Verse of the Day - 2 Timothy 1:5

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
~ 2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)

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Whatever parents are into, that's usually what they teach their kids. If they love golf, they'll probably get their kids out on the golf course at least a little, to see if they can steer them into their passion. If they have a faith base, they will most likely take their kids to their place of worship and encourage them through knowledge of their faith. And even if parents take the "hands off" approach and don't push their likes and beliefs on their kids, kids often pick up on them anyway, from exposure and human nature. Kids usually want to be like their parents...they look up to them and naturally gravitate to what and how parents think and act.

What is important to parents is what they pass on to their kids, right?

I never got the 'bug' for basketball. Why? Probably because my dad didn't watch basketball. When March Madness (College basketball championships) rolls around, I really have no desire to watch it (yes, I realize that this drives a knife into some of your hearts...:-). But baseball? Now that's another story! I love watching baseball! Why? Because my dad loved baseball. My grandma loved baseball! See the trickle effect? We spent alot of time together as a family at Candlestick Park watching our beloved Giants play in the '60s and '70s! And I love it to this day. It's how I was raised, and I adopted the love of the game that my family had for the game.

And how much more important is our kids' souls than sports? For followers of Jesus Christ, we believe every person has to make a choice for Jesus. So, they have to hear about Him in order to make that choice. We read to them from the Bible, and we take them to Sunday School. More importantly, hopefully we are living out an authentic, vibrant relationship with God that gives validity to the words they're taught. How you live makes a huge impact on kids! We've all heard stories about parents who looked good on Sundays but were a mess at home...and the kids took it all in. You later hear stories of those kids who don't trust their parents or their parent's God, because it was just a farce...God didn't really make a difference in their home when they were growing up. They may wonder if He is even real. Cynicism and disillusionment follow them, instead of true faith and joy in the Living God.

I may not be a superstar or do anything really great in the eyes of the world. But I have tried to live my walk with God before my children -- they know He is real in my life. The choice for God is theirs to make, but I have given them knowledge and shown them testimony. That is the high calling God has given me as a parent, and I trust I have served Him well in that calling.

Adults -- we have a huge responsibility to be for kids what we desire them to be...and more importantly, what God desires them to be. What weight are you placing on the horizontal things of this world? Is school, sports and fun the "main event" in their lives? Is God seen and modeled by you as #1? I hope so, because without Him, nothing else will satisfy. Nothing else will save.

If you have influence over children, what are you modeling for them? Choose wisely how you live, because they're sponges, and they'll soak up whatever you put in front of them -- good, bad or otherwise.

Love,
Joelene

Verse of the Day - Psalm 139:15-16

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. ~ Psalm 139:15-16 (NIV)

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In Psalm 139, David marvels at God's amazing knowledge and power. God knows everything about us...where we go, what we're thinking, what we say...BEFORE any of it ever happens. And as we go about our business, there's no place we go that He's not watching. Even in the dark...the darkness of night, or a dark cave, or the womb...God sees and knows. David says, Wow, God, this is almost too much to handle -- You're blowin' my mind with who You are...

Nothing escapes His glance, nothing is formed without His foreknowledge, nothing continues to exist without His hand upon it. Does any of this blow your mind? Do you really believe in God's omnipotence, His omniscience, His omnipresence? Or does God not seem very big in your eyes?

I sit here in my bedroom this morning, looking at my beautiful mahogany dresser. Guess what? God designed mahogany with its rich, red colors, and He created the tree that provided the wood for my dresser. He could tell me exactly which tree was used and where it was planted. He knows the person who fashioned this dresser and gave them the ability to work with their hands. He knows every person who's ever put their clothes in it, including me. And He knows where this piece of furniture will travel far into the future. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere!

Does it comfort you to know this about Him? Or does it make you uneasy?

Sometimes we want God to see us, to know all that we're going through, to help us when we're hurting or in trouble. But sometimes we want to hide from God. We don't want to see His face when we're not what or where we should be. We have dark thoughts that rattle around in the cave of our mind, and we hope He can't or won't see what's in our darkness. But David acknowledged God's power and presence, and stood honest before God, desiring to be changed...

Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ~ Psalm 139:21-24 (NIV)

Not only does God see our hearts, He loves us and can change our hearts when they're not in line with His character and purposes. But we must give God license to do so, because He won't force Himself on us. In love, He allows us to be awed by who He is so that we would want to seek after Him, to desire Him, to be like Him...

The God who made the universe and everything in it, who saw you before you were born as you cell-divided in your mother's womb, who knows how this world's story ends, sees you now...wherever you are. And He loves you! I hope you know that today, and that your knowledge of His greatness will cause you to fall down at His feet and worship Him, thanking Him for all He is and does, and that you desire to be moulded into His likeness, through the power of the Holy Spirit working within you.

Our God is an AWESOME God, amen? Then let us give Him the glory and honor and praise that is due Him in all we say and do!

Love,
Joelene