They are teachers. Understanding is a lens which brings the facts into crisp focus. Understanding produces “rules of thumb” or principles.

Those with wisdom know which principle to apply now. Understanding without wisdom can appear contradictory (Proverbs 26:4-5). For example, “He who hesitates is lost”, is a valid principle as well as: “Haste makes waste”. We see the truth of both. But which should we apply next? Those with wisdom know what to do next; they know which way to go. They do the right thing. In contrast, there are many who have great knowledge and understanding, but consistently do the wrong thing. Wisdom, in this sense, is the goal, and knowledge and understanding only have eternal value as they result in wisdom, or what we end up doing.

James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. !

  1. God values His Word. Psalm 19:10 reads, “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”
  2. God values a good name. Proverbs 22:1 reads, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
  3. God values you and me more than gold. Isaiah 13:12 reads, “I will make a man more precious than fine gold.” This is where my self-worth comes from…God values me…wow!
  4. God values the perfecting of my faith more than gold. 1 Peter 1:7 reads, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

When we cry out for God to hurry up and let’s get to the end of this test or trial, God just sits there and takes His sweet time. Why? It is because His values are different…they are perfect just as He is. God values the process more than we do. For it is in the process, that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are developed. It is in the process that our faith is perfected. “If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish–His purpose is the process itself.” Oswald Chambers

So…put down the crowbar and quit trying to force the door open. Let the process happen…wait on God…and at a point in time, the same thing will happen for you that happened to Peter who had an iron gate that stood between him and freedom: Acts 12:10 reads, “…they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city; which opened to them of its own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street…” At the right time, God made the iron gate to open by itself! Mark 5:36 says, “Be not afraid, only believe.”

Share
Jun 15

Introduction

Posted by: bdaws49 in Sheilah's Book No Comments »

When Manoah found out that he and his wife were going to have Samson he asked the angel of the Lord, “How shall we order the child?” This is given to us in Judges 13. The only instruction the angel gave was directed to what the mother was not to eat during the pregnancy because the child was to be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
A Nazarite is defined by Unger’s Dictionary as one who set apart for the service of God. This is God’s ultimate intention for all men and women. We were created for God. But how do we order ourselves and our children to be set apart for God? The Psalmist found God’s answer. It is recorded for us in Psalm 119:133,

“Order my steps in Thy Word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”

God’s instruction for Samson’s mother on ordering her child was not to eat anything that came from the vine or anything unclean. God was instructing her to watch what she fed the baby inside of her. This referred to not only physical food but spiritual food also. God wants children fed spiritual food from His Word beginning in the womb.
In 1 Samuel 1, Elkanah realized the importance of the Word in his young child’s life. Hannah would not leave Samuel until he was weaned which was usually between 3 and 5 years of age. Elkanah gave her instructions on what to do while she stayed with him. He told her, “Only the Lord establish His Word.“
When my husband and I found out we were going to have a child, we responded similarly to Manoah. We asked, “How can we teach him to have a heart for You, Lord?” God began to teach us the importance of saturating our minds with His Word during that time especially. As soon as our child was born, God further taught us that ordering our child in the Word during the first 5 years was foundational for his spiritual growth.
This book is written to every person who has a desire to have children set apart for God from the very beginning. Especially in a day when Satan is launching an all out attack for the minds of our children through humanism, television, illicit sex, pornography, drugs, alcohol, and other devices, must children be set apart for God from the start. We would all like to prevent our children form ever falling into these sins rather than trying to recover them from Satan’s control in later years. God’s only instruction for Manoah and his wife concerned the prenatal months. He lead Elkanah to instruct his wife to spend the first 3 to 5 years in having His Word established in Samuel. God would rather we have a preventive ministry than a recovery ministry with our children. His preventive plan is to order the child in His Word beginning in the prenatal months and the first 5 years. With this start our children will be equipped for life and “iniquity will not have dominion over them.”

Share

God continues to use the life of George Mueller in our lives; he set as his goal to live in such a way that people would know from watching his life that you can trust God. Wow, what a testimony we would have if all of us lived that way; it would make evangelism so much easier and it would encourage the Body of Christ each day.

The question that some of you may be asking is, “What are you doing now?” God has given us a wide range of activity. We recently met with two pastors to offer encouragement. We are spending time at the hospital with a good friend whose wife is in critical condition. Also, we have met with several families who have believing children that have gone astray. I miss the preaching but have surrendered that to the Lord…if He wants that in my future, He will work out the details. I love what Oswald Chambers says, “If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed.”

Last week we posed this question: what do you do between the time your child rebels and the time he/she comes back to the Lord? In looking at the story of the prodigal son, we have seen why the son left; and we have seen the father’s loving forgiveness when the son came back. But what do you do during the time of rebellion?

Sheilah went to a seminar years ago that dealt with this very issue. We don’t remember who led the seminar but one point stands out.

Truth + Space + Prayer + Unconditional Love = A Changed Life!

  • Lay the proper foundation of the truth of God’s Word.
  • Give them their space…let them take flight!
  • Continue in warfare praying.
  • Show them unconditional love when they return
  • This will result in a changed life.

St. Augustine is held in great esteem in Christianity. But he was not always saintly. He fell into a rebellious lifestyle and fathered a child out of wedlock. He was heavy into drinking. His mother was a virtuous woman by the name of Monica. Sometimes she almost despaired; but she was greatly comforted by a Christian friend who said to her, “A son of so many prayers cannot be lost.” Some time after that he was converted and went on to be one of the founding fathers of the church.

Max Lucado has said, “God has too much invested in a wayward believer to leave them where they are!”

If you have a child who is adrift and wandering from the Lord, meditate and pray the following scriptures…there is power in praying the Word.

  • 2 Tim. 3:14-15 (NKJV)
    But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, [15] and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
  • Proverbs 24:15-16 (NKJV)
    Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
    Do not plunder his resting place;
    [16] For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again,
     But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
  • Proverbs 11:21 (NKJV)
    Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;
    But the seed of the righteous will be delivered.
  • Proverbs 12:7 (NKJV)
    The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
    But the house of the righteous will stand.
  • Isaiah 59:21 (NKJV)
    “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
  • Jeremiah 31:16-17 (NKJV)
    Thus says the Lord: “Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears;
    For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
    [17] There is hope in your future, says the Lord, that your children shall come back to their own border.
  • Jeremiah 24:5-7 (NKJV)
    “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. [6] For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. [7] Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.
  • Psalm 23:3 (NKJV)
    He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
  • Ezekiel 11:18-20 (NKJV)
    And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. [19] Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, [20] that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

Prayer is the mightiest weapon in the universe. Use it to reclaim lost ground, tear down strongholds, and reclaim fallen believers.

We love you! Remember, you can trust God for God loves you; He is always right; and His timing is perfect!

Share
“For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy;
and if the root be holy, so are the branches.”
Romans 11:16

In order to start at the very beginning in the child’s life to set him apart for God and to establish the Word in him, the parents’ relationship to the Lord must be right. They must be set apart for God and have the Word in them, even before the child’s conception. In order for the child to be holy, the parents must be holy.
The Old Testament is filled with examples of how the fathers’ sins affected the children. Deuteronomy 5:9 records the fact that God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children:

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them (idols), nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

Malachi 2:2-3 says:

“If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings, yea, I have cursed them already because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold I will corrupt your seed…”

According to this parents are condemning their children when they fail to heed God’s word and glorify the Lord.
Hosea 4:6 points out that if you forget God’s Law, He will forget your children:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

This may not sound quite fair of our loving God but God is simply stating the facts so we will be aware of the importance of His Word and desire Him above all, if only for our children’s sakes. Deuteronomy 5:29 says,

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be will with them, and with their children for ever!”

What a statement! Feel God’s agonizing to get people to obey His Word because He knows it is for their good and the good of their children.
God wants man to see the way his actions and attitudes will affect his children’s lives even for 4 generations. But He also wants us to see the remedy for this so that our sins don’t even have to affect the first generation. 1 John 1:9 says:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God gives us the power to deal with sin and if we obey him He promises us blessing but if we willfully ignore him and refuse to deal with our sin as it occurs in our lives the punishment and the sins will be passed down to our children after us.
In I Kings we see an example of this. It says that there was none as wicked as King Ahab (I Kings 22:25). In I Kings 21:29, it states that because of Ahab’s wickedness, God brought evil upon Ahab’s son’s house.
Another example in scripture shows the bent toward a particular sin being passed down from one generation to another. In the life of Abraham we see his sin of lying passed down through 4 generations. Abraham lied about Sarah not being his wife in Genesis 20:1-13. In Genesis 26:6-11 Isaac lied about Rebeccah not being his wife. In Genesis 27:1-19 Jacob lied to his father about who he was. And in Genesis 37, Jacob’s sons lied to him about what happened to their brother, Joseph. Chuck Swindoll in his book, You and Your Child refers to this as “grandad’s bent” and points out that the bents in our lives toward particular sins must be broken.
Catherine Marshall speaks about this as the “Law of Generations” in her book, Something More. She writes, “We are accustomed to the idea that we pass on to our children a physical inheritance – color of eyes, color of hair, even certain diseases: tendencies toward gout, diabetes, certain skin diseases. Handing down a material inheritance is such standard practice that the laws of every country make careful provisions governing wills, probate, death, and inheritance taxes. I began to ask myself, is it possible that our spiritual inheritance is as real as the others?”
“It soon became apparent that just as we can inherit either a fortune or debts, so in the spiritual realm we can inherit either spiritual blessings or those liabilities (unabashedly called ‘sins’ in scripture) that hinder our development into mature persons. These blessings do not come to us solely by heredity. Obviously they are also passed on by example and by teaching – conscious or unconscious.”1 God passes our sins on to our children but he is a just God and He will pass on our spiritual blessings to our children. Deuteronomy 7:12-13 says:

“Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgements and keep, and to them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he swear unto thy fathers: and he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb…”

God has a plan to bless our children but we have to cooperate with God if we want this blessing – we must keep His Word. God would rather bless than curse and He is a merciful God. He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children for only four generations of those that hate him but Deuteronomy 7:9 says that He is merciful to those that love him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.
Proverbs 20:7 says a just man’s children are blessed after him. An example of this in Scripture is David and his son, Solomon. David was called a man after God’s own heart in I Samuel 13:14. I Samuel 18:30 says David behaved himself more wisely than all of the other servants of the king. Just as Abraham’s lying was passed down to his children, David’s wisdom was passed down to Solomon as I Kings 4:29-34 tells of Solomon’s excellent wisdom. In II Samuel 7 David had the desire to build a house for God. God did not allow David to build it but he honored his desire and blessed Solomon with the privilege of building it.
We must realize our sins or blessings do not affect children only through heredity before they are born. After they are born the parents’ attitudes and actions affect the child by example. The first thing a baby senses is the spirit of his parents. If our spirit is to be right we must be saturated with God’s Word. If we want a holy child we must be holy. We can not lead a child where we have not been. We should be able to say to our children what Paul said to his ‘children’ in Philippians 4:9:

“Those things which ye have both learned, and received,
and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Paul was their example of a righteous life. We must be our child’s example. If you want your child to respond to authority, then you respond to authority. If you want your child to love, then you love. If you want your child to respect God’s Word then you respect God’s Word.
Andrew Murray wrote: “Education consists not so much in what we do or say but most of all in what we are; and that not only when our children are of an age to see and judge but long before, even before their birth.”2 Seeing the responsibility and affect we have in our children’s lives even before they are conceived, take inventory of your spiritual life. If the first thing a child senses in his parents is their spirit, how will your child be affected?

Take A Personal Inventory of Spiritual Walk!

1. Have you accepted Christ as Savior of your life?

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

2. Are you confessing known sin daily?

Psalm 19:12: “…cleanse thou me from secret faults.”
I John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

3. Are you allowing Christ to live His life through you?

Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Colossians 1:27: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

I Thessalonians 5:24: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

4. Are you allowing God to establish His Word in your life?

Psalm 119:174: “I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight.”

II Timothy 2:15: “Study to show thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.”

5. Are you spending time alone with God in prayer?

Mark 1:35: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day,
He (Jesus) went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

6. Have you set yourself apart for God to glorify Him?

Proverbs 16:4: “The Lord hath made all things for Himself.”

Psalm 16:8-9: I have set the Lord always before me:
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad…”

I Chronicles 16:7-36: David praised and glorified God in this passage. Read it daily
to the Lord as your praise to Him.

Footnotes

1. Catherine Marshall, Something More (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1974), p.63.

2. Andrew Murray, How to Raise Your Children For Christ (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany Fellowship, Inc, 1975), p. 99.

Share
Jun 07

How To Respond to a Rebel

Posted by: bdaws49 in Family No Comments »

More and more we are hearing of Christian parents who are having children to stray from the teachings of Christ. There are a lot of tears and a lot of heartache. This is not the first time in history nor is it an isolated problem. Some of God’s greatest servants have had children who rebelled. Billy and Ruth Graham shed a lot of tears over Franklin. W.A. Criswell was heartbroken over his daughter. One of the main founders of Southwestern Seminary, would walk the campus and weep over his children who had gone astray. He was heard shouting, “Other vineyards have I tended, but my own I have neglected!”

What do you say? Who do you blame? What do you do? God is the perfect parent and we are His children…and we rebel. So, even perfect parents have problem children. Children have freewill also. We can stand around and point fingers all day long to cast blame…what good does that do? What is important now is the steps that are needed to reclaim the children for Christ.

The story of the prodigal son is a great passage to help us understand what happened and how to respond as a parent. I believe that the one principle that comes through the loudest is this: Parents must demonstrate love and forgiveness to their children.

I can remember the first church that I pastored very vividly, mainly because of the many mistakes that I made as a pastor. I remember working with one of the deacons of the church whose daughter was very rebellious and was dating a guy of whom the dad did not approve. The guy and girl were sexually active and she ended up pregnant. I can remember the night that I heard the deacon say in anger to his daughter, “As far as I am concerned, I have no daughter!” I will never forget the look on the face of the daughter. A few weeks after this the girl gave birth to a still-born baby. She was devastated and wanted to see her dad…but I could not convince him to go.

Establish this rule: Nothing will cause me to ever stop loving my children!

The father of the prodigal son experienced the same thing that we experience when one of our children rebels against the things that they were taught. The father experienced rejection, humiliation, and guilt. When the son walked in and asked for his inheritance, he was saying, “I value my share of the inheritance more than you…so give it to me now!” In essence, he was saying, “I wish you were dead so I could get the inheritance now.” The son rejected the dad, his customs, and his values.

This had to be humiliating. The custom of the day was that your family would buy a plot of ground and keep it in the family for generations…you simply pass it to your children and they in turn pass it to theirs. This son walked in and said, “I want it now!” The father gave it to him, and the son then sold it for cash. Oh how humiliating and disappointing that must have been to this dad…especially to see someone new move onto the land that had been in his family for years.

The father was stunned by all of this. The questions began:

  • Where did I go wrong?
  • What did I do to make him hate me?
  • Why doesn’t he want to be with me anymore?

The father’s mind went back and forth through all the mistakes that he has made as a dad. These were actions or lack of actions or words that he wished he could correct…but it was too late. The more he thought about it, the more the guilt piled up. There are times that a parent should go to the children and ask forgiveness for the mistakes made as a parent. We do not see this element in the story of the prodigal son because the story is symbolic of our relationship with God the Father…He never made mistakes so He never had to ask forgiveness.

But with all the rejection and humiliation and guilt, the story of the prodigal son is more about a loving and forgiving dad than anything!

Remember these three principles:

  • Parents must demonstrate love and forgiveness to their children.
  • Nothing will ever cause me to stop loving my children!
  • A parent should go to the children and ask forgiveness for the mistakes made as a parent.
Share


View Google Full Screen

Share