God is Sovereign in All of Life

July 13, 2007 by 1 Comment

God is sovereign in all of life. 10 week ultrasound

We are expecting our fourth child.  The girls are excited and often ask, “How big is the baby?”  We were reading in Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Glade Curtis that by week nine, the baby is ‘the size of a medium green olive’.  He or she…

  • has longer fingers now and the tips are slightly enlarged where touch pads are forming,
  • has toes that are formed and feet that are more recognizable,
  • has eyelids that almost cover the eyes,
  • has external ears that are evident and well formed,
  • can move its body, arms, and legs.

God is sovereign in all of life, intricate in every detail.  How amazing is our God?!

Psalm 139:13-16 states…
For you created my inmost being.
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
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.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Thank you, Lord, for this precious little life You are creating inside.

We had an ultrasound today.  We got to see our little 10 week old ‘olive’ =)  He or she has a strong heartbeat and is measuring well.  However, it was discovered that there are two small blood clots in my uterus, causing some slight bleeding.  I wanted the doctor to say that everything would be all right, but she didn’t.  She said we’d have to wait and see…. God is still sovereign.   If God decides to help this little one thrive, blessed be the name of the Lord.  If God chooses to take this little life home to be with Him early, blessed be the name of the Lord.  Will it be painful and will there be many tears?  Yes, of course!  But, He is my Lord and I will trust in Him.  ‘Oh God, You are my God.  And I will ever praise You.’   May I take to Him all my anxious thoughts and truly trust in Christ, my Lord and Savior.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because He trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

Filed Under: Mom's Heart, The Joy of Children, The Joy of Family, The Joy of God's Word

Here I Am To Worship

June 12, 2007 by Leave a Comment

I have been listening to  Praise Baby: Born to Worship with my toddler off and on since last week.  To be honest, my two older children love to sing along with it as well =)   The song, below, is one of the ones used on the DVD.  It is now continually running through my head and I will sometimes burst out singing it while playing with the kids!   

“Here I Am To Worship”
(Song by Tim Hughes) 

Light of the world, 
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you 
Hope of a life spent with you.

And here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you’re my God,
You’re altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days,
Oh, so highly exalted 
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth you created.
All for love’s sake became poor.

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you’re my God,
You’re altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
No, I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you’re my God,
You’re altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me. 

So, here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you’re my God… 

What an awesome God we serve AND we get to worship Him through song! 

Filed Under: The Joy of Children, The Joy of God's Word

The Why of the Cross

May 22, 2007 by Leave a Comment

As a follow up to previous blog entries, I asked my oldest daughter an important ‘Why’ question today that I think we all need to reflect upon.  I asked her “Why did Jesus die?”  Here is her response… To save the world (us) from our sins.  To die on the cross.  And to rise again.  So we can be in heaven with Him.    (From the mouth of a 5 year old!)  

 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour?’  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”  These are Jesus’ words in John 12:27-28 when He was speaking of His death.  In C.J. Mahaney’s book, Living the Cross Centered Life, he states that Jesus was not “surprised by death’s approach.  He long ago determined to bear God’s judgement for sin as our substitute, and for months He ..discussed His death repeatedly with His disciples.”  Christ knew why He was sent, why He was here – His purpose.  In Mark 10:45, Jeus tells us that “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  He knew that there was no other way for us to be reconciled with God.  Our debt had to be paid and only He, the sinless One, could pay it.  He lovingly laid down His life for us, taking on our sins and unrighteousness and thus the wrath and abandonment by His Father — that we rightly deserve. 

Mahaney states, “Behold Him…behold His suffering…and recognize His love.” 

Thank You.  Thank You, Lord Jesus.  May I never lose sight of You and Your sacrifice for me.

 

 

Filed Under: The Joy of Children, The Joy of God's Word

Answering the Why (Part 2)

May 22, 2007 by Leave a Comment

It is important to tell and remind children why we instruct them in certain ways.  Just as we look to the Bible to see which instructions we need to give our children and for guidance on how to train them, we can look to God’s Word to help us explain the ‘whys’ behind the instructions.  Here are a few examples from Scripture where God clearly answers this ‘why’ question for us.

  • “Children obey your parents” 
    Why?   “for this pleases the Lord.”     Colossians 3:20
  • “Honor your father and mother”
    Why?   “—which is the first commandment with a promise— that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”   Ephesians 6:2-3
  • “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”
    Why?  “so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of truth…”   Philippians 2:14-16a
  • “Give thanks to the Lord”
    Why?  “for He is good.”      Psalm 136:1a
  • “Thy word have I hid in my heart”
    Why?  “that I might not sin against Thee.”      Psalm 119:11
  • “We love”
    Why?  “because He first loved us.”      1 John 4:19
  • “Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged.”
    Why?  “For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9b
  • “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him.”
    Why?  “And He will make your paths straight.”      Proverbs 3:5-6

This has been exciting to see!  May God continue to open our eyes to how we can use His Word for training in righteousness (first in ourselves and then our children =) )    For 2 Timothy 3:14-17  says “…continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Filed Under: The Joy of Children, The Joy of God's Word

How to Answer the ‘Why?’

May 18, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Our oldest daughter, from the time she could speak, has been asking the constant question, “Why?”    By asking ‘Why?’, she shows great curiosity about how the world around her works and it is exciting as she is wanting to learn new things.   Over the years, she has continued to ask ‘Why?’ — about everything!  We have tried many different approaches when answering her age old question. 

a)  Give her the answer to her why.    (Exp.  Why does Daddy mow the grass?  Answer:  The grass continues to grow, just like your hair and your nails, and it needs to be cut shorter from time to time.)

b)  Be honest and tell her “I don’t know.  We’ll have to see if we can find out.”

c)  Answer with a question to try to help her think through it on her own.  “Why do you think _____?”

d)  Tell her to stop asking ‘Why?’ so much.   Okay, I know this one isn’t so good, but at the end of a long day, after hearing the ‘Why?’ for the millionth time, we really do say this =)

e)  Because we said so.     Now, we have noticed, that as she has grown older, the ‘Why?’ has taken a twist.  Sometimes, the ‘Why?’ shows up after we have given her an instruction.  Now, this could be simple curiosity and we may answer her as to why we chose that particular instruction so she can see our good intentions for her (safety, nutrition, etc.).  But, if she continues to ask, it has turned into her questioning our authority as her parents and a distrust of our decision — and she must be disciplined.   As I write this, I am asking myself, ‘Do I ever exhibit this questioning attitude towards God?  Do I ever question His goodness and wonder if He truly has the best intentions for me in the instructions and commands He gives?’  If I am honest, I must confess that yes, I am like my daughter, and I am also like Eve who in the garden questioned God’s command to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Oh, Lord, help me to obey You wholeheartedly, to trust you more and more, and to say ‘Yes, Lord’, honoring You, instead of asking why.

 

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