First let's begin with thoughts from "The Power of a Positive Mom".
Parental blessings: It is never to late to bless our children whether they are 3 or 30. I got a letter from my dad a few years ago that I have kept and continue to read from time to time even as recently as a month ago where he spoke blessings to me and I am married with children of my own ~ we still need to hear these things from our parents.
When they are young we have more opportunity however to bless them. Almost every night my daughter asks me to "say The LORD to me mommy". She is speaking of the Aaronic Benediction that I started saying to her at bedtime a few years ago "May the LORD bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and give you His Shalom-Peace". Then she will usually add on things like "and make me to feel better" if she is sick or "make me to sleep well" if she hasn't been lately, whatever is going on in her life ...
How can we bless our kids? Tell them that God created them unique and speical and he has a great plan for their lives. Read Jeremiah 29:11-13 and Psalms 139:14-16 to them. Tell them of their birth and the first place you ever kissed them. For Lexi it was on the bridge of her nose and for Ainsley it was on the temple of her forehead.
PRAY with your kids! Ask God to bless the good qualities you see in them and to GUARD and GUIDE them. Your blessing may be the lift they need to make it to their destination. May we be faithful to support them. Certainly we will be held responsible!!!!
DO write down and encourage their positive qualities:
Alexis:
Mental: Bright and imaginative.
Physical: Always there to volunteer to help.
Spiritual: Tenderhearted. Loves Jesus!
Social: Can hold onto a listener with her stories, makes friends easily.
Ainsley:
Mental: Persistent, determined and head strong. Loves to read.
Physical: Strong and adventurous.
Spiritual: It's hard to determine this at this age, but I think she will be an overcomer! Seems to enjoy being at church and hearing the songs and that Jesus loves her!
Social: Demonstrative and loves to be with others. Happy, smiles. Great facial expression.
As far as possible, depending on age, set goals and continue to bless and support them. If there are areas of weakness based on their personalities work on these now while they are young. Also as we talked about yesterday study out and learn how you can as a parent encourage "Christ-like submission" in their hearts towards you as a parent and other authority figures in their lives. There are lots of ways to encourage good behavior and obedience, but we want to get to the heart of the matter to willful submission. Pray for His wisdom as a parent in this.
That all was probably more than I had intended for today already, but let's look at my second area of thinking today and that is back to the five words we started with yesterday:
dependence, submission, surrender, yieldedness, reliance
We looked at submission yesterday. Today let's look at yieldedness.
Let's start with Daniel, Daniel 3:28 tells us that he and his three friends yielded their bodies that they might NOT serve or worship any God, but their own. How this needs to be the testimony of our lives! Jesus on the cross and through everything prior to the cross was yielded even to his death (Matthew 27:50).
The best text for yieldness though is found in Romans Chapter 6 and my focus for today:
"Neither yield ye your members (bodies) instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members (bodies) instruments of righteousness unto God. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." Romans 6:13, 16, 19 KJV
Paul is saying, "Don't you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive His approval."
Moses said it this way "I set before you life and death, now CHOOSE life." One person not that long ago told me that we are so "stupid" sometimes that Moses had to tell us to CHOOSE life as if that wasn't the obvious choice!
So today as we go throughout our day for me the thought is that we need to watch what we do with our bodies, whether we are eating or drinking or dealing with our children or families or co-workers. We need to speak blessing to those we are in contact with throughout the day. See the good in others and encourage that good. See the good in ourselves and continue to do good. Do we do these things in our own strength? Using the words of Paul "Heaven forbid!" No, we need HIS everlasting strength to give us the power to conduct our lives like this and we need Him to change us from the inside out. To give us the sincere desire to CHOOSE LIFE!
I worked in a church nursery yesterday. I was sweet and kind with the children and told the babies the Sunday School lesson that "God made the people" and that "Jesus loves them". As I did this I wondered if God was pleased with the way I was "ministering to these little ones". I had spoken harshly to my own little one that morning. Did she know that Jesus loved her? Or that mommy loved her? I was upset because she had gone to bed late the night before because we were with our church friends and she got up too early and wouldn't go back to sleep and furthermore she woke up her baby sister in the process and all of this long before I was ready to be "mommy" that day. I hadn't finished my spiritual quiet time and she was "interrupting". How sad. I felt like a hypocrite and felt that God was not pleased at all with my "ministering".
We must be changed inside. I need to "minister" first in my own home before I "minister" outside of my home. One day at a time sweet Jesus!
Today is a new day. His mercies are new each morning (Thank you Father!) The kids are still fast asleep ... as I end this time today I just ask for His help to change me. To make me an instrument of righteousness and holiness. I ask for wisdom to do it His way, whatever "it" is today. I ask to be a minister in my home to my family so they know that mommy loves them and so does Jesus. I ask that my husband know that I respect him and love him so he can be won without the WORD. May I be a little part of the love of Christ to each of them today ...
Bless and be blessed,
Michelle
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