Lesson 1 – Salvation and Faith / Lesson 2 – Getting to Know God:
Salvation and faith enable you to run to God for help. God is love, truth, all-powerful, good, and unchanging.
Author: Melanie Godfrey (Page 6 of 7)
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13, NASB)
God is good, and when we do not understand God’s goodness, we must remember His omniscience.
Unlocking the Secret to Abiding in Christ – Part 1 & Part 2:
To abide in Christ means to WAIT for God to show you the right choices, ACCEPT God’s commandments by obeying them, REMAIN loyal to God and His Word, CONTINUE to daily live close to God, and DWELL in harmony with God’s Spirit.
Do you remember the Bible’s story of how Jesus miraculously fed thousands with five loaves and two fish? Jesus’ disciple, Andrew, acknowledged, ”There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” John 6:9 (NASB)
Who do you think packed that little boy’s lunch? The Bible does not say, but I like to think it was the boy’s mother. She knew her son’s curious nature and tendency to explore or follow a crowd, so she prepared him as best she could for whatever his day might hold.
You and I must do the same for our children, grandchildren, and the other children God puts in our lives. Preparing children encompasses more than food, clothing, and education. We need to also prepare the children in our lives to be used in whatever way God desires. Read and discuss with them the remarkable stories of the Bible. Teach them scripture and help them memorize it. Let them see you make God’s word and obedience to it top priority in your own life. Talk about God and relate godly truths to your children in everyday circumstances.
Teaching God’s Word to young children can be quite entertaining. Once during Bible time, I shared the story of Lazarus with my two toddlers. To help them visualize the story, I had them role play Lazarus and Jesus.
We made a tomb by covering a little table with beach towels. Taking a large blanket, I wrapped my daughter and placed her under the table in the ‘tomb.’ My son exclaimed, “Lazarus, come out!” at which time my daughter emerged from under the table.
They took turns playing each role with delight. After our bible time was over, the kids continued to repeat the story and play each role until I heard my daughter call, “Lazarus Come out!” to which my son boastfully replied, “No! I will not!”
There is a vast variety of wonderful bible story books, and I read many to my children. However, I also was available for my children to hear me read directly from Scripture despite the temptation to wait until they were older.
However, the nagging doubt that my incredibly young ones were not even listening was soon dispelled. Imagine my surprise when my two year old son, who had apparently been contemplating the story in Genesis 3 in which Adam and Eve’s disobedience resulted in their having to leave the Garden of Eden, asked me, “Mommy, when God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, was God driving a car?”
Confused over the question but seeing his earnest desire for an answer, I reflected upon the Scripture we had been reading and had to smile upon the realization that Genesis 3:23-24 states, “therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden… So He drove the man out….”
Obviously, my two-year-old son had indeed been listening intently and was wondering if God owned a car or a truck!
My 2-year-old daughter would often sit in her bedroom, pretending to read and teach Bible stories to her many stuffed animals. One evening, desiring to see and hear what she was saying, I quietly stood near her bedroom doorway. Standing behind her, I observed all that she was doing. My darling daughter had lined her up friends on the floor and she was standing in her bed holding her Bible in one hand and gesturing with the other as I heard her declare, “…and the Word of the Lord came to me…” As many of God’s servants throughout Scripture announce these same words, it became clear that my darling daughter had also been listening to the reading of Scripture also.
There are and will be decisions and influences our children face that we cannot even imagine. As mothers, our responsibility is to influence and prepare our children in such a way that when it comes time for them to make their own decisions, they will have God’s truth in their heart and our godly example in their mind.
That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children, That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, Psalm 78:6-7 (NASB)
Lesson 1 – Love God to Conquer Fear / Lesson 2 – A Timeline of Promises:
When you make decisions and do everything in your life from a love for God, you can face trouble focused on God and not fear. If you are a child of God, you can live life without fearing your past, present, or future.
Gratitude frees us to enjoy life and opens our eyes to blessings we would otherwise miss.
I remember being out with my two children when they were still infants and one of them spitting up on my white blouse. My husband and I had waited so exceedingly long to have children that I was thrilled about the event! While the mess may have been an aggravation to some, for me it was a badge of honor!
Those nights when my child cried out, I rushed into their rooms to comfort and care for them. Rocking them back to calm sleepiness, I thanked the Lord for the privilege of being able to answer a child’s cry.
Having visited villages in Central America, I know the poverty in which many families live. I have seen hungry children wait for a bowl of food but refrain from eating everything to carry food home and share it with others in their family. I have seen homes made from pieces of plastic, scrap wood, and aluminum, and I have seen children wrapped in filth, wearing rags because there was no water to bathe, wash, or drink. Such things changed me. If I catch myself mumbling about daily household tasks, I stop and thank God for the food I can prepare for my family, a floor that gets dirty but is not dirt itself, and easy access to clean water to drink as well as use to clean all the other blessings God has given to me.
For all those who are followers of Christ, one of God’s gifts that He desires our heart to grasp is the spirit of thankfulness. Approaching life with thankfulness will make a tremendous difference in what you experience now and what you dwell on later.
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NASB)
Gratitude frees us to enjoy life and opens our eyes to blessings we would otherwise miss.
I remember being out with my two children when they were still infants and one of them spitting up on my white blouse. My husband and I had waited so exceedingly long to have children that I was thrilled about the event! While the mess may have been an aggravation to some, for me it was a badge of honor!
Those nights when my child cried out, I rushed into their rooms to comfort and care for them. Rocking them back to calm sleepiness, I thanked the Lord for the privilege of being able to answer a child’s cry.
Having visited villages in Central America, I know the poverty in which many families live. I have seen hungry children wait for a bowl of food but refrain from eating everything to carry food home and share it with others in their family. I have seen homes made from pieces of plastic, scrap wood, and aluminum, and I have seen children wrapped in filth, wearing rags because there was no water to bathe, wash, or drink. Such things changed me. If I catch myself mumbling about daily household tasks, I stop and thank God for the food I can prepare for my family, a floor that gets dirty but is not dirt itself, and easy access to clean water to drink as well as use to clean all the other blessings God has given to me.
For all those who are followers of Christ, one of God’s gifts that He desires our heart to grasp is the spirit of thankfulness. Approaching life with thankfulness will make a tremendous difference in what you experience now and what you dwell on later.
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NASB)
The Bible’s story of Hannah is dear to my heart. Hannah was barren and longed for a child. While praying and weeping bitterly for a child, she promised the Lord that if He gave her a son, she would give up the child to serve the Lord all the days of that child’s life. God answered her prayer and Hannah kept her promise. When the time came for Hannah to bring Samuel to the temple to live, she handed the child to the temple priest, Eli, courageously sharing, “For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord…” (1 Samuel 1:27-28 NASB)
Hannah knew that her son was not born for her, but for God. The same is true for your child. God created your child for Himself, not for you. No doubt God is using your child to bless you, challenge you, and grow you, but these things are not our children’s main purpose. The main purpose behind God creating our children is for our children to bring glory to Him.
During the years of my longing to be a mother, God helped me and led me to pray, “God bless me with a child when You know I am ready.” Not knowing whether or not God would ever think me ready to be a mother made that a hard prayer to pray, but, as I prayed that prayer, I began to realize that if and when God did bless our home with children, those children would not be given to be mine, but God’s.
As mothers, you and I must realize and accept that our precious children, whether young or old, are created for God not ourselves. When we see our children as not our own but God’s, mothering takes on a new perspective. We begin to love, nurture, and instruct our children for God because we love God. Dedicate means to set apart for a unique use; to commit to a particular course of action or thought. God is calling all mothers to purposefully in heart, mind, and prayer to commit our children to the purpose and design God has planned for them.
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1, NASB)
As mothers, let us not only present ourselves to our Lord but our children also.
God’s love for you is great. After Jesus was born and the shepherd came to see the new king, Luke 2:19 records, “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (ESV)
Why did God include those words in the story? Perhaps the verse was specifically recorded and preserved for mothers. God is telling us that He knows a mother’s heart. God knows what we desire and what we sacrifice. God shares with us those moments of motherhood so precious they take our breath away as well as those disappointments that break our heart.
At whatever stage of mothering, we find ourselves, God desires to encourage us. Therefore, when you need encouragement, ask Him for it.
One Sunday morning before I became a mother, I tearfully asked the Lord to encourage me as I struggled with childlessness. Later that same morning at church, my husband and I gathered our elementary age group of children to join the preschoolers for a puppet show. During the puppet show, a tiny unfamiliar preschool girl quietly came to where I was sitting, placed her hand on my leg and looked up at me. She then climbed into my lap, laid her head against me, and placed her hand on my cheek. Throughout the show, the little girl smiled quietly and kept her eyes on me rather than the puppets. When the show ended, the girl silently slipped down from my lap and wandered back to the other preschoolers. Her sweet presence lifted my heart, and I knew immediately God had sent her to me for those moments. . Every Sunday thereafter I looked for the little gift, but I never saw her again.
God knew the love of that little girl would give me hope and remind me that He was aware of my heart and longings. Through the attention and presence of that little girl, God hugged me. He encouraged me. Do not hesitate to ask Him for encouragement. God knows we mothers need such a blessing.
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6, NASB)
Dearest Daughter,
Some parts of your life’s road are pleasant and smooth while other sections are going to be discouraging and difficult. Keep in mind that no one part of your path has to define the rest.
The journey is your story. Each blessing and trial, wise decision, and foolish choice determines your current direction but does not dictate your destination.
While life can be sobering knowing the most fulfilling and joyful accomplishments must be achieved by multiple wise decisions, take a breath. Though foolishness may result in brutal consequences, God’s grace does enable recovery.
Regardless of your present location on your story road, my dear girl, God declares that you are a young lady of great worth who is treasured by the God of creation and sacrificed for by the King of Kings.
With God’s Love, Virtually Mom
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
