God and work

In cleaning my office today I discovered a very nice journal in one of my stacks. It has only a single entry on its opening page. The date was June 25, 2007, and my entry follows:

God tells us to rest in Him. He tells us not to fear. We are to surrender all to Him, including our fears about "providing." That does not change when we take a job, marry, become fathers, assume leadership roles in the body. We are still -- always -- to seek His will and to enter into His plan with our eyes fixed on Jesus, after Whom we are to model our lives, and place our hopes for the future (eternity!).

Our work, meant by the enemy to be a source of stress and separation from God, should be delivered over to Him so that it, like the rest of our earthly endeavors, can serve to glorify Him. Our "job" should be to seek continued opportunity to worship and glorify "I am."

'Become like children'

In a season of my life that now includes grandchildren, I have developed a deep appreciation for parents who are committed to introducing their children to Jesus. To walking out their faith with the young ones as they grow, both literally and spiritually, in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the truth who is Jesus Christ.

I am blessed to know many families who are serving the LORD, including some who have opted to home school their children.

My heart was touched this week by the blog of one such mom, a young widow who has courageously elected to juggle work, parenting and home schooling responsibilities. Whew!

The blog post that moved me referenced her two boys and their relationship with a neighbor boy. When her youngest discovered his new friend did not believe in Jesus, he was upset. A wise mother responded to his anguish, noting that there are many people in this world who do not believe in Jesus. We are called to "explain God" to them, she said. When she asked how he might do that, her son "rolled his eyes and threw up his hands and said, 'Duh! Just look around at all this nature. It didn't just happen!"

A few days later mom overheard her two sons talking outside. "Hell is a lonely place," said the elder. "You don't wanna go there."

When the younger son came in the house he was visibly upset. Pointing to his heart he said to his mother: "It hurts in here, like I'm twisted up inside. I really don't want him (new friend) to go to hell."

As I noted in a response to my sister in Christ, I was convicted as she was by her son's heartache. She posed the question at the end of her blog post: "Do I ache like that for those who are lost?" She then gave praise to God for the boldness her sons have to talk to people about Jesus. "May that never change!" she wrote. "And LORD, give me a heart like yours."

I "second" that prayer, and add an intercessory appeal that the Holy Spirit will continue to teach, strengthen and encourage all Christian parents as they walk with the LORD through this joyful but challenging season in their lives.

"And He (Jesus) called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said,“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2 (NASB)

Link to Lisa's blog: "Learning Life's Lessons."
http://nwneufelds.blogspot.com/