How God Sees MEN and WOMEN (Part 1)

A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.  Deuteronomy 22:5

God sees your distinction as a man or woman.  He loves this distinction and detests it's negation.  You should embrace and emphasize your distinction as a man or woman to honor your Creator, whose image you reflect.

GOD SEES THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN.

In Deuteronomy 22:5, God assumes the Israelites knew what He meant.  No matter what country or culture you are from, you know as God knows that men and women express themselves differently in  how they dress.  I know a girl who deliberately dresses like a boy.  I also know a mother who deliberately dresses her boy in girlish clothes. Even in our American culture that blurs gender specific clothing, we know that the blurring is happening.  We see and know the distinction between masculine and feminine. So does God, the one who made the distinction.

GOD LOVES THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN.

It is written,

So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them. 

Genesis 1:27

The masculine and feminine in creation are a picture of Christ and the His Bride, the church...the mystery of the heavenly and eternal intimacy that will exist between the one true God and those who believe in Him. (See Ephesians 5:32)   This is a sacred picture of what God is like.  The distinction between men and women should be honored because it honors the image of God.


click HERE for part 2



What if It's Just YOU?

(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) Numbers 12:3

This is my dream:  That before Jesus returns, there will be a people of God who finally get it right.  A people distinguished by God's presence and power who remain faithful to Him until Christ returns in the sky.  But I have no control over "the people of God."  I only have control over myself.  My dream has to be about me.  I have to be a man, even if I'm the only man on earth, who is distinguished by the Presence of God. 

What about you?  What if it's just you?  What if you alone are known on earth as a faithful follower of Christ?  This is possible.  At one point in time, Moses was "more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth."  One man.  Moses.  Distinguished from every one else on earth.  This could be me, or this could be you.  We have no control over anyone else.  But we do have influence.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:8

 

Again, in the history of men and women, only one man on earth found favor in the eyes of the Lord at one point in time.  There was a time when God regretted making us, but one man, one family, found favor with Him.  The word of God says that Noah walked faithfully with Him, but it doesn't mention the character of Noah's wife, his three sons, or his sons' wives.  Either they all were righteous in God's eyes, or God showed favor to them because of Noah, or both.  Either way, only 8 people in all of the human population were pleasing in God's sight.  8 people.  One man. One family. Three couples. 

 

What if it's just you?  What if your family is the only family that is pleasing to God at this point in history?  It's possible. Of course, we hope this is not the case.  But let's face it.  What else can we do?  What else can I do?  All I can do is walk with God to the best of my ability, and to the best of my ability influence my family and all who encounter me. That's it. 

 

I'm prepared for it to be just me?

What about you?

What if it's just you?

How God Took Away My Worst Fears (Part 1)

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—  and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."  Hebrews 2:14-15


I never really feared death.  Especially after believing in Jesus.  I thought about all of the gruesome and painful ways I could die for my faith in him, and asked Jesus to help me not be like Peter.  I didn't want to think I was ready to die for Him when I really wasn't. So the best I could do was to assume I wasn't ready, and ask Jesus to make me ready to die for Him in whatever way would bring Him glory.  So I felt peace about my own death.  But something happened.


I got married and had 7 children.


When I thought of my precious wife dying, or any of my dearest children leaving this world, I would feel so much anxiety and dread that I thought I couldn't bear it, even the thought of it. 

My worst fears were of the death of my wife and children. 

The Word of God took away my worst fears.

The first death recorded in the word of God is of Abel, killed in cold blood by his evil brother Cain.  All of my fears about losing my wife and children had to be found here, in the first death in scripture.  My fears of losing them suddenly, randomly, meaninglessly.  My fear of not being able to say good bye, or simply of losing them before their time.  The fear of them suffering in pain.  The fear of not knowing they were going to die.  The fear of not wanting them to die before me.  Everything that made the thought of their deaths unbearably painful to me had to "explained" in the first death in scripture.  This is how God did it for me.

First, Abel's death was neither random nor purposeless.  Even from Cain's perspective, it was "premeditated." But Cain's perspective is not the issue.  It's God's perspective, because He is the one that took away my worst fears.  God was actively watching the lives of Cain and Abel.  He was very pleased with Abel, and displeased with Cain.  God honored Abel's sacrifice, his life's work, his purpose and calling on earth.  But Cain didn't please God with what God gave him. So Cain was mad at God and took out his anger towards God in his jealously of Abel. You know what happens next.  But focus on the word of God.  Focus on what God says about Abel:

• The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.  Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.  Genesis 4:10-11
• By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.  Hebrews 11:4
• Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. Luke 11:50-51
• You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,  to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.  Hebrews 12:23-24
• Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 1 John 3:12

In God's eyes, Abel's death was far from random and meaningless.  Abel was the very first martyr, the first to die for being righteous in God's eyes.  The first to be persecuted and hated for doing God's will.  How did this take away my worst fears, the deaths of my wife and children?
(click HERE to find out.)

TWO THINGS GOD SAYS ABOUT YOU

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.  Psalms 127:3


There is something you and I and everyone shares in common:
We were born. Whether planned or a surprise, from adultery or even rape, God says this about you: 


You are a heritage from the LORD; you a reward from him.


YOU ARE A HERITAGE FROM THE LORD.
When your father and mother leave this world, what they will leave behind is you.  You will be the reason your parents ever existed.  Their memory.  Their legacy.  Their eternity.


YOU ARE A REWARD FROM THE LORD.
I mentioned adultery and rape earlier.  How can children of these be considered a heritage or reward?  In these situations children are children.  They've committed no evil and are in no way evil.  They are the redeemers of evil fathers and mothers, if the father and mother will accept them as their redemption.  If a child comes from adultery or rape, the child can shame the sinful adults into repentance, and be the salvation of their parents. 


No matter the circumstances of your birth, God sees you as a gift and legacy, to your parents and the world.  It's good that you're here.  Be what God says you are.

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If you could plan it all over again as a parent, or if you could start again right now raising your children, erasing the past, and creating a new future of memories and legacies for them, what would you do, and how would you do it? This book is the answer to your question.

 

I thank God for what He has shown me, and what He continues to show me about Himself as a father.  Through being a father myself, the father of 7 beautiful children, I have learned how God sees me.  I'm learning how to see my children as God sees them.

 

By reading what God has shown me, whether you are planning parenthood, a new parent, or a seasoned parent of children still at home, you will have four biblical principles that will give you the the new start you may be seeking, or help you to keep going in the right direction with your children.

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How To Raise Godly Children (Part 4)

When you know your goal, you know how to raise godly children.

Your goal is gentle self control; model self discipline before you discipline your children.

Before discipline, ask this question:

Can I correct my child right now with gentle self-control?
If not, then wait until you can achieve the goal.

Yet understand this:
Of course you know these posts don't tell you EVERYTHING about how to raise godly children!

In fact, I'm not even saying that I've told you THE MOST IMPORTANT THING about how to raise godly children.

I can say this:  Discipline is the foundation of a parent's job description.

It is the foundation, but not the supreme motivation.

Love is the supreme motivation, as it is written: 

"Love never fails."

And as it is written again, "Love covers a multitude of sins."

• In other words, if you feel you've ever failed as a parent, today by love you may cover those failures.
• By love, if you can do nothing else, you can always succeed as a father or mother.

Hear the words of a fictional and factual father--from the father of Superman, and from my own father:

"You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father. And the father, the son."  Jor-El to Kal-El, from the movie "Superman Returns."

"Your children will love what you love and hate what you hate."  Edward Howard, my father, told to me on Father's Day.

In the first three blogs I focused you on self-discipline as the foundation of discipline for your children; for you to model self-discipline.  The reason is your ultimate motivation in discipline:  IMITATION.

If you take nothing else from these blogs, understand this: 

Your children come from you, and are becoming you.

• If you love them, you will not fail. 
• Whatever you really love, they will also love.
• Whatever you are, they will become, or resist becoming for the rest of their lives.

I hope to write an eBook that deals in detail with raising godly children.
Until then, start with you; start now.
Love them, and model to them what to love.

How to Raise Godly Children (Part 1)

In raising godly children, your goal is gentle self-control; 

to achieve this goal, focus on your words.

As it is written,

• “Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
• “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
• “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to control his whole body.”

 Connect these verses to gentle self-control:

1. Parents (specifically fathers) should not provoke anger in their children.
2. Harsh words provoke anger.
3. Therefore, parents should model gentle self-discipline before they can discipline their children.

Start with yourself.

Start with your words.

First, let’s look at the difference between sternness and harshness.  After all, sometimes parents must speak sternly, but they should never speak harshly.

“BE QUIET!”

Those two words an be spoken sternly or harshly, necessarily or unnecessarily.

I’m home with my seven children.  The noise level is rising steadily, and I believe I hear my 10 month old in the kitchen, about to close his fingers in the cabinet.  I say loudly and sternly:

“BE QUIET!”

My children stop.  I get my 10 month old.  I tell them to start playing again.

 

I’m home with my seven children.  The noise level rises, and rises, and rises.  But I’m distracted because I’m writing a blog on “How to Raise Godly Children!”  They are now yelling at the top of their lungs and the 10 month old is throwing a tantrum.  I can’t take it anymore!  I yell as loud as I can:

“BE QUIET!”

1. Sternness is proactive, for the good and peace of the house.
2. Harshness is reactive, for the good and peace OF ME!

Notice how proactive sternness implies self-control, while reactive harshness implies a loss of control.

Gentle self-control is the first goal; we achieve this goal through our words.  We must practice and model self-discipline before we discipline our children.   

But we MUST discipline our children.  Read part 2 to find out how.  CLICK HERE.