The shape our country is in now, at this period of time, is horrible. I'll just put that out there. No sugar-coating it. It's a mess. The generations coming up are destroying our world with their fanantical ideas of 'gimme, gimme gimme'. We, as parents, have failed to bring them up in the admonition of the Lord. We allowed/created our children to rebel against our Creator, and they are taking a stand that isn't godly. They no longer seek the God whom we were taught to love, honor, and exalt.
Hubby and I were having this discussion last night. And I accepted the blame for both of us. Yes, we 'made' our children go to church as long as they lived at home. That's the way I was raised. But, that is where we failed in so many respects. We demanded their attendance, but we didn't live it at home. We didn't show our children how to love Jesus and obey Him. Oh, all three accepted Jesus in their teenage years and were baptised, but our example did not show them how they were to live after that. Hubby and I were both learning ourselves on how to follow Christ. I think it was/is easier for me in that I was used to someone being in control over me, not me controlling everything. Hubby still liked/likes to be in control. I fell in love with Jesus many years ago, and chose to give my life to Him. I surrender daily because I am such a mess at times. Jesus is the only one who can save me from my wretchedness and pain.
But, what brought this conversation up... and I'll get to it as to our discussion.... a granddaughter is not joining at our daughter's today because "they don't want to celebrate a country that is in such a mess". (delete, delete) Oh, a friend gave me a book Saturday morning to read. I know the author and she is also co-founder of Bridgebuilders, based on prayer. The title of the book is "Reclaim a Generation". 21 days of prayer for schools. We definitely need to be praying for this generation coming up that they will turn back to God and will seek His face in all their things. Our country was founded on God... it's the people who have turned away and made this country the way it is. Only God can save it; and it requires every one of us to be on our faces before Almighty God and plead with Him for mercy and grace for this nation.
I have so much anguish in my heart today and it is a combination of so many things. I miss my big sister. She has left a void in my heart, just as my two brothers did. I miss my mom who would always tell me 'this too shall pass' or 'pray for her, she needs your prayers'. I miss my little sister to whom I am still not reconciled with. Her latest email didn't necessarily put the blame on me, but was angry with herself for leaving our little brother alone in the room with our sister during her final minutes of life. She said that she felt pin pricks on her body as the end was coming... and she felt she had to leave. Interestingly, what that made me think of... the pin pricks on her body... remember the scene in Ghost in which the demons came to claim the soul of one who died? That's what it reminds me of. Did our sister go to hell? I don't know. Based on our brother's comment that he couldn't think of anything good that she did, that she was evil, to the chaplain who had come into the room and told them to think of a happy memory with her.... was she really that evil? She had told us that she was going to heaven... but....
Another subject.... I finished a book last night called 'Rooted' by Brandon... I forget his last name. It was an interesting, deep, book on where we are rooted. How deep does our loving Jesus and surrendering to Him go? It really made me do some soul-searching and realize I need to make some changes in my life. I love Jesus, you know that. I try to do everything I should do... but sometimes, I slack off. I don't respond as Jesus would. I avoid my neighbor because I just don't feel like listening to her. (If I'm sitting outside and hear her come out, I'll run back into my house!) She's very opinionated and although I do go over occasionally and visit, it probably isn't often enough. Thankfully she has a caregiver who comes M-F and stays all day with her so she isn't alone all the time. I probably ought to put dates on my calendar so that I will go visit her more often. But the book... Rooted... it was good and I handed it off to hubby for him to read when he finishes the one I am waiting on to read. We don't read that often and my eyes were burning after reading several hours yesterday. But I finished the book! And it gave me a lot to think about. Things I need to change in my life.
Talk about how scattered ao nd distracted my mind has been lately... I went to Fry's last night to pick up a watermelon for today as my 'food take' is fruit. I looked all over the produce section and could not find any large watermelon. All I could find was the personal size. They were 79 cents each, so I went ahead and got three of them. It is only 4 of us today. Don't need a lot. Then, after I paid for all the other things I ended up picking up as well, as I was leaving the store... the two large boxes of watermelon were sitting just inside the door. Sigh. I did not grab one and go back and pay for it. We'll make do with what I bought. And if they aren't ripe enough yet, we'll have the strawberries I bought as well.
Church message was great yesterday- it was about our freedom. We have freedom in Christ. We have freedom to do (pretty much) whatever we want to do. Freedom. All this from a huge black preacher man who loves Jesus and preached Freedom.
Psalm 33:12 (NKJV): "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance."
John 8:36 (NKJV): "Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
It is of no matter who I 'report to'; it doesn't matter I have laws I need to follow and obey. When I accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, I became FREE.
and Free I shall remain. Why? How? Because I am His. And I follow His laws. Only His Words guide me, and direct my path. "Love one another". "Do good to each other". "Serve one another in love". "Lay down your life for your friends".
Joshua 24:15 (NKJV): "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I pray that is your response as well.
Blessings!
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