Praise and Glory to God our Father! We have had approximately 10 inches of snow today and it is a fine day to drink hot liquids, enjoy beautiful music, read, have a fire in the fireplace, and most of all, be with the Lord. It is also a fine day to love on my 12 year old. I have my quote on Facebook: Children deserve a childhood. My youngest is having a childhood, after much experience as a parent to a 19 and 24 year old, this youngest reaps the benefits of mamma's wisdom.
I say this as today I absolutely enjoyed watching and waving at him from various windows of the house as he played in the snow. Glowed as he said "Mom, I am going to need energy to play in the snow, so can you make me French toast?". Ha. Gotta love it. Love You Lord, when I prepared fajitas for a late lunch, and I asked if he would pray, and he does. From his heart. And he prays that others will be safe driving in this weather. He prays that we will have a great weekend. He is an amazing creation of God's and for his young age of 12, he is so on his way. So sturdy. So in touch with the Lord.
Religious routines......Well, let me tell you, we need them, but we need to pay attention to them.
Being a new born again, I am becoming more and more keen to what tricks the Evil One has up his sleeve. One way he thwarts Christians is to entice them to make their routines idols. To make them put the glory in the routine, and then we quickly put Jesus on the shelf.
Here are examples of what I have uncovered so far this last year: Bible reading can become a religious routine. I started out with a "Read a Bible in one year" plan. I printed this from the internet, how to get through the entire Bible in a year. I liked this version because it has you skip around in four chapters a day. I started with that and in one week I was overwhelmed. It was like homework. So, I, duh, realized a great revelation: That I will be reading the Bible for the rest of my life anyhow, and hope to read it daily, as well!!!! So, I still use that Bible plan and mark off what I do read. I am making progress, but enjoying the ride. I am going slow and just recently read through Hebrews and James and so savored those chapters! No stress! Don't do this to yourself, making God's gifts be "work"! I can say that I can't wait to read my Bible lately (Joyce Meyer states she even kisses her Bible sometimes as she just loves it so ---I can relate) and when I sit down to read, I feel so at peace and fulfillment. I can't wait to see what those Words will do to me today!
Another example is church attendance. Do you feel a sense of darkness and gloom when it is time to get ready for church? Do you fantasize about staying home instead and reading the Sunday news front to back, while omelets are just about prepared in the kitchen? Does your spouse and/or children start whining, fighting and becoming negative as they realize it is church day? Well, guess what. Maybe you need to determine if you are going to the right church! Maybe you need to decide who is the spiritual leader in your family. Is it anyone? Maybe as a couple you need to have a family meeting with the kiddos and tell them that you won't tolerate their behavior on Sundays, and if they continue the behavior, they will be in their rooms for two hours when you return home, as a family, from church.
If you go to a church that is inviting, encouraging you to seek the Lord with all of your heart and soul, and is full of Jesus love, I bet you don't have all of these forces against you, as a family. You need to get strong as a family unit and find a church that is putting you on a path towards growth. Towards teaching the gospel.
Does your church have people emotional? How do you respond internally to people that are weeping, using their hands and bodies in praise, hugging, speaking soft "Amen's and Glory be to God's"? People that are going up to the altar for special blessings?
I went almost all of my life to lifeless churches. They were comfortable, in a weird way. You knew what was going to happen. You got a printed bulletin with the format. You read from a photocopied page, the "Bible". You looked at your watch. You saw people looking at other people in boredom. You saw children squirm and fuss and parents looking exasperated. You saw the other "gray hairs" glaring at those families. You saw the pastor/priest speaking of church matters as if they were having a general operations meeting. (Like no one would attend if you held the announcements of this sort at a separate time?) And worse off, you saw people nearly sprint out after the last song as if the car was on fire.
Now, picture this: I have a church now that has life! Holy Spirit life! And I have attended many churches in my community like this!!! There are MANY! The common denominator seems to be this: They have the Bible as part of the service, with Bible study, they have a format of worship music in the beginning and end of worship. They have a pastor who is honest about his faults, is human, is on fire for the Lord. They have a sense of community. They believe in prayer and alot of it. Not recited prayers or creeds. Prayers from the heart. They accept all for communion (with instruction prior to reception).
I say this, because one of the biggest drivers for your faith will be finding a church that will rock you and your families world. A church that offers all kinds of small groups and large groups. That has a website so full of things that you could never be bored again as a family.
To move on, I really want you to go out and church shop if you are curious about what you might be missing. I church shopped for two years, recently, and really, all of my life, even when I was a Lutheran or Catholic, I checked out other churches. I know now that God had me on a journey, and needed me to first experience other religions prior to my life changing conversion. Now, I can speak of my knowledge of what is out there, and what worked for me and others. I now found a great Wesleyan church and the first service I went to, I cried and cried and said out loud "I am home". Praise God! He is so good to me!!!
All I can say, is that wherever you are on your journey, be aware of the pitfalls of Christianity. How quickly the Enemy comes to destroy. It can be a subtle as making your daily devotions own you so much that you think bad luck may come upon you if you miss. Or that if you missed church due to the weather or illness that you need to feel guilty. Or if you have to say "no" to church activities because you have already extended yourself that way and you need to balance your family time, that you are letting people down. No, don't do these things. Keep your eye on Jesus, not repetitions. Those repetitions will be just part of your fabric, if you just keep it on Jesus, His love, His acceptance. Thank Him for bringing you to your devotions daily. Thank Him for encouraging you to take your Bible to bed nightly. Thank Him for finding you a church that you can call "home". Ahhhh. Yes. Jesus takes good care of us. He loves His children. Catch yourself, as you start to put your eyes on duties, and then take those eyes and look upwards to His loving arms, His kind eyes, His beauty. Relax in that. He will assist!
May God bless you greatly! May you keep searching and striving! I can say, I feel so much joy. I want you to have that joy. You deserve that joy.
1 John 5:1-5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Praise you Holy God for having this passage opened right up to me, as I sit here typing. I was reading 1 John out loud this evening, not realizing that this is speaking to me, typing these words. Lord, you are all powerful and Holy. I have complete faith, hope and love in my heart. All of your Words are true. My faith in You will not waiver. You have shown me, day after day, Your love and patience. May all who read this blog come to you, with childlike faith. May they know You better through this blog. May they seek You, as I have sought You. And finally at age 42, You opened my eyes and had Your Holy Spirit fill me! Praise the day now that I was born again!
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