Her mom made the cloth diapers in darling prints hanging on the clothes lines across the front…
Guests sat at round tables, simply decorated…Refreshments were simple and delicious.
Devotion follows:
Everyone who
knows how to crochet stand:
Now I want you
to sit between/next to those who don’t.
Pass out
crochet hooks and yarn.
I want you to
crochet while I’m talking.
Those of you
who know how to crochet help the people next to you to get started. Make a slip-knot and chain.
I looked up to see what does the Bible say about being a
mother. What exactly does God say a mother should do?
It led me to Titus
2:4-5, you know the verses about, the
older women teaching the younger women…to love their children… so God would not
be blasphemed. We are
talking very serious consequences if this is not done!
My husband assures
me I qualify–thanks a lot honey! Not that I’ve reached 60 yo but that I’m not
in the midst of raising my own children.
So what word
for love is used here?
“love their children” is the Greek word philo-teknon
As women, we feel
very noble sacrificing physically for our family. We can endure pregnancy,
pick-up after our family, do their laundry, make them home-cooked meals, deny
ourself, all for the benefit of our family. Up-scale
Toy Store conversation.
While it is noble
to “physically” care for our family, this is totally not phileo-loving.
phileo-meaning?
Love
that is affectionate.
Love is the verb.
Affectionate is an adverb telling us what type of love:
•Fond,
benevolent; tender; as, the affectionate care of a parent (1828)
•not with a
fond foolish, loose, and ungoverned affection; but so as to seek their real
good, and not only their temporal, but spiritual and eternal welfare; to bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and to use and keep proper
discipline and government over them. (Gill)
Proverbs 13:24, He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
•a love
springing from a holy sanctified heart and regulated by the word; …not
indulging them in evil,… (Matthew Henry)
Romans
16:19b, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple/innocent
concerning evil.
Each and every choice makes
a difference. There are no small decisions in raising our children.
With
our media intense culture, most of us would jump all over out-right
evil–excessive violence, abortion, porn, etc., but it is very difficult to
protect our children from influences that undermine God’s Word in our
children’s lives. Ah, we are back to the issue of blaspheming God.
Example:
Little Mermaid
teknon-meaning?
Child,
children
Brephos-infant;
paidion-an
infant, half-grown, to be immature/act immature;
I’m fascinated by
the word tekton a worker in fiber or carpenter/builder is from the same root
word. A child is put into our life to be fashioned-built.
So, how is crocheting going? Without a pattern how can
you hope to make anything useful, beautiful, or worthy of our time and effort?
•You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls. (JR
Miller)
•This is the
thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your children.
In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement
that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, “How will this
affect their souls?” (JC Ryle)
This sacred trust
should drive us to God. God requires us to be faithful to His commands. He
known we are not perfect. He knows we cannot train a child in our own strength.
•Better to be out on the boundless sea, without knowledge
of the stars above or the currents beneath; better to be in the untrodden
forest without pathway or compass; better to be on the trackless desert without
a landmark in all the horizon, nothing but burning sand under foot and brazen
sky over head, than to be on this sea, in this wilderness, upon this desert of
our life, with a human destiny entrusted to your care and no guiding God to
pilot you to him and the desired haven! But with God’s presence, help and
guidance even this great and responsible work shall not crush you nor make you
afraid.” (JR Miller)
No comments:
Post a Comment