Isaiah 45:15a,18

Truly, God, " You created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. You made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos." Yet, it seems so many days are filled with chaos. So many THINGS are filled with the chaos of being here.

Jesus has overcome!!!

Kingdom Minded

I often hear the saying, "Put first things first". Did I place a higher emphasis on teaching my children multiplication facts over training a rebellious heart? Or did I work more on shaping my childrens hearts towards Christ rather than writing? Perhaps both. But realistically, I know in my heart that I placed a heavier emphasis on one over the other. I know that when my priorities change, I find myself rushing through devotions and Bible reading so I can get to the so-called "more important" subjects. Although that is not my heart, it is how I have been conditioned by the world. Yes, I want my children equipped so they can build the kingdom of God and I want them to thrive in life, but there is always a cost to consider."All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way . . ." (Isaiah 53:6) It is a constant battle of my mind to continue to pursue Christ and His ways before all other things. I need to always remember what the Bible says: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) In this verse,"all these things" refers to our basic necessities of life--food and clothing. Earlier in this passage Jesus said,"For after all these things do the Gentiles seek" (vs. 32) and he rebukes his disciples as he tells them that "your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." (vs. 32) Will this passage still apply to my children when they are grown? Of course it will! However, it is very easy today in this society to get caught up in the ways of the Gentiles, but that is not how I should think or even speak to others as I purpose to educate my children. In my mind I am educating them so they can further the kingdom of God and also so they can provide for their families. My intentions are good and honorable, but God does not require my children to have minds filled with a bunch of knowledge; He is seeking men and women who have a heart after Him, like David. ". . . I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will." (Acts 13:22) The Bible does not state that David was an educated man like Paul, so it is safe to assume that he was not. What the Bible does say about David is that he was a shepherd who tended and protected his flock of sheep from lions and bears; he had boldness as he approached the king, along with courage and faith as a young boy when he fought the giant, Goliath; and he was a servant as he played his harp to king Saul. This was David's resume before he became the king of Israel! When I read Paul's resume, most assuredly according to the world's standards I would be impressed by it. Paul himself said in Philippians 3:4 that he was a man who had confidence in his flesh. He goes on to say,"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." (Philippians 3:7) When I get to the end of Paul's list of achievements, this is what he had to say about it, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8) Paul knew what mattered most in his life. He spoke with authority about worthless pursuits. I won't lose heart or become discouraged. I will keep in mind the race that I am running. "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)As hard as this journey may be at times, I am encouraged to know that I am running to obtain an imperishable crown--one with an eternal purpose. My children will reflect the things that I put into them, so I'll make sure that the things we pursue will last forever. God does not require my children to have a college degree in order to use them, but what He does require is their hearts!

She came to the house of God with her heart smashed into bits. Her dreams had been crushed. Words of bitter cruelty had been hurled at her. And in those deep crevices of one's heart, where no human understanding penetrates, the pain finally rolled out. At the throne of God, with tears pouring down her cheeks, Hannah, we are told: "spoke from her heart." While Hannah had tried to share her hidden secrets, as author Mary Dixon Thayer so correctly notes, "Always there remain portions of our heart into which no one is able to enter, invite them as we may." Hannah had tried to explain how she felt. She tried to tell her husband who rebuffed her with, "What's the matter with me? Am I not good enough for you?" She even tried, on an annual basis, to express the loneliness and the sorrow that scraped the tender lining of her heart before her God at the sacred setting of Shiloh - but to no avail. Accused as a drunk she found herself in the uncomfortable place of defending herself from false accusations. So I ask you, had you been Hannah, what would you do? With the shreds of a broken heart in your hands, it might have been the easiest thing to recoil from anything and everyone who had the slightest potential for further damaging what was so wounded. Many times, in all our lives, there are people, who through the cruelty of their actions and words so deeply wound our sensibilities, we no longer have the strength or the will to plod ahead. The author, Henry David Thoreau said that most of us live lives of "quiet desperation." And it is in this quietness where many choose to reside, never speaking, never sharing, and never living. For Hannah, life within the walls of a broken heart wasn't any life at all and so, in spite of the hurt and pain, she went to her Father, again and again. And the Bible says she, "spoke from her heart." How I love those words. Hannah didn't pull out some book of transcribed prayers or prepared text, instead she went into those gashed chasms where no one dared enter and she laid open every pain, no matter how desperate it was or apparently inconsequential it might seem to another human being. And she asked for help from the "One" she knew she could count on. Like Hannah, the Psalmist David spoke from his own shattered heart when he cried out, "O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You. My inner self thirsts for You...so I have looked upon You in the sanctuary to see Your power and glory." (Psalm 63: 1, 2). Just as Hannah came to Shiloh, so David came to his Father's dwelling place hunting and longing for that "Balm in Gilead." As he spoke from his heart to his loving Father, he was given a glimpse of the glory and power that as he so eloquently penned, "Satisfies us with marrow and fatness" (Psalm 63: 5). I do not know what pain is wrecking havoc in your world today. I have no idea what sorrow is tearing your heart apart. However, I do know that when we speak from our heart to our Father, we will find healing for our hurting and hope in place of all our dashed dreams. In the comforting words of the prophet Isaiah, "He has sent Me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted" (Isaiah 61: 1). "The poor broken-hearted, going into (her) bedroom, bends (her) knee, but can only utter (her) mournful cry in the language of sighs and tears. Look! That groan has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music; that tear has been caught by God, and put into a vase made especially for tears, to be perpetually preserved." C. H. Spurgeon "Thou tellest my wanderings; put Thou my tears into Thy bottle; are they not in Thy book?" Psalm 56: 8 King James Version