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This is the day that the Lord has made...
Mar. 25th, 2003 01:07 pmLet us rejoice and be glad in it!
Well, my day is actually pretty peaceful. My dad is in Houston for job orientation (the job will be here, though)--he'll be gone until Friday evening. Meanwhile, my mom has jury duty today and tomorrow (this was the one time that she got drawn and picked). My oldest brother, as usual is at work. So I'm at home with the other six kids, and things are going pretty well. Often they are uncooperative when my parents are gone (not particularly worse than when my parents are here), but they are doing really well today! I'm very happy about that. Now, if Gabriel (13 months old) would just sleep...
Nothing else is really happening. I had a talk with a lady at church (a mother who teaches Bible studies for boys, girls, and women--separately, of course) Sunday night, about how some of the young people who've grown up in the church are drifting away. She is very concerned for all of them and is praying. Our church is going to make sure it's possible for all the young people who desire it to go to a world view camp this summer. I'm sure my 13 y.o. brother will enjoy. I do hope this helps, but it seems like something more is needed.
I know that people meet on Sunday mornings to pray, and on Wednesdays, and one Friday a month...praying especially for the young people at the monthly prayer meeting. And of course there are the smaller prayer groups that meet unofficially. But couldn't we be praying more? I read this book about revival yesterday (borrowed from the church library), and the two things I saw that really contributed to revival were preaching the Word (leading to conviction of sin) and PRAYER. Prayer was the foundation of the revivals, and then each preacher's willingness to sacrifice any popularity (or hope for it) for the sake of telling the TRUTH. So...we are praying, and people are teaching truth...what more does it take? Should we be praying more? Somehow I think that might be part of the answer. If I had a driver's license, I think I would like to propose an early morning prayer meeting every day. I wonder if that would make a difference.
I was thinking about God's Word, too...and how often I feel guilty because instead of sitting down somewhere with a concordance and a notebook, I'm often just pondering it during my other work (even while I'm doing math--problem solving, you know)...but it's during the pondering that it really makes a difference in my life. I almost think that it's necessary to spend more time pondering it than formally studying it. When I think about it is when I see the changes that need to take place in my life, the contrast of my fleshly tendencies and God's holiness. He says to be holy as He is holy...and He wants me to do everything without complaining or arguing (so I can be a light). I know it's easy for me to think that if I'm modest, or refrain from specific activities, that I'm being a light. But here at home, that's not what really makes the difference (although it does matter, too)...what they see is when I'm cheerful instead of complaining, agreeable instead of irritable. If I want to be a light shining in the lives of my siblings, I need to be ready to give that cold drink of water in Jesus' Name. And that's my special responsibility today.
God bless each of you!
Well, my day is actually pretty peaceful. My dad is in Houston for job orientation (the job will be here, though)--he'll be gone until Friday evening. Meanwhile, my mom has jury duty today and tomorrow (this was the one time that she got drawn and picked). My oldest brother, as usual is at work. So I'm at home with the other six kids, and things are going pretty well. Often they are uncooperative when my parents are gone (not particularly worse than when my parents are here), but they are doing really well today! I'm very happy about that. Now, if Gabriel (13 months old) would just sleep...
Nothing else is really happening. I had a talk with a lady at church (a mother who teaches Bible studies for boys, girls, and women--separately, of course) Sunday night, about how some of the young people who've grown up in the church are drifting away. She is very concerned for all of them and is praying. Our church is going to make sure it's possible for all the young people who desire it to go to a world view camp this summer. I'm sure my 13 y.o. brother will enjoy. I do hope this helps, but it seems like something more is needed.
I know that people meet on Sunday mornings to pray, and on Wednesdays, and one Friday a month...praying especially for the young people at the monthly prayer meeting. And of course there are the smaller prayer groups that meet unofficially. But couldn't we be praying more? I read this book about revival yesterday (borrowed from the church library), and the two things I saw that really contributed to revival were preaching the Word (leading to conviction of sin) and PRAYER. Prayer was the foundation of the revivals, and then each preacher's willingness to sacrifice any popularity (or hope for it) for the sake of telling the TRUTH. So...we are praying, and people are teaching truth...what more does it take? Should we be praying more? Somehow I think that might be part of the answer. If I had a driver's license, I think I would like to propose an early morning prayer meeting every day. I wonder if that would make a difference.
I was thinking about God's Word, too...and how often I feel guilty because instead of sitting down somewhere with a concordance and a notebook, I'm often just pondering it during my other work (even while I'm doing math--problem solving, you know)...but it's during the pondering that it really makes a difference in my life. I almost think that it's necessary to spend more time pondering it than formally studying it. When I think about it is when I see the changes that need to take place in my life, the contrast of my fleshly tendencies and God's holiness. He says to be holy as He is holy...and He wants me to do everything without complaining or arguing (so I can be a light). I know it's easy for me to think that if I'm modest, or refrain from specific activities, that I'm being a light. But here at home, that's not what really makes the difference (although it does matter, too)...what they see is when I'm cheerful instead of complaining, agreeable instead of irritable. If I want to be a light shining in the lives of my siblings, I need to be ready to give that cold drink of water in Jesus' Name. And that's my special responsibility today.
God bless each of you!
