Psalm 127:3

Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
Coming from a family of eleven children, I can testify that ten children is enough to fill ones quiver, and keep you busy for many, many years. According to the Bible, Job’s quiver was full. Later on in this chapter we see how seriously Job took his job of High Priest of his family. The Bible does not say that Job’s children loved or served God, but we do see that they liked to spend time together.
We are from a culture that values quality of life above life itself. And quality of life does not speak of the actual quality of one’s “life”, but the ease of one’s life, how much he owns, and what he will retire with. Family “planning” is huge! We’ve had several people ask us, “Haven’t your parents heard of family planning?!” And of course we say, “Yes. And they planned to have eleven kids.” Family planning…
I cannot speak from experience on this matter, since I have never had children, but if children are an heritage of the Lord, than why do we think we should choose how large or small this heritage is? Is not God in control? Every child that you are able to have is part of God’s family plan for you.
Before you get mad at me, let me assure you I have heard the arguments to the contrary. “A family shouldn’t have more kids than they can afford to take care of.” I don’t believe it is a matter of money. The One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills can surely take care of you. However, I have known people who were not committed to raising their children. They simply were committed to having them. This is sick, and can be the cause of broken homes, ruined testimonies, and harmed children. If you are not mature enough to raise children than don’t have them! But if you are able, why would you hold back on God? Why would you hinder your own heritage? You want to face the horde of the enemy with two arrows? Good luck! However, little is much when God is in it. If he desires to give you only two children, he can defeat the enemy with those two. Think of Samson!
I would encourage you to let God do your family planning. And while he is planning your family, you can focus on growing and serving him. Do not put yourself in the place of God. You will find yourself sorely lacking.
I beg you not to be angry with me. I am not presenting an ultimatum. I simply wish to plant a thought. Is not God stronger and wiser than we? Every area of our lives should be fully and completely given to God. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes…”

To Sit or Stand: That Is the Question!

I beg you to let me share with you what God has shown to me. This is not meant to condemn or judge anyone. This is simply a compilation of verses and the string of logic with which it is tied together.

It seems to me that Christians today would rather pet each other’s sin than stand up against it as we are commanded to. I have watched it happen many times and even done it. Why are we afraid to do what is right? I believe there are several reasons. One, we are so full of unconfessed and unrepented sin that to say anything in response to another’s sin would be like trying to pull the splinter out of his eye, while beating him with the pole sticking out of our own. I agree that if we are not walking in the spirit, than we need to get right with God before we try to get our brother or sister right. However, one of the biggest reasons I believe we don’t stand up against sin is for the fear of man. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” If we fear man, we cannot fear God. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Most of us don’t fear that we’ll be physically harmed if we stand up against sin. Instead we fear what man will say about us. “He’s a hypocrite, a Pharisee.” “She thinks she’s better than everyone else.”
Recently I saw several friends who claim to be Christians, acting nothing like Christians. My first reaction was to be angry at their sin. However, instead of confronting them I told myself, “Their sin may be more open than my own, but it is no worse in the eyes of God.” And truly, Christ would still have had to die for me, if the biggest sin I had ever committed was being born into this world. I began searching myself, and I was never more thankful for the forgiveness of God. I began to ask God whether it was better to ignore the glorified sin of others or stand up against it in His name.
Isnt’ it interesting how God will always reveal himself to us when we seek Him? I believe that this is one of the most exciting experiences in the life of a Christian: to get a glimpse of the face of God and to watch His hand at work in our lives.
I was reading Psalms 50 when verse 22 and 23 jumped out at me. “Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright I will show the salvation of God.” The consequence for turning away from God is a horrible thing. If you are not willing to warn the person who has turned away from God, it is likely that you do not love that person. I found several other passages that clearly point out what God would have us do when we witness sin:

Leviticus 5:1
“And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.”

2nd Timothy 2:24
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient;
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

Proverbs 24:24-26
“He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.”

Ezekiel 3:17
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”

Now I am not saying that you should take these verses, and blast every sinner you know out of the water. Remember you are a sinner. If you are not right with God, don’t you dare try to pull any splinters!
God will not bless you for being a Pharisee or a hypocrite. There are several verses in the Bible that give us direction as to how we are to give rebuke, but I believe that Proverbs 15:1 says it best. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
Another thing to consider is the spiritual condition of the person you are speaking to. Proverbs 9:8 tells us, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” Proverbs 13:1 says, “A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.” Proverbs 15:5, “A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.”
You cannot change the heart of man. You cannot even move his thinking. The Bible clearly states that the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord. The only one who can change the mind of a man is God almighty. If you believe that God would have you confront sin, be sure that you have done the following: 1) Confess your sin before God and make sure you are right. 2) Ask God for wisdom in how to confront the person. 3) Season your words with salt and the word of God. 4) Stand up for others who stand for right. It’s hard to stand alone.

We cannot change the heart of man, but that is no excuse for standing up for sin. Do what is right.

Colossians 4:6
“Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

Wise Men Still Seek Him... Even At Easter

I have always held a secret grudge against the wise men from the Christmas story. What kind of idiots find the King of all creation, and then leave, and seemingly forget about Him. The Bible never records them returning to worship Jesus. The Bible never records them spreading the news of Christ’s birth. I suppose I viewed them much like we view the nine lepers who were healed by Jesus but never returned to thank him. Interesting how we condemn people who are probably more like us than we’d like to admit. We condemn the children of Israel for their murmuring, we condemn Lot’s wife for turning back, and I had subtly condemned the wise men for being what I considered fickle followers.
However, as I was reading the first chapter of Matthew this morning, in my mind's eye I watched as the wise men entered into Mary and Joseph’s humble home in Bethlehem. What faith these men must have had, to believe that the Messiah, whose coming had been prophesied for hundreds of years, was finally born, and believing that following a star would bring them to their long awaited Messiah.
Upon seeing the child, the wise men fell on their faces in awe, not because Jesus was a comely child, but because their faith had finally become sight. The Messiah had arrived!
Before him they laid gifts of great worth; their gifts honoring both his life and his sacrificial death. I can picture the child reaching to play with the gifts, and Mary taking them from him and placing them safely out of his grasp. The child, disappointed, did not cry or pout, but moved close to one of the wise men and stared in child like awe at his decorative robes.
When night fell Joseph begged the men to stay. They accepted the humble hospitality of their host, and that night they slept on mats in the small single roomed house. But their sleep was not sweet.
Each dreamed a vivid dream, and upon waking in a cold sweat and finding each other in the same state, they began to quietly confer with each other on what the dreams could mean. The consensus: Herod must not learn where the child was. The safest thing to do was to leave as quietly and soon as possible and follow another road home.
So that explains why they didn’t publish the birth of the Savior. But why didn’t they return when the danger was over? Well, it might have been the night after, when Joseph woke suddenly from a vivid and frightening dream. The message of the dream was clear. The family got up, packed their things, and quietly left Bethlehem for the country of Egypt, barely escaping the massacre of babies ordered by Herod, in an attempt to rid himself of the true King of the Jews. Any attempt the wise men may have made to visit the Savior in the next few years would have let to nothing. All Joseph and Mary’s neighbors knew was that they had disappeared.
When Herod finally graced the world with his death, the wise men may have again searched Bethlehem for Jesus, but their search was in vain. Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus had returned from Egypt, but were now safely hidden in the small, unimportant city of Nazareth.
The bottom line is this: God willed it that way. The wise men could have helped publish that the King of kings had finally come, but just as when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on what we now know as Palm Sunday, his Kingdom had not yet come.
Do you question the will and ways of God? I know I do. What we so often forget is that although God’s ways and thoughts are not like our own, God’s ways are always perfect. God had a purpose for the visit of the wise men, and God has a purpose for you. Will you question it, and despise His ways as He tries to mold you, or will you comply and let Him make you fit for His service. Will you look at the vessel beside you and wonder why the potter made him bigger than you, or more pleasing to the eye than you? Just as God had a particular purpose for the wise men, He has a purpose for you. Let Him fill you as He wills.