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Many of us are familiar with the "Blessed are..." portions of Jesus' sermon on the mount and sadly, some think that's actually the entire sermon. But it's not. Our Lord's sermon spans two chapters in the Apostle Matthew's gospel, with the major theme being: live holy lives unto the Lord. Though the Beatitudes are very important, it's only the short introduction to Christ's great teaching on what a true Christian's life looks like.

The Lord Jesus strongly teaches that our mere profession of faith doesn't prove we belong to Him. Only the demonstration of the Holy Spirit's work gives evidence that we've been sealed (2 Cor 1:22). But if the fruit of righteousness isn't born in all who profess the name of Christ, it's clear they're not possessed by the life of Christ.

Sermon on the mount in a nutshell:

1)   Blessed are those who are in Christ and live as He lived (Mt 5:1-12)
2)   I should be physical evidence (the taste) that the LORD is good; He alone preserves life (Mt 5:13)
3)   My life should be a beacon of the Gospel, not a cavern of megalomania (Mt 5:14-16)
4)   Obey God's commandments (Mt 5:17-20)
5)   Quickly settle disagreements with love (Mt 5:21-26)
6)   Don't be sexually immoral in heart, mind or body (Mt 5:27-30)
7)   MEN, don't divorce your wives (Mt 5:31-32)
8)   Don't lie or flatter; be a person of my word; be trustworthy (Mt 5:33-37)
9)   Be humble and loving, not selfish and vengeful (Mt 5:38-42)
10) Be perfect in Christ and love righteousness (Mt 5:43-48)
11) Give to others as unto the Lord, not for praise (Mt 6:1-4)
12) Pray in accordance with God's will not mine or others (Mt 6:5-13)
13) Humbled and grateful for God's mercy, forgive others as God has forgiven me (Mt 6:14-15)
14) Practice holy fasts to the Lord, not to self-righteous asceticism (Mt 6:16-18)
15) Invest my life in Christ rather than in my body and life on earth (Mt 6:19-21)
16) Don't watch or read things that cause me to sin (Mt 6:22-23)
17) Live joyfully abandoned to Christ, not foolishly in love with this world (Mt 6:24)
18) God is omniscient, sovereign and good and always provides for His own (Mt 6:25-34)
19) Judge in accordance with God's word, not with my opinions or personal affinities (Mt 7:1-5)
20) Be wise who I invest in; true disciples, not flatterers (Mt 7:6)
21) Trust God to provide all good things (Mt 7:7-11)
22) Do the good to others I'd like done to me, whether or not it's done to me (Mt 7:12)
23) Be in the minority; persevere in holiness rather than self-gratification (Mt 7:13-14)
24) Discern between true disciples of Christ and false converts (Mt 7:15-20)
25) Christ will reject many who profess faith, but haven't truly been regenerated (Mt 7:21-23)
26) Only those who persevere in the will of God prove to be His (Mt. 7:24-27)
27) Jesus spoke with authority as God and not as a human theologian (Mt 7:28-29)

If the Son of God did not disrobe Himself of His glory to put on sackcloth and ashes (skin and bones), descend from Heaven to fulfill the requirements of God's righteousness, take the blame and shame for our sins, suffer, die and resurrect anew, then all of us would be without hope of ever attaining eternal life. But because all this did happen and Christ did come and lived a sinless life, bore the just judgement for our sins, suffered, died, was buried, rose and ascended back to Heaven, having completed His work, now seated at the right hand of the Father; all who believe and call on the name of the Lord, will be saved.

However, not all who call on the name of the Lord, actually believe the Lord. This is the message of the sermon on the mount: saved people live like Christ, not for a time, but for a lifetime. False converts live in opposition to what they profess, living how they really believe—that they are their own god and live in accordance with what they feel is right instead of what God says is right.

Because of the sermon on the mount, I am deeply grieved for the many (that Jesus says) will be shocked to find out they are not His. On the day of Judgement, they will discover all their "righteous" deeds were only filthy rags in God's sight, because they weren't done in faith and by the power of God. But they were performed for various self-satisfying reasons and for the praise of others (i.e., "I did that because it made me feel good" rather than "I did that because it pleases God").

A true Christian feels good because they do what is pleasing to God (as clearly revealed in His Word), rather than thinking because they feel good, God must be pleased.

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."
~Proverbs 21:2-3 (ESV)

Mr. Joe Koblenzer, a 73-year-old Vietnam War veteran, rightfully lost his hosting job at Cracker Barrel in Venice, Florida (Sarasota County) after he stole a corn muffin from the restaurant and gave it to a possibly (but not verified) homeless man. I know the title of this piece and opening statement is not a popular one, but it's the truth. And if you truly care about people, you share the truth; hoping peace, love and reconciliation will be shared between all involved.

The beauty of truth is that it's impartial. Equal weight is given to all and no favor is given to one party over another (Ex 23:2-3, James 2:3-4), otherwise it isn't truth, it's discrimination.

No rich person, no poor person, no child, no senior citizen, nor war veteran is above the law.


Wednesday, June 25, 2014 Cracker Barrel released this statement:

"Mr. Koblenzer has worked as a host at Cracker Barrel’s Sarasota store since April 2011. During the time he was employed, he violated the Company’s policies regarding consuming food without paying or giving away free food, on five separate occasions. Mr. Koblenzer received multiple counselings and written warnings reminding him about the company’s polices and the consequences associated with violating them. On the fifth occasion, again per Company policy, Mr. Koblenzer was terminated. Cracker Barrel is grateful for and honors Mr. Koblenzer’s service to our country as we honor all service men and women and their families."

I hadn't planned on writing about this, but after much prayer and a conversation with a misled Christian gal (that I don't know) on Twitter, I felt the truth needed to be shared. I prayed about this because I didn't want to add one more article to the same story that's been over-repeated from the same angle; Mr. Joe Koblenzer is good, Cracker Barrel is bad. But as I prayed, I realized I needed to write about it because this one-sided story is causing great injury to Cracker Barrel, the manager, the other employees, their families and the entire establishment (at least the one in Venice, Florida) because of this incident.

In order to honor God, bring peace to all (especially among my brothers and sisters in Christ), I share the facts below. Please consider them carefully.

FACT 1: Mr. Koblenzer took something that did not belong to him (regardless of monetary value or what he did with it) without the permission of the person who owned the item. That is called stealing...plain and simple (Mk 10:19).

FACT 2: This wasn't Mr. Koblenzer's first incident with stealing from his employers, it was his fifth (as far as his employers know). And his employers were kind and patient enough to verbally counsel him multiple times as well as give him written reminders not to steal in order to help Mr. Koblenzer overcome his illegal inclinations.

FACT 3: Cracker Barrel's policy for employee theft is not a weird, over-reaching rule about their merchandise...it's very ordinary and necessary. Every employer must terminate any employee who has the same presumptuous and entitled attitude that could affect and harm other employees who might be inclined to steal and justify it. Employee theft is not a harmless crime. It hurts many.

FACT 4: Though Mr. Koblenzer broke the law as well as company policy, his employers who did the right thing are being crucified by the public and media for upholding the the law and normal corporate, business policy.

FACT 5: While this entire incident is sad, just because Mr. Koblenzer is 73-years-old or is a war veteran should neither be the issue nor the reason for the media's and public's outrage. If any employee felt it was the "right thing to do" then they could and should pay for items they want to give to the needy.

Every since I was four years old, raised by poor immigrant parents, I gave to those I felt were in need. And not once did I steal property from others to do that. If I saw someone who needed food, I gave them mine. If I saw someone who needed a blanket, I gave them one, even if it just happened to be the only one I had. And what I've done isn't necessarily anything noble, it's merely loving my neighbor. It's Christianity 101. Countless others I know have loved their neighbors the same way (and I'm sure you have too)...that is, pay for food and other merchandise and give it to someone who's in need. That's what truly kind, thoughtful and loving people do. They don't steal from one to give to another, they give from what they have.

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."
~Ephesians 4:28 (ESV)

Please allow me a moment to digress. In response to the Christian gal on Twitter who told me that if I stole her purse and gave it to someone else, particularly "a starving man" that is, someone in a similar situation to the benefactor of the stolen corn muffin, then she would thank me. Let's more wisely and carefully consider your statement. If I stole your purse with all its contents (because why would anyone steal a content-less purse and give it to a starving man, how's he going to benefit from that?) and gave it to a "starving man", I'm pretty sure he'd either steal or sell your identity, then live like a king off of your credit cards and whatever else he could sell from the items in your purse. No, I don't think if I really did that (or if you really decided to give your purse away to a total stranger) you would be thankful...to anyone, except the person who helped you retrieve your stolen property.

CONCLUSION: This entire situation is sad and I wish the best for Mr. Koblenzer. I hope he finds another job and that he learned from this so he can be a more wise, thoughtful and trustworthy employee. But more than that, I pray for Mr. Koblenzer's soul; that he repents and trust Christ as His Savior. Then he will no longer have to steal or wonder where his next meal is coming from because the God of all creation will be his Provider for all things in this life and more importantly, in the life to come.

I also hope Cracker Barrel and all their employees won't be too damaged by this unfortunate incident. I for one will do what I can to help by dining at my local Cracker Barrel after church this Sunday. I hope you'll do the same.

I don't know about you, but often, when I read Scripture, I find myself in awe of the humble, compassionate and God-honoring responses and behaviors of the saints of old. I am often moved to repent after being exposed to the glaring truth that I would have never said or done the same things. Then I pray that the Lord would give me a more Christ-glorifying and genuinely loving heart that seeks God's will to be done and His name to be exalted instead of mine.

This happened during my reading of the Word today. While I was reading in Numbers 14 (which I've read a million times before, but never saw it this way), I was stunned by verses 11-19 and my reading came to a screeching halt as I repented of the truth I was faced with: I would have never responded the same way if I were in Moses's sandals. If God would have told me He was fed up all the whining, complaining and rebellion of a group of people I was well-acquainted with and therefore was going to destroy them all and start all over with me and my family, I ashamedly must admit; I would have not interceded for them.

No, rather than intercede on behalf of a bunch of half-hearted, ungrateful, idolatrous and selfish people, I would have burst with joy that the Lord was going to relieve me of being in relationship with these people. Then I would've thanked God for honoring me and my family. I would be glad to be rid of people who meander towards obedience to the LORD. I would have been most thankful to no longer have to endure their petty arguments and concede to their weak human need to have some comforts in this world. Oh how delighted I would be if I were in Moses sandals! But thanks be to God that I was not, because that was most certainly not the most gracious, compassionate and Christ-like response.

Unlike me, Moses was not elated to find out he might finally be rid of these people who repeatedly grumbled against God and him. No, Moses held not grudges. Moses was not bitter. Moses did not seek to further his own kingdom, agenda or ministry. Moses didn't get lost in the doing of ministry so that he forgot the God and people He was called to love and serve. No, Moses remembered what Mary so tightly held onto in Luke 10:39. Moses lived at the foot of his Master, which kept him humble and consumed with God's glory and pleasure in all things.

Rather than feel honored that God would wipe out an entire group of people undeserving of God's grace, and start all over with him and his family, Moses lamented over the thought that God's name might be reviled. Rather than rejoice in self-exaltation, Moses' thoughts were only for God's glory. And that's where I need to always be.

So today, I'm thanking God for His mercy and grace upon me—an undeserving recipient of His love. I am often appalled when I read Old Testament accounts of Israel's rebellion against God, or even Eve's rebellion in a perfect world...literally. But when I survey that wondrous Cross in which my Savior died for me, all I can conclude is that if I were Eve I would've eaten of the forbidden fruit faster than she did. And if I were an Israelite, I wouldn't have vacillated between obedience to rebellion, I would've remained in the latter.

I am grateful that God is more compassionate than I. And I am grateful that in Christ, I can be all that God commands me to be.
Father's Day is often a time when we celebrate and honor the life of the man who made the greatest difference in our lives. Some for good, and some for bad. Just the same, God gave fathers the greatest responsibility for leading their families.

In an ideal world, that would mean every father would love the LORD God with all their hearts and with all their soul and with all their mind and with all their strength; and love others better than themselves. But since we live in a fallen world wrecked with sin, this is not the kind of father we all had, or presently have.

Some of us have fathers who either don't know the LORD at all, or profess to know the LORD but their profession is all there is. Some of us weren't raised by Christian father's whose greatest desire was to see their children walking in the Way of the Lord Jesus, who sacrificed his comforts for his family and others, and who lived to love others better than he was ever loved by them.

Christ-honoring fathers are the kinds of fathers that are easy to celebrate and honor every day of our lives. But what if we don't have this kind of father? Are we to slap on a plastic face and lavish our fathers with flattery and speak of them in a way we wished for them to be, but they never were? Are we too ashamed to admit our father's didn't raise us in the loving instruction and discipline of the Lord both in word and deed? And then, rather than remain silent, or speak the truth we can, we lie to them and others in order to join in on this celebration?

And what about wives? Should wives give false praise to husbands whose character doesn't exude the life of Christ? Should we decorate our husbands with accolades that really don't speak to their godly character?

Rather than seem like ungrateful and ungodly children and wives, we spit shine our false image of our fathers and husbands so we can pretend they are the people they really aren't. Us mothers do our children a great disservice when we lie about our husband's non-existent godly behaviors. We need to teach our children how to appreciate what's really there, rather than condone our already saturated world of lies.

So this year, resolve not to purchase your fathers or husbands cards that talk about what fantastically godly men they are if they're not; lest they believe your lies and never aspire to be such. Rather, purchase them cards that honestly speak of your love and prayers for them. If you can't find one, then make one. Truth is always better than fiction.

Neither profaning nor falsely glorifying ungodly fathers and husbands is good. They are both sinful behaviors many participate in, only to preserve their own image of godliness. But there is no sin in godliness; only truth and light.

So how do we celebrate and honor men who are not worthy of honor and celebration? We honor them by being honest, and loving them in truth. Rather than lavish them with false thanks and accolades before friends, family and social media, we ought to thank them for what we truly can and pray for them to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Celebrating a Different Kind of Mother) .Only through our genuine display of love and prayers can they actually lead their families in the Way of the Lord Jesus in word and deed.

I am grateful to the Lord for my unbelieving earthly father God chose for me. Though many terrible and painful things happened because of this, I am blessed by the countless lessons I've learned about what true, godly love is, and what it isn't.

I am grateful to the Lord for my believing husband who has fathered our sons in the loving instruction and discipline of the Lord. Not having had a godly example, my darling husband has had many bumps in the road (just as I have as a mother). So I don't flatter him to overcome his failings, but I do honor and celebrate his humble heart that's sensitive to the Holy Spirit's call to repentance. My darling husband faithfully strives for holiness by reading and studying God's Word daily and honestly confessing his sins to me and our sons (Jn 3:21); teaching us not to follow him in sin, but to follow him in the ways of the Lord. My husband's heart is much like King David's—stumbles in sin, but quick to repent.

If you're reading this now and feel a bit discouraged because you neither have a father nor a husband who is worthy to be praised, then remember this: if you repent and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you have the best, most loving and perfect Father—your Father in Heaven! And there is not one thing our heavenly Father does or says that is not worthy of praise. Even if we praised the LORD for all His goodness to us with every breath we take from here and throughout eternity, it would never match the praise He is due.

"You have multiplied, O LORD my God, Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts toward us; none can compare with You! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told."
~Psalm 40:5 (ESV)
The joys of parenting begin when the news first hits our ears...we're going to have a baby! Then we get to revel in all the shopping of baby items, planning of baby showers and dreaming of all that we'll do with our precious little gift from God. We savor every moment we get to sing to our child in the womb and read the Words of God to him or her every day. Then we're elated when the grand and long awaited day arrives and we get to hold our little bundle of joy in our arms; smell his/her fresh babyness, and delight in the wonders of holding a new life!

The parenting joys continue as we watch our sweet child experiment with sounds and begin to coo and smile, laugh, roll and play. We're just as eager and excited as they are when they learn to crawl and walk...until we realize a fully independent mobile child is often a full independent accident waiting to happen. Then we have nightmares that they've ingested poison, or a toy, put a fork in a socket, or climbed too high on a piece of furniture with only a hard floor to break their fall...or a bone.

As they get older, while we have mountains of joy spending time with them at family breakfast devotionals, midday chats about how the Lord has worked in their lives, family prayer times and times of playing games, watching movies and snuggling. And we experience many woes in between those moments of bliss we wish would never end. But they must.

If every experience we had in life were nothing but one jovial moment after another, we'd remain immature children with no idea of responsibility nor would we ever learn the natural and sometimes painful consequences of the choices we make in life. Without the sorrows of life, we'd never truly grasp the glory of  the joys.

Though the woes of parenting are painful and sometimes make you feel like you just got the wind knocked out of you, they are necessary and can be trusted in the hands of our sovereign, good and loving God. They are necessary because there is no human being, save Christ, whose lived, living or will ever live that doesn't suffer from enormous amounts of pride. And if we never felt like a failure as a parent or repented of anything we've ever said or done while raising our children, then due to our immense pride, we're likely to take all the credit for how well our children turned out or the full blame for how not-so-well they turned out. 

Neither extreme is healthy. And neither are true.

Whether we're the perfect parent (which no one is) or the parent who exposed and condoned heinous sins to our children i.e., pornography, abortion, same-sex or transgender lifestyles, etc. (which some have); we can neither claim full credit nor full blame for every decision our children make. Our children are not robots or computer programs where we can simply input data or write a code and expect the same results others get who inputted or coded a similar way.

Our children are living human beings, created by our awesome Father God. We all have natural proclivities to certain sins as well as gifts and talents to bless others.

Parenting isn't for wimps, the selfish, militant nor manipulative person who simply have children to gratify their already overweening egos. That's not parenting, that's propagating your own agenda much like Hitler who brainwashed, manipulated and militantly misled people to follow his ideal world; which included squashing the ideas and lives of others who didn't agree or fit into his utopia.

By God's immense grace He allows us to procreate and enjoy the blessing of having little ones entrusted to our care and raise them by His design, not ours. By His good and wise counsel, God has instructed us to lovingly train up our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). This instruction isn't some sort of archaic, impersonal commandment, but rather a glorious privilege and gift from God on how to best care for our precious children in accordance with His perfect Word rather than our fallible opinions.

"All have turned aside; together have become worthless; no one does good, not even one...And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
~Romans 3:12, Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)

Only through the hearing and receiving of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can any parent train up their children in the Way (that is, the narrow and holy way of Christ) they should go. If we don't understand the Gospel and if we haven't truly received it, the message of hope and the freedom found only in Christ can never be obtained, lived or taught.

It's only by God's grace that any of us are saved and it's only by His special grace upon His chosen people that we are kept and sanctified by the power of His Holy Spirit. I can't save either of my sons, but I can share and live the Gospel before them. I can't make them love God and others. But I can love God and others before them. I can't make them compassionate and considerate people. But I can demonstrate this through sacrificial service to them and others. I can't make them humble and thankful. But I can submit to my Lord Jesus and my husband joyfully and speak of the gratitude I have for the provisions God has made in my life.

Now that my sons are grown, I often ask myself, "Could I have done better?" And the answer is assuredly "YES!" There are so many things I've recently learned that I wish I knew two decades ago. But I didn't. And I know God allowed for that so I don't beat myself over the head with it. So what do I do with this new and improved parenting information I didn't have to benefit my children? I turn to those who are behind me and share this nugget of wisdom with them so their children can benefit. After all, what good is a blessing if you don't share it with others?

And this is the consolation: though none of us parents perfectly, by God's grace our children will be what He has ordained in His book in conjunction with our obedience, and even in spite of our disobedience. So though we may not be able to personally use all the wisdom about parenting we will continue to learn throughout our lives, we can still have the joy and privilege of passing them onto those who are raising the next generation.

"Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them...And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ...if we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself."
~Psalm 139:16, Philippians 1:6, 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, a day where many mother's will be honored and celebrated by her children, husbands, other family members, friends and even some online friends the Lord has allowed.

It'll be a beautiful day, but is this all that it's about? Is Mother's Day, a day only to honor our earthly mothers or be honored ourselves? Or is a day, another day we get to give thanks to God for His inexpressible Gift of Christ (2 Cor 9:15)? It's a tough question even for me to answer because like everyone else, I like to be praised, applauded, honored, appreciate and noticed. I like being made to feel special. Don't we all?

About four years ago when I was in the midst of nearly daily doctor's appointments and serious and painful tests, I prayed to the LORD for help and He led me to a faithful sister in Christ, Rachel Barkey. Rachel, a wife and mother of two young children, fiercely battled breast cancer for more than four years. Only a few months prior to her last speaking engagement (below) Rachel bravely, soberly and realistically shared her view of the cancer God allowed to ravish her body, but not her spirit bound in Christ.

With precious and appropriate humor, and real tears and frustrations of leaving her young family, Rachel shines the life of Christ even as she walks down the valley of the shadow of death.

She requested this speaking engagement to be videotaped so that her young children will be able to see and hear her message to them—know God, know yourself, know the Gospel and know your purpose.

This is truly a woman to be praised. A woman who lived and faced death desiring only to bear the image of Jesus during her short time here on this earth.

On Mother's Day, the greatest honor I desire is for the Lord Jesus to be praised and for His life to shine through me and be evident to all. After all, what greater gift can a mother give and live before her children than a faith that saves (James 2:14)?




"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the fruit of hands, and let her works praise her in the gates...I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me...Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him..."
~Proverbs 31:30-31, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 3:8-9 (ESV)

My precious sister in Christ, Rachel, whom I never met in person (but look forward to meeting when I get Home) fully demonstrated the above Scriptures. I pray that I too may live and leave this kind of legacy—a legacy of faith in Christ, a faith that saves and not one that just makes people feel good.

Whenever the Lord brings this precious sister to mind, please pray for her family who still misses her; especially on special days like tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day.
For the past month our oldest son has been asking me what I want for Mother's Day. I've had no other ideas to offer him except one: that he aspire nothing greater than to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; walk closely with Him and that love for the Almighty be preeminent in his life.

I'm 45 now and I pretty much have everything I need or want. When you get to be my age, there's very little you desire that money can buy. The things that are most cherished are the things of the heart. And since Christ is my Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit inhabits my heart and directs my desires to be more like Christ and less like I was pre-second birth (Rom 8:28-29, Gal 2:20).

The desires of our flesh begin to wane as we draw nearer to the Lord Jesus. We begin to see things with the new spiritual eyes He gave us. And the things we treasure are no longer the things that satisfy our flesh. We begin only to long for the greater things—the things that satisfy the Spirit of Christ within us.

"What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people."
~Psalm 116:12-14 (ESV)

This Mother's Day is bitter sweet for me as I only have one son still in my life. Our second son, as many of you have already read, is our prodigal and has disdained and rejected all that our most generous and gracious Lord has blessed him with through our family. Sadly, our son is a scoffer (Prov 9:7, 13:1) and prefers to join himself with people who tickle his ears (Prov 26:28, 27:6) rather than love him and build him up in the truth (Ps 141:5).

Because we have the love of Christ, we have much pity for our son gone astray and for those helping him in his rebellion. There is no safer or lovelier place than in the Lord Jesus, and they're all missing out on the greatest Gift.

May our merciful and compassionate LORD grant them all godly grief (2 Cor 7:9-10).

"It is only as Christ's words remain in us and we remain in him that we will be delivered from the rootless Christianity so characteristic of our times."
~Sinclair Ferguson (A Heart for God)
The greatest gift a mother's heart desires is not for gold, trinkets or anything that will fade away with this world. But the greatest desire any God-fearing and Christ-loving mother has, is to see her children, all her children, walking in truth (1 Jn 3:18). And this is something she can't do for them.

There's a point and time in every person's life where they need to take responsibility for the gifts and even sin patterns they have. Every saved person can choose to use their God-given strengths to overcome the sinful temptations of their flesh, or they can ignore the good and revel in the evil.

A mother can neither take the credit for the fruit and blessings of a godly child, nor can she take the blame for one gone astray. The best and most loving thing a mother can do is be obedient to God's Word (Deut 6:6-9, Prov 31:26) and diligently train up her children in the loving discipline and instruction of the LORD; and trust Him for the results.

My heart echoes what Job aptly spoke, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21, ESV).

"We turn to God when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that it is God who is shaking them."
~Charles West

Though this Mother's Day will be bitter sweet, it will be more sweet than bitter because Jesus is still on the throne and the Almighty is still sovereign. Therefore, I choose to relish the goodness of Christ my Savior and thank Him for both my sons, the one who strives for holiness and the one who has spurned God's goodness. All children are gifts from God (Ps 127:3); therefore, I am grateful and rejoice!
The first week of April 2014, my darling husband Jim shared something on Facebook that really peaked my interest. He posted the Bible study, Scripture memory and reading methods of A.W. Pink. After reading it, I was a bit hesitant, but printed it out and desired to do the same.

"In my early years I assiduously followed this threefold course:

"First, I read through the entire Bible three times a year (eight chapters in the Old Testament, and two in the New Testament daily.) I steadily persevered in this for ten years, in order to familiarize myself with its contents, which can only be done by consecutive reading.

"Second, I studied a portion of the Bible each week, concentrating for ten minutes (or more) each day on the same passage, pondering the order of it, the connection between each statement, seeking a definition of the important terms in it, looking up all the marginal references, being on the look-out for its typical significance. 

"Third, I meditated on one verse each day; writing it out on a slip of paper in the morning, memorizing it, consulting it at odd moments through the day; pondering separately each word in it, asking God to open for me its spiritual meaning and to write it on my heart. The verse was my food for that day, meditation standing to reading as mastication does to eating.

"The more some such method as the above be followed out, the more shall we be able to say, ‘thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path’ [Ps 119:105].”
~Arthur Pink, Letters of A.W. Pink

I was hesitant because I'm a slow reader and wasn't sure I could actually complete step one daily. I already do steps two and three, so that was no problem. But step one loomed over me. So I decided to test the waters and timed myself during my first initial readings before I committed myself to this seemingly arduous task.

To my surprise, I discovered it only took me anywhere from 30-45 minutes to read 10 chapters of Scripture per day. I was ashamed because as I considered the short time span, instantly my mind went to all the old movies I like to watch (approximately two hours long), the collective time I spend on social media throughout the day, the "breaks" I take and well, other "projects" I take on (that I don't need to) and...you get the picture. I have more than enough time in every day to spend in my Lord's Word.

Well, almost exactly a month later, I must admit, I've not been as diligent as I had hoped. However, I continue to press on, praying and asking God to help me better manage my time and especially my rebellious attitude toward daily Bible reading. I know it may sound a bit strange to hear a women's Bible teacher say she struggles to read the Bible daily, but I do.

"Blessed is the man [person] who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law [instruction] of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night."
~Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV)

As much as I love the Word of God, I have at times, given into my sinful flesh and do not feed off of God's Word as I ought. I know I should, and I always love it when I do (because who doesn't feel better after a good meal...especially from the Lord's table)? But I find myself with the same battle the Apostle Paul writes of in Romans 7:18-24. And like the Apostle, though wrangling with this flesh, I rejoice saying, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" who alone has freed me and given me victory over the desires of this wretched flesh.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
~Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV)

So in my time of need, as I am tempted to do something else besides feed from my Lord Jesus, the Word of God, I thank God for His Holy Spirit who reminds me that I can confidently pray, knowing I will receive help and be able stand up from under this temptation (1 Cor 10:13).

With this hope, I press on without guilt of  missed chapters or a missed day, but also without glibly thanking God for help, then misapply His grace as an excuse to continue sinning. Instead, the more grace God gives, the more I desire to be obedient to His Word and gather my daily Manna; He so lovingly provided me from Heaven. After all, what other response is there for such glorious grace? That is, if we truly understand God's grace.

God's mercies are new every morning (Lam 3:22-23). And I don't want to miss it because I wasn't disciplined enough the night before to go to bed when I should have; so I could wake up when I needed to; in order to give God the first fruits of my day like He gave me His First Fruit—His One and Only begotten Son.

If any of you are feeling like a marginal Christian like I often do, please read the short biography of A.W. Pink that I've included below. After reading about this giant of a Christian and where he struggled to be obedient to the Lord, I felt like there just might be some hope for me after all. I pray it'll be a source of encouragement for you as well.

Arthur Walkington Pink was born in 1886 in Nottingham, England. Though A.W. Pink was raised in a Christian home, he participated in a pre-New Age religious group of theosophicals until his early 20s. Nonetheless, his father faithfully taught him the Scriptures, and at age 22, A.W. Pink repented of his idolatry and put his full trust in Jesus Christ alone.

Desiring to better understand the Bible, he left England and came to the United States in the early 1900s to attend Moody Bible Institute. He left the institute six weeks later. Pink eventually pastored churches in four different states and also served in Australia for two to three years. In 1934 he returned to England after making the decision to serve the Lord through a writing ministry rather than a pastorate.

A.W. Pink was a deeply intellectual recluse, and could never find a church in which he felt he could both pastor and fellowship. Besides his dear wife Vera (whom he married in 1916), Pink didn't associate well with others. Though an outstanding theologian and exhorter of the Christian faith, he, like the rest of us, had sin issues, and lack of faithful fellowship with other Christians was one of them.

Pink and his wife moved to Scotland in 1940 where he continued his reclusive life and writing ministry until his death in 1952. And like his life, his death was quiet, with only a few aware of his Home going.

"Day by day, dear Lord, of Thee three things I pray: to see Thee more clearly, to love Thee more dearly, to follow Thee more nearly." (Richard of Chichester, 1197-1253)
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