Fix Your Eyes

How many times have you sang the song “Jesus, Be the Center…” or if you are a little older, the words of the old hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” and wondered, “How do I do this in my everyday life?” It’s easier to focus on Jesus on a Sunday morning when we sing about Jesus and hear a sermon about Him, though I have to admit that I drift even during these special times pulled by the tide of earthly concerns. How much more difficult is it to fix our eyes on Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith when we are in the middle of a hectic week pulled away from Him by the riptide of the urgent. What does it mean to “fix our eyes on Jesus”?

Have you ever had a baby “fix” her eyes on you? I have. Sometimes it feels almost eerie if you get one of those “I’m seeing through you” stares from them. Wherever I move, those little eyes follow. She has no idea that staring is considered impolite; instead, she is tracing every move I make. This is the kind of complete fixation that God has intended us to have for Jesus. He wants us to study His every move, so that we can recognize Him and His work not just when we read about it in the Bible, but when we see it in our everyday lives. To do this, we must first begin with His Word getting to know the real Jesus.

He has given us a clear picture of who He is in His word. Read the gospels. I need to insert here a quick “shout out” to my husband. As we read a chapter a night of the Bible to our children, he has always been drawn to repeat the gospels- the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John- often. He wants our kids to know exactly who Jesus is. Quite frequently I hear of people saying, “Yes, Jesus was a good man and He had some nice sayings we can learn from.” The ironic thing is, almost none of them have even read His words. They are just repeated some opinion held by an authority they respect. The challenge is to know Him for who He really is, not who someone else says He is. Read the gospels, in fact, read the whole counsel of Scripture. It all points to Jesus. In order to “fix your eyes on Jesus”, letting Him rescue you from the riptide of the urgent, you have to spend time getting to know Him.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

                                                                        --Helene H. Lemmel 1922

Teaching Our Children to Make Wise Choices

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  This is a familiar Bible passage to most that live in Christian circles, yet do we understand it?  Reading in Psalm 25:12, “ Who is the man who fears the Lord?  He will instruct him in the way he should choose?” I was struck by how much sense that makes.  Have you ever tried to instruct your child when he is “fearless” toward you?  Did he listen to you?  Did he choose the “way he should choose?” 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because without the proper perspective on who God is in relation to us, we will not receive His instruction as we ought.  We become unteachable.  We are fools. We must understand that He is all knowing, sovereign, all powerful, faithful, and completely trustworthy before we will fully receive his wisdom.  Distrust in His words, His promises, will result in a heart that will not receive the instructions and therefore, the wisdom of God.  Stiff necked is the phrase that God uses in the Old Testament for the nation of Israel when they refuse to listen and obey his words.

Obedience is another key to this godly wisdom.  In Hebrew, the word for “hear” implies not just listening, but doing or carrying out the command.  If we “listen” and intellectually agree to the wisdom found in God’s word, but don’t carry it out we are like the man in the James passage who looks at himself in the mirror and as soon as he walks away he forgets what kind of man he is.  Without the practice of wisdom (knowledge), we are not wise. 

Picture a man who has studied architecture and even has a degree from a well-known university.  However, he refuses to draw up any plans.  He proclaims he can be an architect without using his knowledge.  This would be preposterous, yet how do we live?  Can we be “wise” if we do not apply God’s commandments and principals to our lives each day?

Concerning our children, why do they not receive our wise instruction?  In today’s society, I think the answer is found in a lack of consistent discipline and consistent wise living on our part.  I struggled as a child to respect one of my parents.  Yelling for an hour one day about a transgression and the next day ignoring it, caused me to loose respect for this parent.  I didn’t want to hear (or obey) what this parent would instruct even if it were correct.  I knew this was wrong even as a child, but correcting my attitude as this parent remained the same was very difficult. 

On the other hand, there’s Aiden, my preferred example given freely to me one day at the park.  My children and I watch with jaws dropped open as Aiden repeatedly ran up the slide against his parent’s weak will.  They begged him to stop.  They counted.  They declared, “Today we are not going to run up the slide, Aiden.” They threatened to remove him from the park.  All for nothing.  Again and again he mocked them, flagrantly traipsing up the slide and completely ignoring their counsel. 

I used this situation to explain to my children what could happen to Aiden in what I named “the pancake scenario”.  His parents go to take him home and as they are about to cross the street, they see a car speeding toward them.  They tell Aiden to wait.  Does he listen to their wise counsel?  Of course not, he does not fear or respect them.  He continues on and becomes as I bluntly put it to my children, an Aiden pancake.  It’s very sad, but very true.  If we nullify our counsel to our children in the early years, the eventual result, barring divine intervention, is an/a ____ pancake.  It may not be until later years when we tell them not to drive that fast, not to use alcohol when they are underage, not to hang out with “those kids”, not to forget to do their school work, or to keep themselves pure.  Most likely a child’s own refusal to listen to instruction will result in his/her destruction.  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever a man sows, so he reaps. 

The answer:  let us sow God’s Word into our children’s hearts.  Let us show with our own lives that we agree with these words.  Let us consistently discipline our children so that we are respected, yes even feared to some degree in their eyes.  They will listen and obey, not perfectly.  They are still human, like us.  However, they will have that beginning of wisdom, a fear of the Lord and I would argue for their sake a “fear” of you as well.

Poppies on the Porch

I guess anyone from about 30 years on that changes decades becomes reflective.  During my resent musings a sharp memory came back to me.  It was a memory of May Day in about 1978.  My idea of May Day at that time was not filled with anarchists demonstrating, but of May poles and giving flowers anonymously.  The latter was what I attempted this fateful day.

                I had purposed, with the dedication of a six year old, to do something wonderful for my neighbors.  I potted a beautiful poppy that had been growing wild in a ceramic pot.  With great expectations, I walked my dear poppy over to our neighbor’s house across the street.  I set the pot down carefully and rang the doorbell.  I had been told that you had to hide so that no one would know who gave the flowers.  So I hid in a bush near by the house and awaited the squeals of delight I was sure to hear.  Instead, I heard the pot get knocked over by the opening of the door and an old man cursing whoever put it there.  Frightened, I was immobilized.  I waited until he cleaned it up, remaining painfully silent the whole time.  Then I ran home.  I probably cried.  I don’t remember that part clearly. 

                Why would I recall such a painful childhood memory on a happy day?  I guess it comes as a reminder to me of the lasting affects a few words may have.  My neighbor could have just been having a bad day and this was the proverbial last straw.  (Actually, if this be so, he was always running out of straws!)  However, his reaction has stayed with me.  This reminds me that we don’t get a second chance to say and act the right way.  We may be forgiven, but the damage has been done.  We always need to be on guard to be sure that the words we say are not damaging to others.  What if this was the nicest man ever, but he just had a bad moment?  I would still have been very hurt by his words shouted in response to my attempted kindness. 

                Unfortunately, we don’t get “days off”.  We always need to be careful.  This is a tall order, only possible by God’s grace.  If we are more aware of the standards He holds for us…

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  – Ephensians 4:29

 two important things will happen.  One, we will be drawn back to him frequently throughout our day to ask for help.  Two, we will experience humility that we all need to experience to see our sin and God’s grace.  These two things will result in His glory.

                What about the man who left such a lasting impression on that six year old?  Well, he died recently in the home of his gracious ex-wife.  He was shown mercy by many.  I hope he received God’s gracious gift of salvation and that we can celebrate it together in heaven some day.

When Should a Believer Speak?

For the sake of the gospel:  We are commanded in Matthew 28:19-20 to share Christ with others.

^{19 [a]}Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you ^[b]always, even to the end of the age.”
We must speak the gospel.

Romans 10:13-15

¹³ for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

¹⁴ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO ^[a]BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
Do not be afraid of the response you may get at times.  What can mere men do to us?
Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.   Matt. 10:28
¹⁸ “If the world hates you, ^[a]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. John 15:18-19
¹⁷ For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  2Cor. 4:17-18
For the sake of those who cannot defend themselves:
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.       Proverbs 31:8 KJV
This would definitely include speaking up for unborn children.
For the sake of brethren going astray:
^{14 [a]}As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness ^[b]in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but ^[c]speaking the truth in love, ^[d]we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together ^[e]by what every joint supplies, according to the ^[f]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.  Ephesians 4:14-16
¹ Brethren, even if ^[a]anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. ² Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. ³ For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.   Galatians 6:1-3

Matthew 18:5  “If ¹⁹  your brother ²⁰  sins, ²¹  go and show him his fault ²²  when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. ²³  18:17 If ²⁴  he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If ²⁵  he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like ²⁶  a Gentile ²⁷  or a tax collector. ²⁸ 

^{For thanksgiving:  We are to give thanks always in everything for this is God’s will for us.}

·  [Eph 5:20] Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
 

·  [1 Th 5:18] In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
 

·  [Col 3:17] And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
 

·  [Heb 13:15] By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

We need to remember this attitude of thanksgiving in our relationship with others as well.

For the edification of others:  We are to build up one another with our words. 

1 Thess. 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.        Proverbs 27:2

This verse give us the negative, don’t praise yourself and implies that we are to praise others.

For a need, either yours or for others: When we have a need, we need to speak up.  When we see others in need, we need to seek to help by fulfilling it or asking others to help.

Matt. 7:  7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10“Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Luke 6:38 ESV

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Philippians 2:4 ESV

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

1 John 3:17 ESV

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Matthew 25:35-40 ESV

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ...

James 2:14-17 ESV

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Interesting, the last passage refers to the problem of speaking, but not doing. 

Stand Before Kings

Proverbs 22:29 (NAS)

Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before obscure men.

     Before my children were even born, I-like many others-had dreams of what they might become.  I wanted these bundles of potential to reach their highest heights.  Proverbs 22:29 reminded me that being skilled at your work, no matter what you do will result in recognition and praise from others.  Each of my bundles of potential has been gifted by our Creator with talents that need to be discovered and developed so that they can be counted among the skilled in their field.

     How do we discover these divinely bestowed talents?  Be watchful.  There is often physical evidence.  Are their math pages full of doodles?  Do they write so much that you're considering the purchase of a forest?  Do you trip over their latest Lego or K'nex creations while trying to kiss them good night?  Many times their gifting is literally right in front of your nose.

    Maybe you won't see it, but you'll hear it.   Your child may sing everywhere and anywhere, including in the bathroom.  He may want to play that new instrument much longer than he is required and even longer than his siblings or you care to hear it.  His talents may become evident as you converse throughout the day.  One of my sons discovered a pattern for squared numbers and shared it with me during our normal school day.  The more I listen, the more his God given gift for engineering becomes apparent.

     Sometimes we don't trust ourselves to recognize our child's talent.  We may find the affirmation we are looking from others who observe our child.  Upon meeting my young son, a professional performer noted his talent for acting. I was flabbergasted.  It took him all of ten seconds to see what I have known and sometimes denied for years.  Which brings me to my next point, what if our child's talent doesn't fit our personal bias?

    I never prayed, "Lord Jesus, please gift one of my sons with the ability to act so that he might know hunger...Amen."  We don't know how the Lord will choose to use each talent that is given.  Who are we to stifle the uniqueness of our child given to him by the all-knowing, perfect Creator.  God did not make a mistake when he gave Kirk Cameron the ability to act.  An actor can even become President of the United States.  No, let us not let our personal biases hamper the work of the Lord.  He is sovereign and what He wills will stand.  Will we take an active part in it?

     Now that you may feel a burden on your heart to develop your child's talents, here are some suggestions for following through.  Pray about it.  Pray that you will see the opportunities before you and choose wisely.  Pray that you will be at peace if you can't "afford" lessons at this time.  If this is from God, it will not fail.  Trust His timing.

     Give your child the resources he needs to develop his talents at home.  This may be reams of paper, a butterfly net, clay, or simply books on the subject of interest.  (Never underestimate giving a child a book that really holds his interest. This may have the added effect of increasing his reading skills quickly.)  Be sure to keep these special supplies on hand.  Lessons are great because it's easier to assure consistent training, but much can be accomplished informally at home.  In fact, if this is your child's special gifting, he will usually have the desire to put in time developing it.

     He may want to spend endless hours doing whatever it is he loves.  Great!  However, it will also be your job to help him balance his education.  You may find he has to exercise more self-discipline to learn subjects that don't come naturally.  This will become part of his character training. 

     While it's important to encourage his talents, don't become obsessive.  Whether it be football or chess, dance or robotics, don't push so hard that they lose their childhood.

A great Scripture to remember to stay in balance is "Whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Col. 3:17

     And remember, even though this child may one day be distinguished enough to stand before kings, he is still, today, a child.

People of the Apple: Instilling Curiosity in Our Children

     Everyone is familiar with the story of Isaac Newton and the discovery of gravity.  Whether or not an apple fell on his head giving him this revelation, the fact that he had a naturally curious mind is undeniable.  Any inventor, great scientist, successful engineer, outstanding playwright, and so on, must have a sense of curiosity.  It's the most natural mode of true learning.
    When our children are sat down and told what they must learn their retention is very low, unless they happen to be extremely interested in the subject matter.  However, when their curiosity is piqued, and they initiate the learning session, they remember most of what they learn.  Grab these opportunities.   Create these opportunities.
     In our over scheduled lives it can be difficult to stop and research a bug your 7 year old brings to you.  Maybe that's a sign of a problem. ( I am speaking to myself as well here.) Valuing learning for a lifetime is not just emphasizing good books, it's encouraging curiosity.  If your schedule is too full, make it a point to drop something next season, quarter, or semester.
      Have patience with your curious children so that you won't squelch their curiosity.  "Why does it work that way?"  "Where does that come from?"  "How come that math equation works?" One of my children in particular has an extremely curious mind.  He has driven me crazy with the why's sometimes.  I have not always been the patient mom with him.  Many times I just wanted to move on with the lesson.  However, the result of that curiosity is that he is an excellent problem solver and can fix just about anything.  Recently he was working at a friend's house cleaning her gutters.  She had a problem with one area not draining well.  He studied the situation and gave her his solution to her problem. 
     I believe that all children begin with a certain level of God given curiosity.  If we have patience and answer those questions, they will really learn and they will be encouraged to ask more.  Bombardment with media, movies, television, computer, video games, keep our children from engaging their minds.  Removing, or at least limiting these, and encouraging free play will give our kids time to think.  On the way home from church last night one of my four sons said, "May I play with your iphone?"  He told me he was bored because it was too dark to read his book.  Letting him play on the iphone wouldn't have been wrong, but I didn't.  Instead I challenged him," You don't have to be entertained all of the time, why don't you talk with us or just think."
    If we are used to relying on media or scheduled activities to keep our kids busy, the change to becoming "people of the apple" may be bumpy at times.  However, the result is well worth it.  Our children will be able to fully develop their God given talents, not distracted by the futility of this world. What will you do the next time your child asks, "Why mommy?"

Testimony

My first and foremost duty in life is to bring glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am forever indebted to Him as He is the Author and Creator of my faith.  My prayer for this blog is that it will testify to His love and grace and how they work themselves outward from the soul of one believer, Jennie Higgins.