On Televisions and Mobiles......

James tell us, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:14). The Apostle Paul tells us that “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13).
That’s why our God, through the Law of Moses, treats his people as a tightly-governed child “under guardians and managers until the date set by his father” (Gal 4:2). He carefully works us toward maturity, seeing that we’re faithful in small things before putting us over many things. That’s what a good and loving Father does.

A pre-teen or a teenager with unrestricted cell-phone usage, Internet or television consumption is being placed in a very, very difficult place of temptation. The company of that young man or woman is now away from the scrutiny of parents, and is now left only to his or her discretion or conscience.

I wonder then, when it comes to cell phones and unrestricted TV viewing, how many parents do precisely what our Father never does, and never will do.

Are there some young Christians who can handle such? Of course. Should you assume your child is one of them? Your Father is more careful of you than that.

And, did I also mention PICTURES? ! “Mistakes” today can be so much bigger than when we were kids. A young person can make a bad judgment call with a text or picture, and when that relationship goes sour, that picture is all over the internet.

It doesn’t mean you have to turn your house into an Inquisition hall or the Jail.
It simply means your child knows that you love him or her enough to check in frequently to see what’s going on in life. It also means that you communicate clearly that the child doesn’t have a personal cellphone, autonomous of your authority.

The best solution I have come up with is for parents to own extra phones, and give them to the kids when I want them to have them. They don’t need to keep them all of the time. This way they do have access to a phone, but they don’t give out that number to everybody and constantly text friends. Checking up on your kids’ texts and things really can have a negative feel to them - that they’re not trusted and stuff. So keeping the phone does away with that, also.

All things can be used for God’s glory. The point is: Christian parents raising children according to God’s word. Cell phones,TV, the Net are not the enemy.

Communicating your love to your child means communicating your involvement. The gospel message is one of Fatherhood and sonship, of a Father who knows the hairs on our head (Luke 12:7), who fights for his children when they’re tested, tempted, or mistreated. Picture that kind of God to your children, even if they grumble and complain at first.

Singleness of heart

In 2 Chronicles 30:12, we see a very, very unusual occurence in Israel.
The OT is chockablok of instances where Israelites have lack of purpose and constantly follow their own whims. That resulted in most of them "doin' their own thang!" Lotsa interpersonal conflict and division...in fact all the makings of a Dynasty like soap opera..
That's why it is surprising and unbelivable when we read the people of Judah had a singleness of heart.
The best part is...their secret formula for this "singleness of heart" is given as well-The hand of God." The reason and source of their unity was none other than the Lord himself. The joy of the Lord was their strength.

What was the result of their singleness of heart? Obedience to authority. At the word of the Lord, they obeyed the command of their King and their leaders.

How many of you are going thru' some sort of disagreement at home, church or in office? Father and son not seeing eye to eye? Don't agree with some of Pastor's teachings? Boss not seeing the merits of your proposal? Mother in law being a stick in the mud? Not talking to your dearest friend over a minor skirmish?

Pray that the hand of God is on you and yours to bring in that singleness of heart. Authentic spiritual unity flows from the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit

Don't Despair!

If the situation seems beyond repair and you are convinced by the world that prayer isn't going to get you anywhere...not even fasting and prayer, then this post is intended for you...

The purpose of prayer is not to change God,but to allow God to change us.It is to discover and do God's will,not to obligate Him to do ours. The purpose of prayer is that God's splendour will be displayed on Earth as it is in Heaven.

On Stormy Seas

If you are wondering why God let's bad things happen to us, remember
1) Satan—despite his incredibly cunning intelligence, cleverness, and power—is still only a puppet in God's hand to bring about His purpose. We see this clearly in the Book of Job. God is far more powerful than Satan. Though Satan boasts about His power on us (and that too because we let him!), God's power and might is far greater over Satan.

2) You don't have to keep paying for your mistakes all the time. Making a mistake is bad, but not repenting or confessing the same is WORSE! Confess your sins, rest assured Jesus has forgiven you. He has paid up all your debts in full, past present and future. But remember you got to confess( Don't confess wholesale... -if you don't know EXACTLY what you need to be forgiven for,you probably don't deserve to be forgiven. Once you are forgiven doesnt mean you DON'T have to live with eth consequences. You Do! But remain calm, God's going to take your burden and change it into a blessing! Not just for you, but for many others.

The Ripple Effect....

Every decision we make has consequences that ripple out like a stone in pool. Not only are there earthly repercussions but also eternal consequences. The consequences may not play out just in our lives but also in another’s.

Many of these decisions may seem trivial; some of them are serious; a few of them are monumental. Ultimately, they are eternal in their consequences. Getting out of a small but bad decision is very hard— harder than it seems. But each decision tends to lead to other, harder choices. Even decisions like going to a party, getting an education, selecting an occupation , buying shoes that look good (but pinch terribly),hanging out with a wrong crowd coz they make usu look good… it’s not major decisions alone that have eternal consequences.!

How do we take a decision then? How do you teach our children to make a choice that doesn’t hurt them eternally? They must know what to do and when to do it when each decision presents itself.
We need to prepare ourselves and the time to make choices is before we find ourselves in the situation. It’s easier to choose when our emotions aren’t involved and the consequences don’t yet exist. Making some basic decisions early in life will free us from making a lot of troublesome day-to-day decisions later. For example, if we have already decided to live by the Word, we will not have to decide whether we should accept a cigarette or an alcoholic beverage when it is offered to us.

Remember that making no decision at all could be just as deadly as making the wrong decision. When we choose not to witness, either thru word or actions, we are accountable eternally. When you see something wrong happening in church and you do not object to it, or even harbor under the misconception that the elders of the church know better, realize you too will be held accountable. Test everything against the Word. Seek only His Kingdom. Everything else will follow.

Afterword on jealousy

Did you know jealousy rots your bones (Proverbs 14:30)? No amount of calcium is gonna save you there!!?

When you are jealous, you end up tearing down all your earlier efforts to love and encourage others....He has been really talking to me....and can you believe it thru 'one of my daughters storybooks on good behaviour? :D

Three verses stand out:
Romans 12:2- Do not be shaped by this world;instead be changed within by a new way of thinking..
2 Corinthians 10:5-Proud thoughts raise themselves against the knowledge of Christ..capture these and make it give up and submit to Christ.
Philippians 2:2-4- Get happy by thinking about Christ' love and share in his spirit...don't let pride be your guide..instead be humble and give more honor to others..don't give more importance to yourself than others

God really did some simple talking straight to me there!
Forget about the rest of the world, they are not important. Be Humble. Get happy.( put all those wicked thoughts under Christ' lock and key!)

You know what else? The more I hear his voice and realize my purpose here, the less prone am I to envy and jealousy. Towards the end of today, I was like,"Huh? So who's jealous here?"

Obedience 2

Just googled the same song... turns out there's a verse I didn't know....

We want to live pure, we want to live clean.
We want to do our best.
Sweetly submitting to authority, leaving to God the rest.
Walking in the light, keep our attitudes right, On the narrow way.
For if you believe the Word you receive, You always will obey!

Hmm...... there's a bit of swallowing words I need to be doing here.. lets see if I can learn it well enough to teach the kids soon.....

This verse actually does drive home the fact that this isnt just a kids song. Its an eye opener for adults too...Obedience to the faith is the only way for salvation. You must obey God’s way, by putting their faith in Christ, in order to be saved. Secondly, it is an act of obedience on our part to act in faith and carry His word to all nations (The Great Commission). Thirdly, it is certain that true faith is going to produce obedience to the faith in our lives.

Obedience!

Eureka!
There was this song I had learnt long time back in Sunday School... there's was just one line I had missed out in memory.. had been praying over it... and I GOT IT!...HERE IT IS.....

The OBEDIENCE Song
Obedience is the very best way, to show that you believe.
Doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it happily.
Action is the key - do it immediately, joy you will receive. (this was the line I 'd missed!)
Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.
O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E
Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.


:D...Guess I know what I 'll be doing next weekend!! I often make sure at least one or two of the next generation know the songs I learnt.. It's a quest I've been on for a while...gather all the kids I can get... and teach them the same.