Input: دسامبر 2007

Here are some great MOM Tip ideas from Steph Taylor. She has 4 "little ones" and a good Husband too!

1st read...

The Fruit of the Home

What kind of fruit will your home bear? Will it be dried shriveled and unusable? I hope not. Will it be full of life and robust, filled with a fragrance so sweet you can't resist it? Our children are the fruit of our wombs. Someday they will be the fruit of our homes, they will be on their own to make choices and to bear and raise fruit of their own.
In his book Bringing Up Boys Dr. James Dobson writes, "It is my conviction that those who choose to bring a child into the world must give that boy or girl highest priority for a period of time. It will not always be required of moms and dads. Before they know it, that youngster will become a young man, who will pack his bags and take his first halting steps into the adult world. Then it will be their turn. By all expectations, you as a parent should have decades of health and vigor left to invest in whatever God calls you to do. But for now, there is a higher calling. I feel obligated to tell you this, whether my words are popular of not. Raising children who have been loaned to us for a brief moment outranks every other responsibility. Besides, living by that priority when kids are small will produce the greatest rewards at maturity."
Let's take a look back and reflect on the effort or lack of effort our parents put in to help us be fruitful. Maybe you're still having trouble dealing with the parents who raised you. We'll take about that more later. But take some time to think about a parent in your life who really invested in helping you have a relationship with God. What was it that they did that helped you to know God better? The Bible says that we are to train our children in the ways of the Lord. Where you trained by a parent?
Bible study may not have been a regular thing at your house. However many of the men who formed our great nation took it very seriously. Including John Adams who said, "So great is my veneration of the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectful members of society."

Abraham Lincoln said that "The Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man . . . But for it we could not know right from wrong." Does your family make an effort to read the Bible together? Do you teach your child the Words of God? As parents we do have a high calling to train our children in the ways of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 7 says, "You shall teach them diligently to your children (speaking of the Commandments) and shall talk of them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up." Do you spend time alone with God daily as Jesus did? In Mark chapter one Jesus rose early in the morning before everyone else to do just this.
There are other ways of producing good fruit in our children as well. We've all heard of the term "lifestyle evangelism" used in ministry. What about using lifestyle evangelism in the home to minister to our children, who as James Dobson has said are only on loan to us? What type of life are we modeling to our children? If you're like me this may be an area of struggle for you.

Sometimes I am excellent at showing love to my most horrific enemy but my children are given mere scraps of my attention. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:4, "…do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." By our lifestyle we are known. One famous mother Susanna Wesley gave birth to 16 children in her life. Some of the children died before or soon after birth. Even though she had a life filled with pains and few joys she still took time to train her children in the Bible. In fact she did such a fine job with her children that her son John became the founder of the United Methodist Church which ministers to millions of people around the world. Your mothering ministry is of infinite value and it is important to God. Do it with passion.

What will your life at home teach your children? Do you have a visible confidence of who God has said you are? God said," I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth. Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned grey, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you."
Take a look into your own life. Are you on a growth filled journey with God or have you let your roots go down into the rocky dry soil that gives no nourishment? Do you love God even though you have never seen Him? Do you trust Him? Are you now happy with the inexpressible joy that comes from Heaven itself? Will your reward for trusting Him be the salvation of your soul? In John chapter 15 we read the story of the vine and the branches. (Read together.) Jesus said in v.4, "Take care to live in me, and let me live in you." Are we taking time to be alone with Him? Do our children see us do this? Have we taught them to do the same?
There is great power in the words we use with our children. Proverbs 18:21 says that, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." If this is an area where you are souring memorize, pray and speak this scripture until you have victory: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, o Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
Let your children see you use the gifts God gave you. In Romans chapter 12 gifts are wonderfully explained. As a child my mother would often take me with her to deliver meals for the local food pantry Feed My People. It seemed like we barely had enough food ourselves but my mother thought to help others and modeled that behavior to me. She is who taught me how to be a gracious servant to others.
Prayer must also take precedence in growing a home life of fruitfulness. We must pray for our children and bless them persistently. God does and will hear our prayers. Our children also enjoy being prayed for. It shows them our love for them. Also, it can serve as a model to them for talking to God. In Mark 11:22 you can read that Jesus said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer and believe you will receive."
Earlier we talked about hurtful parents. This is where as parents we most certainly need to understand forgiveness. After all, someday we may be hoping our children will forgive us. This is important to catch. Jesus had a lot to say about forgiveness. In Mark chapter 11 verses 24 to 25 we read that when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too. It is pretty clear that God can't hear our prayer without our heart being made right with Him first. Colossians 3:12-13 says, "Chosen by God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. In Matt. 18:21-22 we read that Jesus said to forgive more than seventy times seven times! That is a lot of forgiving! I don't know about you but I struggle greatly with this.

Our attitude is so high on the list I should've named it first. Is your attitude towards your life, relationships, and faith a good one? One of the greatest preachers of our time, Norman Vincent Peale, said, "Any human being can be anything he wants to be through the power Jesus Christ brings into his life." Our positive attitude can make the difference between success and failure in relationships, life decisions and our walk with God. If you need some help with this recite Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me." Decide today to seek the Holy Spirit's help in being a positive person.
So we need God's pruning in all these areas to turn us into the vessel He can use. We don't want our children to be sour grapes and we certainly don't want to be sour either! In all these things we will need to use the tools God has given us: the guidance and comfort of Holy Spirit, ferverent prayer, faith, and scripture. We also need the help of some Godly women. In Titus chapter 2 the older women of the church are charged with helping and training the younger women of the church. So to you mentor moms and grandmothers: help us to live quietly and love our husbands and children. Help us and pray for us to be sensible and clean minded, while we spend our time in our homes. This way as we shine our light for the world people will have nothing to say against our Father. Thank you for helping us to become women of God and mentoring us in our mothering. What you are doing is priceless and is a ministry that is vital to our spirits.

Finally, take away with you the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22, "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Seek God and ask for these things so that your fruit will be full of the Life and light God desires it to be. The way to grow the fruit is to know Christ, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. And remember to "not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't get discouraged and give up." (Galatians 6:9) We will be blessed by the fruit of our homes if we are guided by the fruit of the Spirit.-This Message to Moms was written by Stephanie Taylor of Zanesville, Ohio. Stephanie and her husband David are raising 4 beautiful children with and by the grace of God, in huge doses. This message may be reprinted for personal use only. Mrs. Stephanie Taylor is the Daughter of NBCC's Co-Founder Marvin Sault,DD. Copyright 2007-

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