Kingdom Seeds

Have you ever really thought about the fact that we are called to build a Kingdom?

When I was a little girl I built my own little kingdom in my bedroom closet. I had everything I needed to sustain life for myself and my baby doll, Kitten. I decided who could come and go and allowed my sister to come in frequently and my brother… NEVER!

In my teen years I created my own little art studio in a tiny little attic room and that was my Creativity Kingdom. I was the sole inhabitant of that Creativity Kingdom (largely because I couldn’t fit another person in the room) and was completely in charge of all that was created there.

When I moved out of my parent’s house and got married, we built a home where my husband and I could raise our family in our own Brady Kingdom. We basically made the rules, created the economy and decided how our kingdom would look and the way it would be run.

At this stage in my life, I am much more focused on another Kingdom. The Kingdom of God that can only be seen by the fruit it produces. Sometimes we get confused about what builds God’s Kingdom and we begin to jump through the proper hoops, stop certain behaviors and begin new habits. But these are not the things that build God’s Kingdom. Conversely, they are the result of the Kingdom of God growing within our hearts.  God plants the seed of faith in the depths of our soul when we open our heart to His leadership and it grows by his mercy and grace as He reconciles us to Himself by strengthening and molds us into the person He designed us to be.

Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed in Mark 4:30-32. A tiny seed, yet within it there is the power to become a plant that is large enough for birds to find a nesting place in its shade. In fact, all seeds carry within themselves the ability to become a plant or tree that will grow and produce, given the proper nurturing environment.  Knowing that to be true, when we think of Jesus illustration, what is the condition of the seed of faith that was planted in you when you first said “Yes” to following Jesus?  Is God growing it into something that produces fruit or is it being crowded out by things that keep it from growing? Does your life reflect that God is growing in you? Do your words and actions and choices of how to spend your time, energy and money indicate that God is growing YOU to be the person He created you to be? Or does your heart harbor the things of an earthly kingdom that are not allowing God’s Kingdom space to grow?

Parents, can I share a word of caution with you? If you want your kids to become the God followers that will have a secure place in God’s Kingdom in heaven, then help them to see His Kingdom here… in your heart. Help them to understand the parable of the mustard seed. Guide them to an understanding that inheriting heaven means allowing God to grow and produce godly fruit in their lives now. Children should learn from an early age that God’s seed cannot grow in a heart crowded with sin and selfishness. Lovingly guide, just as Jesus did with his followers. Point out the sin that is holding them back, but with patience, understanding that we all struggle to make the right choices… even parents.

We won’t always get it right, but every day is a new opportunity to make the right choice, nurturing the seed of faith in our hearts and theirs, by exposing it to godliness and eliminating the wickedness that will keep growth from happening.

May God’s Kingdom grow strong within your heart.

Parenting in a Biblical Void

According to C. S. Lewis, every moral rule is created to prevent a breakdown of the human machine. God’s laws are provided as a gift to us so that we can function as we were created to function. It is the manual for the operation of our daily lives. That moral rule of which he speaks is found in God’s Word, the Bible.  Many would say that it is obsolete or a book for the weak who can’t figure life out on their own, but I would contest that as I look at the culture that is drifting from the foundational truth we find in scripture. I see a place where humanity fills the void in their lives with drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and an unquenchable desire to acquire more and more of the things of this world, yet they are overcome with emptiness. I see a place where God’s most prized creation is bought and sold like a piece of furniture. I see a culture where children are not valued enough to be trained to travel the path God has laid out for them so that His plan might be fulfilled. I see a culture full of people who refuse to be held accountable for their actions and legislation being born continually because of our neglect, irresponsibility and blindness to the laws of God. One has to wonder how many laws have been written because of our refusal to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.”

As parents, we have a huge responsibility when it comes to our culture. As we train our children, we are shaping the next generation. I often hear parents complain that they feel powerless. They can’t discipline their children in public for fear of being arrested. Really? Condoning bad behavior is right and correcting it is wrong? In what world is that alright? They can’t control their child’s schedule because of the mandate from the coach. Really? Check their birth certificate. Is the coaches name there or was that child a gift from God to you? They can’t provide proper nutrition or rest or have any time as a family because they are constantly on the road going from this game to that lesson to this appointment. Really? Who hijacked your calendar and created that schedule?

We DO have a choice, but we will eventually lose that choice if we sit back and allow society to dictate what our values and beliefs should be. It is well past time for us to take back our homes, establish our values based on the Word of God and teach those values to our children.

Do you know what God’s word says about morality? Do you know what it says about love and respect and responsibility? Do you know how to shape the heart of your child so that they will find room for God as they grow into the age of accountability? You will learn these things in the Word of God and in association with others who are learning and striving to be godly parents.

Teaching your child to be “good” is nice, but what will happen with the cultural shifts that redefine for us the meaning of “good?”  There is ONE TRUTH and that is the foundation of all that I believe. That Truth is found in the Bible. It is God’s message of love to us so that the machinery of humanity can run smoothly, without a glitch. I don’t know about you, but I am not willing for any society to dictate to me how my child should grow or behave or find their way. I believe God’s word to be the only way to establish a worthwhile pattern for life that guides us to an eternity with Him. If you will take the time to dive into scripture you will find wisdom and knowledge that will equip you to be the leader in your home and community that God is calling you to be. And that, my friend, is the Truth!

Regulations

This week as I was spending time in the Psalms I could not help but notice how frequently the psalmist praises God for his “law,” his “regulations,” his “statutes,” his “commands,” his “decrees.”  Prior to now, my mind has always gone to the 10 commandments when I read such things. Although they are a valuable guide to live by, it just seems like meditating on them and writing songs about them and praising God for them continually is not something that would fill my heart on a regular basis.

This morning I read Psalm 119:62-64

“I rise at midnight to thank you for your just regulations.

I am a friend to anyone who fears you -

Anyone who obeys your commandments.

O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth; teach me your decrees.”

I often rise at midnight… and 2 a.m. … and 4 a.m…. and seldom is my mind filled with praise for God’s just regulations. It is more like a feeling that He slipped up when he made my body and this shouldn’t be happening!

Then it hit me. Everything God made is systematic, orderly, and right. He made all things with an ebb and flow; darkness and light; work time and rest time; laughter and tears; young and old; strength and weakness.  All for a purpose. All according to His perfect timing. The rotation of the Earth – it’s orbit around the sun. The changing seasons. The growth and development of all He created. Everything has a system of orderliness.

In our lives we spend much time trying to keep our head above water, frantically paddling our way upstream trying to survive. Do we take the time to realize what is truly happening around us? How the Lord is working? When I look at my days… weeks… maybe even months I often see more frantic frenzy than I do systematic order. And that isn’t a good thing.

I believe God created us for order. Our bodies function in a particular order by his design. We have no right to sabotage God’s plan and purpose by filling our world with the unneeded so that there is no space for the valuable order that was intended.

I often think that our kids are being reshaped by all the activities we condone in their lives. They no longer grasp the concept of stillness; quietness; order. They see our frantic pace and it becomes their normal. Rushing from one activity to the next is the American way. Being still and experiencing what God has for us has become abnormal and we strive hard to find the time and space for it when we feel God tugging on our heart and proclaiming His agony over our separation from Him.

My life needs more order. I need to stop running to the “fire” to douse the flames and start doing more things systematically so that the “fires” don’t keep springing up all around me. I need a schedule that is the norm and I need to say NO to the things that keep me from the “regulations” I was created to observe by the One who loves me and pines for me to slow down and listen and enjoy His presence.

Parenting has a great deal of “fires” that tend to disrupt our plans. That is somewhat the natural rhythm of parenting. But don’t create more by allowing what is unnecessary to overtake the systematic plan of your Creator. Listen to His rhythm and rest in His arms as He whispers to you of His perfect plan for your day. Allow Him time to speak while you wait with Him, observing His beautiful and perfect order for your life.