JOY FILLED PARENTING - 3 (BE GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR YOUR CHILDREN)

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” – Psalms 139:16

Years back I was asked to preach in a prayer centre. It was an evening service and once I finished preaching, I saw a couple coming towards me with something in their hand. Initially I had thought that someone had missed something and so they want it to handover the thing to me so that I can give it to the people in charge of that prayer centre. 

But as they came near to me, I saw tears flowing in that woman’s face. She was tired and exhausted. She handed to me the little thing that she was carrying in her hand. It’s actually a little girl’s photo. She could not speak much as she was crying a lot. Her husband told me that they had a daughter and as she had grown up she got a particular disease and immediately she died. 

They could not overcome the sorrow and so they came to that prayer centre to pray to God to give them comfort and another child. As I prayed for them they were crying and crying. I could not comfort them at all. But I strongly believe by this time though I am not in touch with them, God would have blessed them with a child and comforted them. 

God has graciously given a child to you. As your little child grows up, you might face any kind of difficulties. Often your little child does some mischievous things that might put you in trouble. Your child might provoke your anger through his/her deeds. 

But remember, God has given you that child. He has fashioned the days of your child. He has created your child with a purpose and entrusted the responsibility in your hands. At any time, you should not feel that it will be better if you had no child at all. 

There were so many people around you are crying without a child. There were so many who had lost their little children before they grew up. Their pain was so bad. But yet God has given you a child and you should learn to say thanks to God for the child He has given you. 

Be grateful to God for the child He has given you and always praise Him for the great things He is doing in your life. Keep praying for your child. God will touch your child’s life.

JOY FILLED PARENTING - 2 (YOUR CHILD IS A REWARD FROM GOD. DO NOT KILL YOUR CHILD)

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” – Psalms 127:3

One of the great prophets of God who is doing ministry in Southern India used to tell that his mother faced great problems when she carried him in her womb. Her family situation made her to attempt abortion for so many times. Though she attempted to abort him in several ways, God protected him and now using him for His glory. 

Abortion is nothing but murder. You cannot kill a child for any reason. You might have conceived a child before the time you had expected to have a child. You might feel that carrying a child will be a hindrance to your joy and pleasure. You might feel like you will not have a career growth if you have a child.  Whatever might be the reason, you have no rights to abort your child. 

Bible says that the fruit of the womb is a reward. You have got a reward from God. He has given you a child for a specific purpose. You can’t reject the reward given by God. You never knew the plans that God has upon the child. If you abort your child, it actually means that you kill God’s plan. You will face consequences and curses for killing your child. 

If you are married and don’t want to have a child right now, you can use safety measures with prayer. God will help you in your decision. But once you found that you are carrying, you have to submit yourself to the plan of God and you have to raise that child in God’s way. 

Famous servant of God Rick Warren once said, “The Bible says that all people, not just believers, possess part of the image of God; that is why murder and abortion are wrong.”

Your child’s life is so important to God. You might say that you have not financial support to raise another child. Do not fear. Just pray. God who gives you the child will open the doors and your need will be met by God. You have to put your faith upon God. He has led you thus far. He will lead you in the coming days also. He will take care of the child He has given you. You are just an earthly father. Your child’s Heavenly Father has a greater concern upon his/her life. He will take care. 

Stop worrying and do not kill your child. You and your generation will be blessed.

LIKED THIS A LOT (TAKEN FROM THE WEB)

GOD WILL GIVE YOU HIS STRENGTH AND POWER

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” – Proverbs 24:10

Sometimes when we face troubles and problems, our heart gets tired. We fear about our future and as fear grips our heart we could sense that our strength was decreasing. 

You might be going through such moment in your life. You might feel that you have no strength to move on. You might feel that you are sinking. All the doors in front of you might have shut.  Do not get discouraged. 

Bible says in Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength."

In 1 Kings 17:12, we read about the condition of a widow’s life. She doesn’t have bread. All that she had was a handful of flour and a little oil. Nothing she had. Her life was in a worse state. She was gathering sticks to prepare a meal and after that they have nothing to hold on. That is the reason she told Elijah that she and her son might eat it and die. 

She had lost all that she had. No more hope in her life. She was weary. But before she had met Elijah, God has planned a great thing in her life. In verse 9 God says, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

God has a plan that Elijah should be provided by the same widow whose present condition was so terrible. She might have felt that she was so weak and her strength was so small because of the tough situation she faced. But God had a greater plan about her life. God provided for her needs. She and her household ate for so many days. She lived with joy and peace.

Years ago I met a young guy who got an arrear in a particular subject. He was a studious guy and he could not accept the fact that he had failed in the exam. It was a tough subject and as he thought about his future he became so worried. All the days he will be lamenting about his failure. He became weak and he could not do anything. But one day he had put his trust upon Jesus and begun to pray a lot for his future. God gave him His strength and blessed the work of his hands. Now he is working in a big multi-national company with a good salary. 

My dear young friends, do not worry about your future. Do not worry about the temptations and trials that you are facing. God will give you His power to overcome all your failure. Today God says to you that He has greater plans for you and you will live in peace. God will remove your debts. He will give you His strength to go through the present situation you are in and He will bring you out victorious. You will be blessed richly for God loves you.

RETURN TO GOD IMMEDIATELY. HE WANT TO USE YOU FOR HIS GLORY

“...But one sinner destroys much good.” – Ecclesiastes 9:18

In Jonah Chapter 1 we read that Jonah ran away from the presence of God. Actually He doesn’t want to obey God’s will. God asked him to go to Ninevah but he headed away. 

He committed a sin by disobeying God’s word and direction. He boarded a ship to go to Tarshish. No one in that ship knew that Jonah was running away from God. They accepted him as a passenger and started their journey. 

But the Lord sent out a great wind against the ship. The ship was about to be broken and so the mariners were so afraid. They knew that their life is in terrible danger. But they were not responsible for what was happening. 

It was the sin of Jonah that made God to come against that ship. Because of the sin and disobedience of Jonah, the mariners’ life was in danger. Already God was so angry about the people of Ninevah. Every moment Jonah delays were actually a danger to the people of Ninevah also. Because of Jonah everyone life was in danger. 

That’s what Bible clearly says that one sinner destroys much good. You might say that you are the one who is committing sins and then how come other people are related to it. When you commit a sin, it destroys your own life and the plan of God that was upon your life. 

You might be called to do God’s work. Your sinful life might delay the work of God through your life and every moment it gets delayed, you have to understand that one soul was getting affected somewhere because of you. You are responsible for that soul. 

God called a young man to submit his life to Him for His glory when he was actually dying because of a terrible disease. The young man somehow wanted to live and so he told God that he will do His work if He heals him. God accepted his prayers and healed him completely. 

Days passed but the young man was so reluctant to do God’s work. He was disobeying God and has no concern for other people. One day God gave him a vision in which multitudes were falling in the pit of hell. And then God spoke to him that he is responsible for those perishing souls. God broke his heart through that vision and then he yielded him completely for God’s work. His name was Lester Sumrall one of the great healing evangelist used by God for His glory. 

When Jonah turned from his disobedient ways and yielded to God’s word, the mariners were saved and also the people of Ninevah repented and got saved.  

My dear young friends, if you turn away from your sinful ways and surrender your life to God with complete obedience to His will, He will bless you richly. And through you many souls will be blessed. Every moment that you delay will affect your life and someone else life. So get back to God quickly and be blessed.

EVEN IN YOUR STRUGGLE, GOD'S MERCY AND LOVE WILL CONTINUE - A DEVOTIONAL BY RICK WARREN (TAKEN FROM DAILY DEVOTIONS EMAIL)

“The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed. Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.” (Lamentations 3:19-24 TEV)

When your world is falling apart, it’s so easy to focus on the pain, the problems, the pressure, and the difficulties. It’s the natural response. But the biblical response is to turn your focus to God’s love.

Even though you’re mad at God, you need to remind yourself how much he loves you. Focus on his unconditional love. Remember that you can’t make God stop loving you. You can complain, yell at him, and scream at him, but he will still love you forever.

You can see this biblical approach in Jeremiah’s life in Lamentations 3:19-24. Jeremiah starts out focused on his pain: “The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed” (TEV). Jeremiah was consumed by the devastation around him; it filled his thoughts and made him bitter and depressed.  

If you want to change your life, you have to change your thoughts. So that’s what Jeremiah did. We see the mental switch in the next verse: “Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.”

God loves you. He is not the strict parent that you couldn’t please. He is not the imperfect parent with weaknesses and faults who messed up. He is God — the eternal, all knowing, infallible God who created you to love you and will never leave you.

So when you feel like you’ve lost everything, stop focusing on what’s lost and start focusing on what’s left: God and his love for you.

This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved.