God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello All!

It is back to school time –  a time of letting go of our children as they head off to kindergarden or college.  At this time of transition, it is not uncommon for both child and adult to be fearful.

Will they make friends?

Will they be able to handle their classes?

Will they stay out of trouble?

Have I raised them well enough?

Will he/she stand up for their faith when others are forgoing the faith and indulging in whatever life may offer them.

If you have raised your child with a Christian faith,  you have given your child the best possible support for anything they may encounter.  Faith which is acted out by obedience, prayer and trust, will be their weapon when difficult circumstances come their way.

“For the Lord’s eyes move to and fro throughout the earth to help those whose hearts are completely His.”(2 Chron 16:9)

If you have modeled faith in action, your children will most likely incorporate this into their lives too.

Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.(Prov 22:6 ESV)

Faith can look so different from one Christian to another.  Some people simply believe that the Lord exists and He forgives our sins- that is the extent of their faith.  Others “listen” to the voice of God and obey His leading which can oftentimes be counterintuitive to our human nature.  You may be lead by God to do things that make your secular friends and family members shake their heads- like Noah and the Ark for instance, and many more. Take a look…

Hebrews 11 New International Version– edited

Faith in Action

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see

 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous.

 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,  who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 

These Bible stories about people who had faith, are numerous and awe inspiring.  When you turn your life over to God and choose to follow His ways, He will take care of all that concerns you. You can have a radical faith in God!

You will have to endure some testing and/or the consequences of your actions but when that testing is over, you will be amazed where the Lord has lead you.  It is so important to stay strong during the difficult time of testing because this is how God refines you into pure gold- your motives become pure, your desires change from being self focused to being kingdom focused- and your days of living for yourself are over. Not only that, the Lord gives you an unshakable peace.

This is what happens after you emerge from the tunnel of testing STILL WALKING IN FAITH.  You have a new life, a better life. One that is totally dependent on God to be who He says He will be.  To provide that which He said He would provide.

So as this new school year begins and your children are standing more and more on their own two feet,  pray without ceasing and trust without wavering. And if by chance you haven’t raised your child in the faith -start now!  Read the Bible. Live out what you have learned, pray for your children and then you can rest assured that God is a good God and He can be trusted to help them because of His mercy and grace.

All my best to all of the college students out there!  Take your studies seriously because it’s a lot easier to get your education now while you are single than when you are married and have children! The Bible constantly teaches us to do things in order- the Universe is very orderly and our lives will have less stress and more enjoyment when we follow this Biblical truth.

Lisa