Trusting the Lord with all our heart
Posted by Edison Macusi on Monday, November 28, 2011
Under: Word for the week
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8 (NKJV)
Trust is earned. People can love each other, they can give gifts, they can hug and even kiss but the lack of trust could easily distort this love. To be a people of faith, we need to trust God. We need to trust Him not just for our salvation but for our day to day living and for our day to day rests. There are many things that can grab our attention but to please the Lord and to trust in Him is the greatest desire of the born again Christian. Trust has many levels, just as love can also have many levels. Infants and children for instance cannot be trusted to be independent. There is age appropriate trust for children just as there are lessons only appropriate for them at each stage or season.
Maybe a two or three year old can feed himself with a spoon in his mouth but it will not be perfect. Some food particles will fall down and grease your new and minted sofa. Neither would he be able to put up his pants properly nor could he put his own drink from a bottle of Quelle to his cup precisely because he is still a baby! Trust must be progressive according to the capacity of the person who is receiving it. Just as we don’t entrust a car to a child who is 8 years old or a Barbie doll to a 2 years old, we need to discern the times and seasons when children or friends can actually handle our gifts, treasures or trust. For instance, many of our loving OFW moms and dads could be quickly lulled into throwing off bundles of gifts to their children especially this holiday season.
Because of their long absence back at home, they try to use their gifts and money to compensate for their absence. However, we cannot fool the result of this absentee fatherhood and motherhood. The result is the raising up of a generation that hoots and toots for material blessings but does not really know the essence of their values. We have brought about a generation that does not know the values of hard work and vision because we have facilitated instant gratification to our children. The result is a sky rocketing of teen pregnancy, abortion, lack of values among school aged children and consumerism without responsibility.
According to a study which compared the abilities of children to deny themselves instant gratification, those who were able to withhold themselves candies were in their later years more successful than those who were predisposed to instant gratification. Do you think this is a coincidence? Do you think we can change the trajectory of our children? Of our generation? I believe we can by trusting in the Lord with all our hearts and by not leaning on our own judgments. Just exactly how do we do that? How can we improve the trajectory of our children or generation? And how does trusting God affect the result of this?
In Psalm 127:4-5, David wrote, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” Children are like arrows because they can be shot, they can be molded and parents play a big role in molding them in the image of their God. If our God is the Lord, the compassionate and loving God, the forgiving and almighty God, the one who blesses those who are upright and honors the righteous, the one who saves and rescues the godly, then indeed we are raising up sharpened arrows that will make our enemies flee. Parenting needs to be intentional just as there are no coincidences in our lives, we need to bring our children in the proper, holy education that they need to have. As parents, we are to be their teachers, not the first ones to depart and leave them before the Baals of this world. Paul reminds us to raise them up properly,
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Eph 6:4
“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Col 3:20-21
The truth is, we can impart our values to our children intentionally not reluctantly or accidentally. There is a difference between the two; one relies on chance while the other is a determined faith to see that their children will follow the Lord. This is what Abraham did, he taught Isaac and in turn, Isaac taught Jacob to do the same. Teaching our very own children His ways will be a great return of investment more than filling up our earthly treasures. We must insist our children to fear the Lord and serve Him only whether they will go for missions or work in the market place. Maybe its time for you to consider praying longer for your children, that these children will serve the Lord, that they will bow their knees before God, that their greatest love and treasure will be the Lord our God.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8 (NKJV)
Trust is earned. People can love each other, they can give gifts, they can hug and even kiss but the lack of trust could easily distort this love. To be a people of faith, we need to trust God. We need to trust Him not just for our salvation but for our day to day living and for our day to day rests. There are many things that can grab our attention but to please the Lord and to trust in Him is the greatest desire of the born again Christian. Trust has many levels, just as love can also have many levels. Infants and children for instance cannot be trusted to be independent. There is age appropriate trust for children just as there are lessons only appropriate for them at each stage or season.
Maybe a two or three year old can feed himself with a spoon in his mouth but it will not be perfect. Some food particles will fall down and grease your new and minted sofa. Neither would he be able to put up his pants properly nor could he put his own drink from a bottle of Quelle to his cup precisely because he is still a baby! Trust must be progressive according to the capacity of the person who is receiving it. Just as we don’t entrust a car to a child who is 8 years old or a Barbie doll to a 2 years old, we need to discern the times and seasons when children or friends can actually handle our gifts, treasures or trust. For instance, many of our loving OFW moms and dads could be quickly lulled into throwing off bundles of gifts to their children especially this holiday season.
Because of their long absence back at home, they try to use their gifts and money to compensate for their absence. However, we cannot fool the result of this absentee fatherhood and motherhood. The result is the raising up of a generation that hoots and toots for material blessings but does not really know the essence of their values. We have brought about a generation that does not know the values of hard work and vision because we have facilitated instant gratification to our children. The result is a sky rocketing of teen pregnancy, abortion, lack of values among school aged children and consumerism without responsibility.
According to a study which compared the abilities of children to deny themselves instant gratification, those who were able to withhold themselves candies were in their later years more successful than those who were predisposed to instant gratification. Do you think this is a coincidence? Do you think we can change the trajectory of our children? Of our generation? I believe we can by trusting in the Lord with all our hearts and by not leaning on our own judgments. Just exactly how do we do that? How can we improve the trajectory of our children or generation? And how does trusting God affect the result of this?
In Psalm 127:4-5, David wrote, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” Children are like arrows because they can be shot, they can be molded and parents play a big role in molding them in the image of their God. If our God is the Lord, the compassionate and loving God, the forgiving and almighty God, the one who blesses those who are upright and honors the righteous, the one who saves and rescues the godly, then indeed we are raising up sharpened arrows that will make our enemies flee. Parenting needs to be intentional just as there are no coincidences in our lives, we need to bring our children in the proper, holy education that they need to have. As parents, we are to be their teachers, not the first ones to depart and leave them before the Baals of this world. Paul reminds us to raise them up properly,
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Eph 6:4
“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Col 3:20-21
The truth is, we can impart our values to our children intentionally not reluctantly or accidentally. There is a difference between the two; one relies on chance while the other is a determined faith to see that their children will follow the Lord. This is what Abraham did, he taught Isaac and in turn, Isaac taught Jacob to do the same. Teaching our very own children His ways will be a great return of investment more than filling up our earthly treasures. We must insist our children to fear the Lord and serve Him only whether they will go for missions or work in the market place. Maybe its time for you to consider praying longer for your children, that these children will serve the Lord, that they will bow their knees before God, that their greatest love and treasure will be the Lord our God.
In : Word for the week
Tags: trusting the lord with all our heart
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