Category: Family

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

My kids and I first memorized Matthew 7 years ago – when Noelle was just a baby. It is such a beautiful passage filled with contrasts and ideals.

I am so loving my Scripture Typer Bible Memory app. It is equipping me to remember passages I thought I’d long since forgotten.

In reviewing this passage, this section really struck me. It is an example of a comparison and contrast paper like I might have written back in high school.

Similarities-
Both men heard Jesus’ words.
Both men built houses.
Both men’s houses suffered from rain and flooding and wind.

Differences-
The wise man did what Jesus said but the foolish man didn’t.
The wise man’s house was built, founded, on rock while the foolish man’s house was built on sand.
The wise man’s house did not fall while the foolish man’s house did – and great was the fall of it.

I think there’s so much we can learn here. Just listening to the words of Jesus does not cause our house to be built on the rock. We are not to merely listen to the word and so deceive ourselves. We are to DO what it says. (James 1:22-22).

We are all building our houses and we might even think we are building them well. The house itself may be beautiful and strong and well-built but if it’s foundation is not solid, it will fall when the storms of life come.

And indeed, the storms of life will come to us all. Those storms are frequently used by the Lord to show us where our heart is. That storm that displays God’s power and glory and might in one person’s life can be the very same struggle that causes another man’s life to crumble.

And now I ask you – on what are you building your LIFE? Remember, He has set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose LIFE that you and your offspring may live.

I love you, sisters. Press on. Remember, whoever hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.

After finishing in Romans 8 yesterday, I turned the page to begin Romans 9 and was like, “Wow! No natural children, part TWO.”

Look with me at Romans 9:3-5.

Paul is expressing his compassion for his brothers in the flesh, the Jews. He writes, “They are Israelites and to them BELONG the adoption…” They were the CHOSEN children according to the flesh. And yet, God had chosen to bring in the Gentiles and God was not bringing in all of the Israelites. “What is going on here,” Paul is wondering.

Now move on to Romans 9:6-8

“6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,
7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”

Do you see why I was like, “WOW. No children of the flesh!?”

But now is where it gets really tricky. Remember what I was writing about yesterday? That it is up to the parent to choose to adopt that child and that adoption is not based on their merit or worth.

Look at Romans 9:10-12

“10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,
11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—
12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.””

God had a purpose. He always has a purpose. And His purposes are always good. He chooses, not because of our works, but because of His good purposes.

Which brings us to Romans 9:22-24:

“22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”

I, for one, am thankful that He chooses to have mercy on any of us. Truly, we have all like sheep gone astray. Truly, none of us are without sin. Truly, all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

I sincerely pray that all four of my children, both my biological ones and my adopted one, will seek the Lord with their whole hearts and find Him. I pray that they will be among those standing with me before the throne in Heaven. But when it all comes down to it, it is my job to train them up in the way they should go and my job to teach them the ways of the Lord, but it is ultimately between God and them. And not me. I cannot bear children into the kingdom by my own strength.

Which brings me to the end of Romans 9. Look at verses 30-32.

“30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;
31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.
32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,”

It is not by our works or our worth that we are saved, but by our faith. It has always been by faith and it will always be by faith. Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness. Unfortunately, just as the Jews were pursuing a righteousness based on the law, many, many of us who bear the name of Christ today are attempting to attain righteousness by our works.

Brothers and sisters, this has never worked and it will never work. You will never be good enough. You will never do enough good needs to merit the favor of God.

God willing, my post tomorrow will be titled Wages Due and we will explore this together in more depth.

I’d love to hear from you. How do you struggle with this idea of No Natural Children? How has this impacted your upbringing? How does it impact how you bring up your own children?

TWIG

I must say that the past three weeks have been filled with events to keep me on my knees. To keep me humble. To keep me from becoming conceited. To keep me weak. I pray that The Lord has looked at me and said “Have you considered my servant, Kim?” (Job 2:8) and that in all my response I have not sinned or charged God with wrong. (Job 2:22)

I’d say it probably began when our family returned (July 14) from a week long trip to Colorado, knowing we had only ten days to pack up and move our whole house of stuff accumulated over 18 years of marriage. Our closing still held looming uncertainty yet we continued to take steps daily by faith that The Lord would bring this about.

Incredibly, two days after returning our oldest son, Nick, developed a killer, killer headache which was only getting worse as time went by. We rushed him to the ER where he was diagnosed with meningitis.

After a spinal tap and 36 hours in the hospital, it was determined that it was viral, rather than bacterial, and he was discharged already starting to feel better.

I praised God for Nick’s quick improvement, and yet my strong, able bodied, #1 moving assistant was down.  In God’s great goodness, our church family, His hands and feet here on earth, stepped up in a MIGHTY way to help us pack and move.  We successfully closed on the sale and purchase of our houses and moved the weekend of July 25.

Just as I began to think we’d have a few weeks of smooth sailing, along came poison ivy to keep me humble and weak and on my knees. I ended up with a severe reaction resulting in extreme swelling on the right side of my face and another ER visit. (This time for me.)Yet, once again, God’s grace is sufficient!!!

The week I came home from Colorado, I began memorizing 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 and God has given me plenty of opportunities to put them to use. I remember reciting these verses while Nick bent over holding my hand as the doctor drew spinal fluid out of his arched, pained back.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

This story so far has been about the past few weeks, but what God is working on me now is in Romans 8:18-25.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”  Romans 8:18-25.

My hope stands firm in the coming return of Jesus. My hope is not found here. The whole earth is groaning in the pains of meningitis and poison ivy reactions, yet these sufferings are not even worthy comparing with the GLORY that is to be revealed to us.