During the past week I’ve spent time getting to know my new grandson, Kyle. What a joy!
Like most newborns, he spends his time eating, sleeping and keeping the disposable diaper industry going. He also spends a lot of time being held by the adults in his life.
There are brief periods he is awake. And if I’m holding him during one of them, I enjoy looking into his eyes. I remember reading somewhere that babies look for another pair of eyes.
What I want him to know, more than anything else, is that I love him. That’s what I told all my children and grandchildren after they were born.
Of course Kyle doesn’t understand a word I’m saying. He just looks back at me with those handsome eyes. But one day, when I say those words, he will hear my heart.
Meanwhile I expect I will have to patiently repeat myself until he gets the message. I guess I’ve learned that lesson from God’s patience and how he has treated us.
“Now just a minute! How is telling a child of your love similar to how God treats us?”
Over and over, down through the centuries and through the pages of scripture God has patiently repeated himself. He said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” The Bible tells us, “God is love.” Jesus said, “As the father has loved me, so have I loved you.”
First through the scriptures and then through his son, Jesus Christ, God repeats his love for us. But like a newborn, many don’t understand him. So he tells us again and again.
The message of the Bible is that God has been communicating his love to the human race for thousands of years. Some people think the Bible is a history book. In reality, it’s more like a love letter to the world.
One of the most important things to know about God is that he loves you. He wants you to have peace and joy in your life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
That’s why the Bible tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Eternal life isn’t just after death. It starts now and brings purpose, peace and blessing to our lives. People who understand God’s great love and what it cost him to save us from sin—those people discover the joy and purpose in life that comes in serving others in Jesus’ name.
One of my goals as a parent and grandparent is to help my children have a wonderful life. Not by just giving them things but by loving them unconditionally. Why? So they will know they have value and worth. And so they know their dad and granddad will always be there for them.
But God is an even better father than that. He is the only one who can always be there during this life and into the next. That’s why he says his love “is an everlasting love.”
So, if you have been blessed with children and grandchildren, let the love you feel for them remind you of God’s great love for you. And if you have not responded to his love, do it today.
Why? Because the Bible says, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” It adds, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
God loves you. Will you love him back?
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Showing posts with label Grandchildren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grandchildren. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
A New Adventure
We began a new adventure this week. A grandson adventure.
Kyle Steven announced his arrival Friday with a cry that was music to his family’s ears. And while his face was new, he was no stranger.
In that new face were the familiar lines of his father’s brow and his mother’s chin. He is a delight to behold. And to hold.
The other day I held this tiny new life in my arms for almost an hour. His brow furrowed and his lips puckered in his sleep. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
He is a picture of God’s grace. It’s no wonder newborns capture our eyes and our hearts!
Charles Dickens wrote, “It is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.” And when we love them we demonstrate the love God has for us.
“Now just a minute! How is loving a newborn like God’s love for us?”
No one had to tell me to love Kyle. I love him because he is my grandson.
Even though he doesn’t know me yet, I will love him until he does. And then I hope he will love me because he knows me.
The Bible tells us that we love God because he first loved us. Long before we knew him, he knew us and loved us anticipating the day we would know him and love him, too.
Little Kyle doesn’t have to earn my love either. I know that he will cry and misbehave. He will make mistakes, fall and be hurt. But I will still love him, help him and forgive him.
God loves you and he loves me because we are children of his son and daughter, Adam and Eve. We don’t have to earn his love. Just accept it.
What’s amazing is that God is willing to love and forgive us even before we are sorry for our sin. The Bible says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sin, God can offer us complete and unconditional forgiveness as a free gift. Forgiveness for all our mistakes, rebellion and sins.
God knows all about us--our past and our future failures. But he is the original failure forgiver—the God of second, third--and more--chances. Why? Because he loves us.
Usually children and grandchildren accept the love of their parents without questioning it. So why do many people question God’s love for them? The path to peace with God is to accept the love he offers through his son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus calls us to follow him. He doesn’t call us to simply make a decision. He invites us to follow him and become his disciple. A disciple is someone who re-arranges his life to follow and obey Jesus Christ.
When I look at my new grandson, I don’t know what the future holds for him. I don’t know yet how our relationship will turn out. And when we accept God’s love for us in Christ, we don’t know everywhere it will take us. But we can know that it will be good.
You can be sure I will do everything in my power to give my grandson a good life—just like my other grandchildren. But God can do better than that. The Bible says that he is able to work in all things “for the good of those who love him.” Even I can’t do that!
On Monday we welcomed home not just a new face, but also a new life full of potential. A child to love and be loved by. A new adventure that is a reminder of God’s love for us.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Blessed Confusion
For the last week our life has been a blessed confusion. And it’s been wonderful!
“Now hold on just a minute! How is ‘blessed confusion’ wonderful?”
Well, let me tell you. Take two working adults. Add a visiting daughter on vacation with her three girls. Then put us all under the same roof and you have a recipe for blessed confusion!
Trying to coordinate work schedules, play time, day trips and family dinners disrupts our daily routine. And when three or four people talk to me at the same time, it’s confusing!
But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
According to the Bible, living to see your grandchildren is a blessing from the Lord. It says they are “a crown to the aged.”
Now I don’t like to think of myself as “aged,” but I guess I am to my grandchildren! And I thank God that I’m healthy enough to play with them and enjoy them. What a blessing!
Last night the girls were getting ready for a bedtime story. The youngest walked up in her nightgown and said very seriously, “Grandpa, I wished we lived here.” That melts my heart.
On Sunday we took them to Sunday School and church. They looked so pretty in their dresses. But, more than that, they learned about God and his love for them through Jesus Christ.
It amazes me sometimes how people skip church because family is visiting from out of town. Not only do our grandchildren enjoy going to church with us, they love God wholeheartedly.
I guess that’s why Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The faith of children is so pure and strong.
If you think about it, the only thing of lasting value you can leave to your children and grandchildren is your faith. Everything else gets spent, broken or wears out. But faith is forever.
Plus, in the light of eternity, passing your faith on to your children and grandchildren is the best investment you can make. When you die you will leave everything else in life behind. But if your family trusts in Christ, you will all be reunited in Heaven again.
Now some folks may think that’s too morbid to think about. Think again! Life goes by so fast. And then you will be somewhere forever a lot longer than you lived on earth.
But faith is good for more than just eternity. David, the shepherd king in the Bible once said, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread.” God knows how to take care of his children in this life as well.
The time to think about God is now. One of the wisest men to ever live, King Solomon, wrote, “Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.”
How fast “the days of your youth” fly by! In just a little more than a week, I’ll be attending my fortieth High School reunion. Where did all those years go?
In the Bible, a man named Job said, “My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away.” In the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye sang, “Sunrise, sunset; swiftly fly the years.”
Before we know it, children turn into adults. Our time with them is so brief.
If you are blessed to have your children and grandchildren nearby, stop and thank God. If they live far away and you only see them once or twice a year, be sure you enjoy the “blessed confusion” when they visit!
But most importantly, spend as much time with them as you can. Remember to point them to God and be the best example to them that you can be!
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
“Now hold on just a minute! How is ‘blessed confusion’ wonderful?”
Well, let me tell you. Take two working adults. Add a visiting daughter on vacation with her three girls. Then put us all under the same roof and you have a recipe for blessed confusion!
Trying to coordinate work schedules, play time, day trips and family dinners disrupts our daily routine. And when three or four people talk to me at the same time, it’s confusing!
But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
According to the Bible, living to see your grandchildren is a blessing from the Lord. It says they are “a crown to the aged.”
Now I don’t like to think of myself as “aged,” but I guess I am to my grandchildren! And I thank God that I’m healthy enough to play with them and enjoy them. What a blessing!
Last night the girls were getting ready for a bedtime story. The youngest walked up in her nightgown and said very seriously, “Grandpa, I wished we lived here.” That melts my heart.
On Sunday we took them to Sunday School and church. They looked so pretty in their dresses. But, more than that, they learned about God and his love for them through Jesus Christ.
It amazes me sometimes how people skip church because family is visiting from out of town. Not only do our grandchildren enjoy going to church with us, they love God wholeheartedly.
I guess that’s why Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The faith of children is so pure and strong.
If you think about it, the only thing of lasting value you can leave to your children and grandchildren is your faith. Everything else gets spent, broken or wears out. But faith is forever.
Plus, in the light of eternity, passing your faith on to your children and grandchildren is the best investment you can make. When you die you will leave everything else in life behind. But if your family trusts in Christ, you will all be reunited in Heaven again.
Now some folks may think that’s too morbid to think about. Think again! Life goes by so fast. And then you will be somewhere forever a lot longer than you lived on earth.
But faith is good for more than just eternity. David, the shepherd king in the Bible once said, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread.” God knows how to take care of his children in this life as well.
The time to think about God is now. One of the wisest men to ever live, King Solomon, wrote, “Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.”
How fast “the days of your youth” fly by! In just a little more than a week, I’ll be attending my fortieth High School reunion. Where did all those years go?
In the Bible, a man named Job said, “My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away.” In the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye sang, “Sunrise, sunset; swiftly fly the years.”
Before we know it, children turn into adults. Our time with them is so brief.
If you are blessed to have your children and grandchildren nearby, stop and thank God. If they live far away and you only see them once or twice a year, be sure you enjoy the “blessed confusion” when they visit!
But most importantly, spend as much time with them as you can. Remember to point them to God and be the best example to them that you can be!
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Anticipation
In about an hour from the time I’m writing this, my daughter and three granddaughters will arrive for a visit. And I can hardly wait to see them!
It’s been six months since I last saw them at their home in another state. I want to hold them in my arms, to see how they’ve grown and to just plain love them.
My wife and I have been planning things to do and places to go with them since we first heard they were coming. We haven’t told them all our plans yet. It’s going to be a surprise!
Of course it’s nothing compared to the anticipation God must have or the things he has planned for his family!
“Now hold on just a minute! God has grandchildren?”
No, according to the Bible, God doesn’t have any grandchildren. But all who come to him through Jesus Christ become his children. And he’s looking forward to our homecoming.
The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” So through faith in Jesus Christ, everyone can become a part of God’s forever family.
And he’s looking forward to the day we’re with him in Heaven! How do I know? Because the Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his holy ones [believers].”
Now that may strike you as odd because we look at death as a separation from our loved ones. But from God’s perspective, when one of his children dies, he or she is coming home. And I imagine that he’s just as delighted as we are when our children come home at Thanksgiving!
God also has some surprises planned and exciting things for us to do. People who imagine Heaven as clouds, harps and lounging around must not have read their Bibles!
The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” It’s wonderful beyond words!
Someone once said, “Don’t miss Heaven for the world!” Let’s face it—it’s too easy to let what Jesus called “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” make us so selfish that we’re no good for serving the God of Heaven. Don’t let that happen to you.
I wonder—is God looking forward to your homecoming in Heaven with anticipation and delight? Or is he hoping that you’ll finally see the light and start following him before it’s forever too late?
The Bible says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” It also warns us: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Has God been trying to get your attention? Sometimes he speaks through the words of a concerned friend. Other times it may be through a crisis.
One reason our lives can be such messes is because God is patient with us. He lets the consequences follow our bad decisions. He hopes we’ll learn something and turn back to him.
Here’s advice from the prophet Isaiah: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
If you do that, one day God will have a “Welcome Home” party planned just for you.
Now don’t get me wrong. I want to live my life here as long as God allows. But when my time comes, I’m ready to go. The Bible says, “To depart and be with Christ…is better by far.”
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
It’s been six months since I last saw them at their home in another state. I want to hold them in my arms, to see how they’ve grown and to just plain love them.
My wife and I have been planning things to do and places to go with them since we first heard they were coming. We haven’t told them all our plans yet. It’s going to be a surprise!
Of course it’s nothing compared to the anticipation God must have or the things he has planned for his family!
“Now hold on just a minute! God has grandchildren?”
No, according to the Bible, God doesn’t have any grandchildren. But all who come to him through Jesus Christ become his children. And he’s looking forward to our homecoming.
The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” So through faith in Jesus Christ, everyone can become a part of God’s forever family.
And he’s looking forward to the day we’re with him in Heaven! How do I know? Because the Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his holy ones [believers].”
Now that may strike you as odd because we look at death as a separation from our loved ones. But from God’s perspective, when one of his children dies, he or she is coming home. And I imagine that he’s just as delighted as we are when our children come home at Thanksgiving!
God also has some surprises planned and exciting things for us to do. People who imagine Heaven as clouds, harps and lounging around must not have read their Bibles!
The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” It’s wonderful beyond words!
Someone once said, “Don’t miss Heaven for the world!” Let’s face it—it’s too easy to let what Jesus called “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” make us so selfish that we’re no good for serving the God of Heaven. Don’t let that happen to you.
I wonder—is God looking forward to your homecoming in Heaven with anticipation and delight? Or is he hoping that you’ll finally see the light and start following him before it’s forever too late?
The Bible says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” It also warns us: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Has God been trying to get your attention? Sometimes he speaks through the words of a concerned friend. Other times it may be through a crisis.
One reason our lives can be such messes is because God is patient with us. He lets the consequences follow our bad decisions. He hopes we’ll learn something and turn back to him.
Here’s advice from the prophet Isaiah: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
If you do that, one day God will have a “Welcome Home” party planned just for you.
Now don’t get me wrong. I want to live my life here as long as God allows. But when my time comes, I’m ready to go. The Bible says, “To depart and be with Christ…is better by far.”
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Grand Rewards
The three most important things in life are faith, family and friends. And this month my wife and I were privileged to enjoy some extra blessings with our family.
All four of our children and all five of our grandchildren were actually in town at the same time. Now that may not sound like something worth celebrating to you but it was for us!
With the oldest daughter’s family in the Midwest and the middle daughter’s family overseas, it’s a rare treat to spend time with all our grandchildren at once. To get them all under one roof at the same time was--well it was both exhilarating and exhausting. (If you have grandchildren you know what I mean!)
I have a friend who said that the two most wonderful sights in the world are the headlights of the car arriving with his grandchildren and the taillights of the car leaving with them a few days later!
Individually they are a delight, but get them all together and they will wear you out!
In ancient times, to live long enough to see one’s grandchildren was considered a great blessing. But with today’s longer life spans it’s something most modern parents will experience.
Someone once said, “Grandchildren are the reward you get for not strangling your teenagers when you felt like it!” And what a grand reward grandchildren are.
But I know someone who will never have grandchildren, even though he has children.
God never has and never will have grandchildren.
Well, hold on there just a minute! Someone might say, “My parents (or grandparents) were Christians and took me to church. Doesn’t that make me a Christian, a (grand)-child of God?”
Unfortunately not--at least according to the Bible.
Speaking about Jesus Christ the Bible says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Jesus said that to enter the kingdom of God a person must be “born again.” He described it as a spiritual birth, different from the physical birth we all experience.
Later the Apostle Paul used the word “saved” to describe the change of heart Jesus talked about. He said, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The power to forgive your sin and change your heart, to give you eternal life and make you a part of God’s forever family is not in the words you say but in the God who hears them. He is able to do all that and more.
And, yes, it’s that simple to become a child of God. It’s not a matter of who your parents or grandparents are. It’s not a matter of which church your membership is in. It’s not even a matter of who you are. It’s just a matter of WHOSE you are.
The Bible says that if your faith is in God, through his son, Jesus Christ, then you are his child. But you must consciously, personally and individually pray and tell God you want Jesus to be in charge of your life as Lord. You must ask Jesus to be your Savior. It’s not automatic.
While I enjoy my children and my grandchildren, God’s delight is in each of his children. In fact all of heaven celebrates every time someone is born into God’s family. Jesus said, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
All four of our children and all five of our grandchildren were actually in town at the same time. Now that may not sound like something worth celebrating to you but it was for us!
With the oldest daughter’s family in the Midwest and the middle daughter’s family overseas, it’s a rare treat to spend time with all our grandchildren at once. To get them all under one roof at the same time was--well it was both exhilarating and exhausting. (If you have grandchildren you know what I mean!)
I have a friend who said that the two most wonderful sights in the world are the headlights of the car arriving with his grandchildren and the taillights of the car leaving with them a few days later!
Individually they are a delight, but get them all together and they will wear you out!
In ancient times, to live long enough to see one’s grandchildren was considered a great blessing. But with today’s longer life spans it’s something most modern parents will experience.
Someone once said, “Grandchildren are the reward you get for not strangling your teenagers when you felt like it!” And what a grand reward grandchildren are.
But I know someone who will never have grandchildren, even though he has children.
God never has and never will have grandchildren.
Well, hold on there just a minute! Someone might say, “My parents (or grandparents) were Christians and took me to church. Doesn’t that make me a Christian, a (grand)-child of God?”
Unfortunately not--at least according to the Bible.
Speaking about Jesus Christ the Bible says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Jesus said that to enter the kingdom of God a person must be “born again.” He described it as a spiritual birth, different from the physical birth we all experience.
Later the Apostle Paul used the word “saved” to describe the change of heart Jesus talked about. He said, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The power to forgive your sin and change your heart, to give you eternal life and make you a part of God’s forever family is not in the words you say but in the God who hears them. He is able to do all that and more.
And, yes, it’s that simple to become a child of God. It’s not a matter of who your parents or grandparents are. It’s not a matter of which church your membership is in. It’s not even a matter of who you are. It’s just a matter of WHOSE you are.
The Bible says that if your faith is in God, through his son, Jesus Christ, then you are his child. But you must consciously, personally and individually pray and tell God you want Jesus to be in charge of your life as Lord. You must ask Jesus to be your Savior. It’s not automatic.
While I enjoy my children and my grandchildren, God’s delight is in each of his children. In fact all of heaven celebrates every time someone is born into God’s family. Jesus said, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
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