Trusting God for the Rest

Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Last week, we talked about the first marriage. Adam and Eve soon had sons they were responsible for raising. Like most of us, they probably wondered what to do with this beautiful little person. Their restored relationship with the Lord gave them a lifeline with the Heavenly Father for answers.

God told Adam he would be a tiller of the ground. The sweat of his brow would provide food for his family. He told Eve she would be the bearer of children that would one day bring the Messiah. So how did Adam and Eve bring up their children? In Genesis 4 we see they learned to farm and raise animals. Cain brought the harvest to God and Abel brought the firstlings of the flock. They were both hard workers to have something to bring as an offering, but God was not pleased with

Cain’s offering.

Apparently Adam and Eve had shown their boys how to worship by bringing an offering. Abel even brought the fat of the offering, which seems to indicate a burnt offering. Both boys were raised up to offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, the firstlings of the flock. However, Cain chose not to follow the instruction. He must have felt his hard work tilling the ground should have been a worthy offering. After all, he put his heart and soul into producing a good crop. God would not accept Cain’s offering.

God had shown Adam and Eve by the sacrifice of the first animal that blood was required to cover sin. The consequences of sin is death. Cain wanted his hard work to be acceptable to cover his sin. It didn’t work. Instead of Cain repenting and offering a blood sacrifice, he became angry. He argued with his brother and ended up killing Abel because he was mad at God.

Was all of this Adam and Eve’s fault in the way they raised their children? Certainly not. Both were raised in the same home with the same instruction. God even reminded Cain that if he did the right thing by offering a blood sacrifice, he would be accepted.

Children often take a different path than the training they receive as children. Training children in the way they should go is our responsibility as parents. How they use that training is their choice. Cain was not able to get away from the training. He even had a mark for others to see.

Cain and Abel were not Adam and Eve’s only children. Seth was soon born and he, like Abel followed God. Verse 4 of chapter 5 says Adam begat sons and daughters. We know some of those followed God because Seth and his family needed Godly wives to train up children. Some of those children didn’t follow God and married into Cain’s family. Adam and Eve were surely broken-hearted over some of their children’s choices, but raising them in the Lord and praying for their prodigals was all they could do, trusting God to do the rest.

Praying for our children, teaching them by example  and trusting God to do the rest is still the answer to raising children.

Do you have praises for the things God is doing in the lives of your children and grandchildren?

Do you have prayer requests? We’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment in the section below and don’t forget to pray for our children as well.

Father, guide us as we guide our children by example to love and follow You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Prayers,

Gail

Hey Kids:

How do you follow your parents’ examples?

Are you learning to cook or grill?

Are you learning to make things?

Are you learning to worship together?

Be sure to ask questions.

Your parents will love knowing you are interested in learning from them.

Marriage - What's the Secret of Success?

And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. Genesis 1:22

My mother always told me never date anyone you wouldn’t want to marry. I wondered if she thought she had married the wrong man or had she made a good choice? When Rick and I were dating, my brother told me I shouldn’t date him because he wasn’t a Christian. I told my brother to mind his own business. In a way we were both right.

Rick wanted to date a Christian girl. He liked the idea that my dad was a deacon and we were regular church goers. He wasn’t that big on going to church but he wanted me to go. I should have seen that with the right witness, he was ripe for the gospel. But, I was allowing him to pull me away from God and the church. I wanted to go where he went and do “fun things”. I was drifting from God when I should have been drawing both of us closer.

God brought Adam and Eve together but Eve allowed Satan to deceive her. Adam allowed Eve to pull him away from the Lord. They both were in a lot of trouble. (Genesis 3:6)

Jesus, the Creator of the world, already had a plan for the time we would turn to our own way. He and the Father had already agreed before the foundation of the world for Jesus to come and be the sacrifice for our sin. (Revelation 13:8) The time was not right yet for Jesus to come. Adam and Eve needed a picture of God’s plan of salvation. The Lord God sacrificed an animal and made clothes for them with the skins. (Genesis 3:21) I wonder if the Lord God washed the blood off the skins. I think maybe He let the blood remain so Adam and Eve would get the full picture that we have to have the Blood to cover our sin. If either Adam or Eve had rejected the sacrifice and the clothing, their marriage would have been torn apart. They needed to be one in their spirit and in their service to the Lord God and their family.

My grandmother met a lost man at church. He pursued her, but she would not consent to marry until he became a Christian. They entered into marriage truly one, serving God together all the days of their lives. He was 62 when he passed. She was 102. Even on her deathbed, she refused to allow anyone to remove the rings he had given her so long ago.

Blessings for a Spirit-filled marriage,

Gail

Hey Kids:

Adam and Eve needed a picture of the sacrifice for salvation. We all understand better with pictures. 

Jesus gave us pictures of Himself in His creation. (Romans 1:20)

They are kind of like the hidden picture games.

What pictures can you find in creation? Maybe you could make a drawing to share with us.

Just take a picture of your drawing and upload it to our comments section.

Need a hint as to what to look for?

The sun is a perfect example. 

Sun ball in the sky (Father)

Light all around (Jesus, the Son)

Warmth from the sun we feel but cannot see (the Holy Spirit)

In The Beginning

Last week we looked at the first chapter of Genesis. I hope you enjoyed your time in God’s creation. I hope He revealed to you that the creation is so complex that it could in no way have just happened any more than a watch you found ticking on the sidewalk or a car in the parking lot could have just happened. Anything and everything has been created either by God or by man created in God’s image.

This week I’d like to dig deeper looking at the next few chapters. Using our SOAP idea of choosing one or two Scriptures from each chapter that God has impressed on your heart. Make an Observation and an Application. Then offer a Prayer concerning God’s will for you through this study. Let’s begin.

Genesis 2 – The Seventh Day – a day of rest, not made for God but made for man. A day for man to consider the “excellency of His works and God’s goodness toward him” (Geneva reference 2:3).

-          Creation of marriage. I noticed the change in wording from woman when she is created to wife as Adam declares the cleaving to his wife.

Genesis 3 – The original sin -   James 1:15 The grandkids and I were picking berries the other day and one said why do they have to have thorns?

 

 

 I replied because Adam and Eve sinned. We talked about the sin being disobedience.  She remembered the story and I think she must have done some pondering because later she said. “What about dinosaurs? Some people say Adam didn’t see the dinosaurs.” We logically reasoned that if sin caused death, when did the dinosaurs die? In a world so full of itself do we not still try to be gods, relying on our own ideas rather than on God’s Truth?

-          References to Adam and Eve as man and woman until it speaks of their relationship as husband and wife. Mark 10:6-9

Hope this helps to get you started digging deeper and seeking God. What God impresses on your heart from these chapters may not be the same thing He impressed upon me. That’s why it is so neat to share our discoveries. As we share we all grow.

Lord Jesus help us desire to know You better through Your word. Give us unity through Your word that we might be better servants of Thee. In Your name we pray. Amen.

What's My Purpose?

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalms 100:4

I’ll admit it. I struggle with public worship. I like to sing and sit and listen but raising my hand, standing alone, and other forms of worship that make me noticeable also make this introvert uncomfortable. Then I think, haven’t I been given something, something very special. What’s should be the reply? “Thank you!” of course. God’s reply is  “You’re welcome.” Here the conversation begins. Fellowship begins.

When God created the heavens and the earth and all the plants, birds, fish, and animals, there was no one with whom He could fellowship. So God created man in His image, someone with feelings, thoughts, and most of all voice that could praise and fellowship with Him. God wanted someone who would give worship and with whom He could have fellowship. That was God’s purpose for man. Man was a reflection of God. He had body, mind and soul. I think, how thankful to be in a perfect garden with perfect weather, perfect food, and friendly animals. Adam and Eve could take a deep breath and enjoy talking with God about the wonderful, beautiful world he created just for mankind.

Man was created perfect for worship and fellowship. But when man made the choice to disobey, sin and death entered into the world. Adam and Eve broke fellowship with God. Man lost his purpose and he has been searching for it ever since. The problem is the world doesn’t want to admit we are out of fellowship with God. We keep searching for a purpose.

So how do we find purpose again? Take a mirror. Hold it where you see yourself. Now hold it where others can see a reflection of you. The purpose of the mirror, regardless of where you hold it, is to reflect whatever is in front of it. If we are in right fellowship our lives will reflect the image of Christ to the world. Thankfulness, praise and blessings will reflect His image to the world. It will also reflect back to God who will fellowship with us.

But how can we reflect? First we must realize that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Second we must turn to Him in repentance (a change of heart about our actions/sins) and ask forgiveness. God will always say “Yes.” That begins the conversation. How about a “Thank you, Lord”? How about praise and blessings. Worship then begins and the fellowship of a new life in Christ. We should now be a reflection to God and a reflection of God to the world.  

God sent me to an awesome conference this weekend. I praised and worshipped and learned with fellow believers. My prayer is that as I go into next week, I can reflect Christ to the world I will be in.

How’s your mirror working?  Are you entering into his gates with praise and into his courts with thanksgiving?

Won’t you let us know what God is doing in your life to help you fulfill your created purpose?