"Ask Anything and Believe"

  Let's begin here on these verses and move forward:

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." (Mark 11:24)

"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  (Matt. 21:22)
"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:19)
"If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:14)

What do these verses really teach? Are these statements about prayer a blank check from heaven signed by Jesus? If these verses are speaking what it looks like on the surface, does it apply to all or only a few?

 If the Lord has given us a blank check with prayer as some would indicate then everyone would have the same access! If we take the above texts absolutely and every single Christian has a blank check where would that leave us? We could have power over nature, over weather, over life and death! We could have at our disposal power over everything which would mean God doesn't rule but we do. All we have to do is ask!! When we need something changed, wham...ask and it is yours. Like a genie in a bottle speaking, "Your wish is my command!"

Why we could abolish the lost world and save everyone. Look at the Matt. 18:19 account. Two of us pray for the salvation of every person in the world and without exception it would come true! But let's not stop there. Let's ask for the obliteration of sin in the world and it would be done!!

Then comes the words: "But God can do anything!" Yes and no. God is the Creator and all powerful. He is sovereign over all mankind. But He is also just and righteous. God created man in His image to choose and follow with their heart, not blink His eyes and all the things taken care of. To understand such verses on prayer we must understand the context of what Jesus is trying to get those to see within the framework of His purposes. If we use these as blank checks we aren't taking the word of the Lord seriously. Let's continue this in the next blog! Have a great day and spend time in prayer!!

"The Resurrected Christ"

  Have you ever sat down and thought through carefully the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Reading carefully Eph. 1:16-21, we find Paul standing in amazement wanting the Ephesians (and us) to stand in amazement. That's why the eyes of the heart need enlightened and God is the one who will do the enlightening. It took a lot to raise a dead man but there is something even bigger than such a big event.

  God raised Jesus from the dead and not just to life but immortality! Upon the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension God started over with a life of immortality. A whole new creation had begun and Christ is the source and we, the church, are part of that. A new creation began in which life would flow from the Lord Jesus (Rom. 5:14-21). A new creation of immortality in which Jesus was completely and powerful the Lord over. He rules over all in heaven and earth! The Lord Jesus would be the only One who makes those one with Him heirs. It was nothing like this physical creation in which man lives in today.

  We sing a song sometimes saying, "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene...how marvelous, how wonderful." Do we really see that? Do we realize the day is coming when we will be like Him? Do we realize we will reign with Him? Do we realize that sin which is so brutal and continues to take down the little children as they grow into adulthood like the rest of us, will be dealt a final blow, obliterated and along with it death too? Jesus removed the curse and in Him is life. Do you need to sit and reflect again on what the death of Jesus really means? "I came that they might have life and life abundantly."  (John 10:10)

"Man's God"

    Man's 'god' has always been pathetic! What do I mean? Man makes the eternal, the Almighty at times the way they want Him to be. They try to manipulate what He teaches about Himself, what He reveals about Himself, stuff in a little of man's mind and there you have it: MAN'S GOD! The problem is this type of  'god' is an idol. But many hold to the 'god' they make to fit their lifestyles and attitudes.

  It is rather interesting that when Israel left the confines of Egypt by the mighty hand of Jehovah, it didn't take long and all of the fine ornaments and valuables that God had given them from the Egyptians for their wages was suddenly turned into something that was so ugly and vile. Finally, God's people...GOD'S PEOPLE (let's get this down) made a 'god' of gold and they could see. They had a 'god' they could manipulate and control. They had a 'god' that they created by their own masterminds and skills. What more could man want? Man's 'god' was so great and wonderful he could be worshiped and make man feel good about himself! This self-made god was exactly what the people wanted and was much better than God who is Spirit! This is a 'god' that was completely dependent upon man! Then God Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of man steps in and they found out that man's survival and understanding depends completely on Him and nothing else!

  But what is this to us? Today we are more sophisticated, educated and just much more advanced than any race in history. We don't worship some golden calf or bow down to tree stumps. We have advanced so far that, well, we worship almost nothing! We have no need from anyone except money to feed our desires. We are self-made and self-maintained! Why we have the best psychologists, counselors and drugs that have taken us into another realm. Don't dare tell anyone anything different from God's holy word. Don't confront us with His direction. We know what modern experts tell us and we will not allow anyone to tell us different. And if we can't cope with something, we have the miracle of drugs that have been discovered to help us cope.

  Here we march, one by one, into this world each day without armor, without direction other than what we have put our trust in from our own smartness. We too I'm afraid have created a 'god' in our own image. Worship for many is about 'us' and what makes us feel good. Our walk daily is about how we feel and make others feel. And then we must ask, why do so many have so many mental and low self-esteem issues? Why are people so lonely and empty? Why are children being trained and steeped in entertainment and self-satisfaction only to be demanding and out of control at times? Why are babies being killed each and every day because of 'freedom'? We are paying a price for man's god! Somewhere we must start listening to the voice of God through His word and yield! We too have followed Israel to the wilderness.

"Be Careful"

  Today let me share some thoughts about those of us who lovingly and intently look for the truth from Scripture. I am speaking to those of us who are committed to speaking of the word of God as all-sufficient and complete authority. By saying that many times we want everything neatly packaged with a "thus saith the Lord" ending. When false teaching seems to present itself we want verses that plainly knock it dead in its tracks and put it in the grave! There are times when we can do that with ease.
  However, it's not always easy to determine everything with such ease. Over my many years of preaching/teaching I have often heard people claim someone is a false teacher because they say something or teach something different than what we know or learned. We jump on the band-wagon of calling them false. I have seen many times where the individual was presenting something they believed to be true only to realize they misapplied the verses and were more than willing to look at them and search it out more complete. They didn't have a false heart. We have a man by the name of Apollos that was mighty in Scripture, instructed in the way of the Lord but he couldn't teach someone how to be saved (Acts 18). He had to be taken aside and taught the way of God more accurately. It can happen. Too many are quick to jump on a person as a false teacher and call them such without realizing they are sincere in their seeking and not wanting to be false. Of course if a person is presented clearly with the truth and they refuse, there begins the road to falsehood.
  Our zeal to promote what we believe to be the truth must be governed by the clarity of the evidence in its favor. Many times we have to take into consideration the covenants, who is being spoken to and why and weave many things together to get the whole teaching. It can be pain-staking and difficult to reach some clarity. It takes little to see that we can know for certain, without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God! That's 100% sure. But we can't always have that degree of certainty about every single doctrine we stand on. Some would like to think they do but that's a little arrogant. Do we not think about what Peter said about some of the writings of Paul? "...in which are some thing hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." (II Pet. 3:16) He said they were hard, not impossible to understand which means great care must be taken and not quick to jump that our assertions are correct and the only one that is correct. Again, that's arrogance. I know there are views that I hold to that I am convicted they are correct but I'm not certain they are correct that I can say it by the mark of 100%! We must stop throwing around things from God's word giving people the impression we present the truth in all areas completely and there is nothing more! That's what the Pharisees did.
  Let's heed Paul's instruction to Timothy to "handle accurately the word of truth." (II Tim. 2:15) That means you and I struggle to see, to know and be pliable to allow things to change us as we are presented with things from God's word. Too many jump to some book or commentary to validate their stance which means that individual you rely on is your source of truth rather than let the Lord help and teach you. It's not always easy and clear and those who stand and think it is, that should concern us because there are things that aren't explicit statements in all cases! This attitude of all knowing and a correct view on everything is what has led to much division and confusion in our world from the church. No wonder people cannot see the truth of salvation as Jesus spoke: "by this will all men know that you are My disciples because you have love for one another."  I just wanted to give us all something to think about!!

"A Wicked Child"

  The father and mother came to the elders looking for encouragement and help for their son who had gone astray from the Lord and demonstrated behavior that was destructive. Their son had done something that would probably call for some prison time. There is nothing that hurts to the depths than a child that wanders into sin and death and especially when it's to this degree. The pain just stays with the parent. Here were two lovely children of God who raised their family to seek the Lord and their son had gone into the depths of sin. Elders should have some godly advice for them, shouldn't they? There should be some comfort to draw from the God of all comfort (II Cor. 1), should there? Their counsel said that their son is a product of how they raised him!! On top of the pain they must also live with guilt. How can men, who are supposedly the spiritual leaders of God's people, be so shallow in their thinking and lacking spiritual insight?

  In Ezekiel 18, we have a great description of God holding people accountable for their sins. In verses 10-13 we have a righteous man who has a wicked son. Yes, it can happen! (And there is also the reverse where a wicked father can end up with a godly son!) Why don't we believe that? A son that has been taught from infancy can end up choosing to do everything his father would not do and refuse to do everything his father would do! We have the righteous defined in verses 5-9. I realize there are many children whose parents are walking in shame because their parents didn't care for them properly or walk with the Lord. That's understood. But we must realize that once our children leave home, it is now their faith and their choices in their faith, not the parents. Many children live in the gutter in spite of good raising, prayers and tears of discipline. The Lord knows that too. Ask King David about his children. This king, even though he failed as we failed in things in our own lives, was called a man after God's own heart! Yet his son tried to over-throw his father with lies and deceit.

  We must not throw suspicion on godly mothers and fathers of wicked and even sometimes worthless kids holding the parents responsible. Parents, be an example. Discipline your children. Keep humility toward the Lord at the front of your life. Make certain the family knows that Jesus is Lord. But these don't guarantee. There are still choices each individual makes. It doesn't take much to look at this: who was Adam's father? Hmmmm...and what did Adam choose? 

"Discovering God"

  He was known as a great leader and man of strength for the people. The man continually sought the face of the Lord and destroyed places that desecrated His name. He became famous throughout the world and very strong militarily for the people. His name was King Uzziah. King Uzziah brought dignity and power to God's people. One thing cost him dearly. With all his strength and fame came a proud heart. It seems to always happen and his pride got the best of him. Because of his power as king, he felt he could enter into the temple of God where the priests were only allowed and burn his own incense. The result: the Lord struck him with leprosy. To the day of his death, he was a leper.

  Isaiah speaks of the death of King Uzziah (Isa. 6). What a major blow to Israel. Israel's great hero was gone but something else happens. God shows Himself to be alive and in control! Too many put their faith, their trust in man. Isaiah believed deeply in God but also in this king. One can't do both! In all this we find a truthful reality: no matter what happens among man in disappointments or tragedy of life, God lives and rules and wants us to know it!

  I pray that God may grant to each one of us that if and when tragedy comes into our lives, we will find ourselves as Isaiah, "in the temple" discovering that God is sitting in Majesty and power. We find hurts that come and sometimes the pain is intense and there is God, waiting for you and I to look and seek. Even though things around us change, He doesn't. I pray the words Isaiah spoke might be the words we speak in faith: "In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple." (Isa. 6:1) May we discover and say: "In the year that my wife/husband (son/daughter or someone else) died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..." "In the year our business went under, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..." "In the year my marriage folded, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..." "In the year when our little baby was born with defects, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..." We need to discover the greatness and awesome power of Jehovah God!

"Church Goers"

  What a sad commentary on the people of God. People worshipping God with their sacrifices, prayers and whatever else goes into their worship thinking God is thrilled with their assembling together in His name. It was nothing more than outward religion and a Divine disgust. That's what Isaiah chapter one speaks. Things were being practiced in their lives and attitudes and had gone on so long they no longer knew God! They has lost their senses. But they knew their worship! They were "church-goers". Every time the doors were open, they were there. Offerings and all the "acts of worship" were involved. But God would not accept any of it. They were people that were God rejected.

  It doesn't take much to look at Micah 6 where Micah asks the "church-goers" about all their "acts of worship" only to find out that God is looking for a people that will do justice and love kindness. God calls people to walk humbly (not arrogantly, loud and know-it-alls) with the Lord. That's what God's people had become in Isaiah 1. They were so blind to their true spiritual condition they did not realize they were evildoers and sick from head to toe!

  What does this speak to us today? I have often wondered how much of my own personal worship with the saints has been God rejected? What was my motive for why I am there? To worship God from your heart takes an humble approach. It takes one being forgiven and forgiveness breeds love. It's not about just offering to God some "acts of worship" that we have fulfilled our obligation! It's about a deep seated love because you know you are forgiven.

  Back to Isaiah 1 we find right in the middle of God calling His people so sinful they are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah (1:10), God reaches out in a tenderness in 1:18. In fact, if you would read it carefully, it almost makes you want to sing! It prompts that from within. This people of smugness, formalists, bursting with self-righteousness are so unaware. This was a people that would be worthy of being annihilated. God calls and God wants to talk! He doesn't want them to talk. God Himself speaks and doesn't beat around the bush. He offers...I WANT TO CLEANSE YOU! God wants them to turn with their heart. The court is being held and within that court we find the Judge wanting to release those in His righteousness by paying their price. Humble, contrite and seeking God from the heart will always bring abundant pardon (Isa. 55:7). Abundant pardon brings about love and love realizes how much you have been forgiven and atoned for. There is our reason to worship!

"Isaiah the Book"

  The book of Isaiah is a wonderful teacher of God. One thing Isaiah teaches us is that God controls history! It is one of the manifestations of His power. For instance, take Isa. 44:28. God speaks about a man named Cyrus. He calls Cyrus His shepherd and will perform what the Lord wants performed. In chapter 45 Cyrus is spoken as God's anointed. Who is this Cyrus? He is the king of Persia! Here's the unique thing about God and demonstrating His control and power. God calls Cyrus by name and speaks about what he will do 150 years before the man was ever born!!

  God not only shows through Isaiah His power but God is also shown as righteous in the using of His power. God causes things to work for the betterment of man to bless all mankind. God punishes a nation when that nation gives Him no other alternative. The hearts become removed and the throwing off the things that stand for right, God finally reaches a point where He has to do something in order to bless the whole. God is dealing with a world of sinners, of people who oppress one another and working the counsel of His will among this world is His choice. God would love to bless everyone with all His goodness and kindness but because man makes choices that are in direct conflict with God they make things impossible. The result is the oppressor must be punished that blessings might be obtainable for the oppressed.

  Isaiah shows us that while God punishes, He is never vindictive! God does not punish for punishment sake unlike man. God punishes to bring about the best possible result. We have difficulty with that. Not only does God punish in His righteousness but He is not partial. The heathen world around felt the wrath of God as well as a disobedient Israel when she walked in ways that were not God's ways.

  Take time and read Isaiah. What a great book. Learn God's holiness and righteousness. Above all know that God is in control so we don't have to fear all the things everyone else seems afraid of. Those faithful take refuge in God! 

"God Wants Us"

  If we could only grasp how much, how much God wants us with Him...FOREVER. We aren't just people who live their lives, some in despair and disappointment, that God does not care for and casts them off into a hell that is reserved for the devil and his angels. Sometimes struggles are so immense in the hearts of some that they cannot see anything other than a doomed end. Somehow they have been taught to believe that they can't make it anyway so they just give up. 

  Think of this. Each and every day new births take place in this world. Babies created by God with souls and an eternal destiny. They grow in homes where there are abuses of many kinds, yet here is God that placed them in this world. Jesus comes to us. Walking in our shoes, dealing with our difficulties and tempted as we are tempted. Jesus knows the real depth of what it means to suffer as He never sinned. We give in to sin. He didn't and that takes suffering to a different level. The life of Jesus was snuffed by evil man. The life of God was given back to Him for eternity. Why? For us! God showed He created us in this world and He will do whatever it takes for us eternally. God wants us with Him and if one would pause and look seriously at the giving of Jesus it becomes clear how much God cares and is willing to have us live with Him.

  But we must not stop there. Too many are living their lives thinking God will save them no matter how they live or the choices they make. Too many run around speaking of God but ignore His love for them as they continue to live for themselves thinking in the end they will be with Him eternally. God looks for us to see His great love which He has for us and put faith in Him by responding to His love. 

  If we lose our souls, it won't be because of God. God is not sending anyone into the pits of hell because He wants to. No, people will end up in eternal condemnation and punishment because they don't care about God's love. They care little to listen to His word and if they do, they pick and choose the parts. They want the benefits without love. 

  No one is God-rejected. Many reject God. What can a loving Father do with that? 

"Take Scripture Seriously!"

  Take the Scriptures seriously! That might surprise many that I make that remark. We need to learn to let the Scriptures tell us what God means. Too many use the Scriptures to support their thoughts which is backward. We think something or someone tells us something and then we go and find a Scripture to support it. That's not treating Scripture seriously. That's how Scripture is misapplied. Too many use the Scriptures to support their stance or ideas instead of respectfully allowing the Scripture to mold and shape them into what God speaks.

  God is Spirit! These words that we read are from a holy, spiritual source that is powerful and righteous. Too many treat the Holy Scriptures as if they were some sort of religious Readers Digest. Yes, our past and the way we were raised can affect the way we look at Scripture but that's part of growing knowing that we need to allow our eyes to look through the eyes of our Lord. As you read, look for Jesus. When you read allow the Scriptures to explain what they mean to you and not you trying to interpret them. I know that's hard for many but that's where surrender comes into the equation. Trust in the Lord! Trust in what He speaks. Look through His eyes. When you find yourself struggling with understanding, don't force it or run to the nearest commentary. Allow God to work and grow you. Let it settle and take in the things you do understand and one day, it begins to all come together because understanding comes from the Lord, not man!

"An Offering"

  We must remember that none of us are self-made. For us as humans, there is no absolute ownership. This is the truth that has always stood from the beginning and we should learn that from our birth to our death. We all are just stewards of all the good and accomplishments that God has brought our way. I realize there are many who beat their chests thinking they have done it all by their own efforts! But there is coming a day when all will stand before the Lord and then all will truly see the whole parameters of life including the offering of Jesus on our behalf.

  Knowing all this, we read God speak to Israel: "You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me." (Ex. 22:29-30) "You shall bring the choice first fruits of you soil into the house of the Lord your God." (Ex. 23:19) Why does God ask His people for such? If God is the owner of everything and we are not self-made, our offerings to God (and Israel's) is a confession that everything belongs to God. God alone is the Creator and Giver of all. Even Eve, when she gave birth to Cain said: "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord." (Gen. 4:1) When one offers their best, their first fruits to the Lord, that offering was a token of gratitude for what the Lord had done. It was a heart confessing and expressing thankfulness for the Lord's blessings and it was to be done with joy. God is rightfully the owner of all things created and offerings given to God by man is man confessing God's ownership.

  God is able to bless or curse ones work and life. God can bless or curse the sea, the air, the land, the crops, the water, the weather and anything else. He alone is Lord of all and that includes us. The Lord can make life difficult. The Lord can allow things to come to us and people think they struggled and did it on their own but in one single moment it can all be lost! When God asks us to bring our offering, He asks us to bring it with a heart of gratitude and cheer because everything living thing depends on Him. What is your offering like? 

 

"If I Could Start Over"

  Have you ever thought to yourself about things of your past, if you could do them over again you would do things differently? I know I have said it but that's not a good assessment of your past. You see, you are speaking from your present experience looking back over your past so doing things differently, I doubt it. 

  However, there is one thing you can do from the present so you won't repeat your past or move into other areas that could be destructive to your life. Make God the center of your being. Allow Jesus to be Lord! Jesus is Lord no matter if you submit to Him or not but things go much better when you submit voluntarily to His Lordship.

  Making Jesus Lord from today forward means you allow Him to direct and teach you. That means that the Bible is not your Lord but the God of the Bible is. There is a difference. The thrust of what we call the Bible is God Himself! The heart of the Bible beats with the heart of God. It's not about commands (though we need to heed them). It's about the God behind those commands. That means we need to learn about Him and His ways. Too many I know quote Bible for every event but in their quoting have little insight to the God that spoke. This is why we have so many different and varied teachings. God is not center. Jesus is not submitted to as Lord and the Bible becomes nothing more than a debating manual to believe as one interprets what they think on their own terms. Let's make God our center and humbly submit to Jesus as Lord and watch what happens in your life.

"God's Holiness"

  The holiness of God is God's love for man! Let's think about this. God loves those created in His image. It's a love we cannot really grasp or fathom. Sometimes we get a little glimpse here and there but it is difficult for the created to grasp. God desires the very best for His created but sin is a barrier and vile enemy to Him. In the holiness of  God, God wants sin removed because He loves us. The holiness of God does not stand over against love, it is one aspect of His love.

  What we need to learn that love can NEVER be indifferent to sin any more than it can be indifferent to seeking the best of the beloved. Love seeks the best benefit for another always!! That's why we need a better understanding of the height and depth of love. Too much 'gooey' flows from our understanding of love and that's why the world has tainted it's meaning from God's perspective. God's love for man must chastise, prune and discipline as these are all aspects of His love. Don't we hear Jesus speak to the church at Laodicea: "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." (Rev. 3:19) And what about the Hebrew writer speaking for God: "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives." (Heb. 12:5-6) That New Testament quote is from Proverbs 3:11-12. Love disciplines! Love disciplines with pain because the holiness of God wants to continue fellowship and from His love encourages the choices we make away from sin and sinful attitudes toward His holiness. Go and read Exodus 34:6-7 where God puts the punishment of sin right in context with God's love for people!

  Maybe that's the reason the church doesn't move forward any more. Maybe we are taking the world's fuzzy attitudes of love and never see God's love in light of God's holiness. We are embracing those in sin without calling on them to remove sin from their lives. If we would dismiss those who continue to embrace sin, they could see the love of God more clearly. If we would correct those with attitudes that aren't governed by God, knowing that if they continue in their attitude we must not walk with them, they would see the blessings of God's love. Too many are running to embrace sin and we are running to embrace sin with them by embracing them while we need to be helping them move away from their sinfulness by standing up for the holiness of God in humility and truth.

"Sugar Coating Love"

  Sometimes we have trouble with this little word called "love." When one examines the death of Jesus, it's not a love that has in it the act of dying. It is a redeeming death, an atoning death and a sacrificial death. This love that was shown is not some sugary coated love that many proclaim.

  It seem many cheapen the love of God and bring it down to a paltry level where every sentimental act we do is an illustration of the love of God that He has for us! This cheapen of love makes its way into the homes where parents smile by catering to their children every lisping wish. We want them to know how much they are loved in many of these instances. A love that is sugary coated, that is sentimental in many respects is not fair to the love of God for us in Christ Jesus. This love of God that many think they show their children or one another is neither found in the Old Testament or the New Testament. We are thrilled when we can give to our children or others these nice little things and while saying this, I'm not suggesting we don't do the things for them or others. What I'm trying to avoid is this sugary "stuff" that falsely goes under the name of the love of God.

  When love become more concerned for the happiness of another, that's not the love of God. The love of God is about holiness and that's what the love of God calls us to. Without the cross at the center of love it becomes a self-serving, self-centered devouring passion that is bent on pulling from a relationship personal delights by gifts showered on another or extended. We  need to do some serious bible study on love so we can recognize the real difference between the love of God and a counterfeit love.

  God's love calls us to His holiness because we have been redeemed. We walk in His love by sacrificing ourselves for the spiritual benefit of others. Sometimes we must say 'no'. Sometimes we must discipline those in sin by not participating with them as love would have it. Sometimes we must rebuke those who walk in ways that aren't Christ-like. Sometimes we must tell our children they cannot participate in something because the holiness of God is not found there despite all their friends and influences around them. These are the true faces of love. It's a redeeming love, an atoning love and a sacrificial love! 

"A Gift From the Lord"

  "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." (Psa. 127:3) The Lord gives into our hands a gift from Himself, our children. They come from God in purity and complete dependence. The Lord places them in your possession with this innocence and asks that we teach them His ways and His righteousness. Instruction from God on where to walk, how to live should be the number one rule in our lives.

  Yesterday, we were rewarded with another gift from God. In my younger years I wished I had been more humble in my life to listen and heed when God gave us three gifts. I would have been less caught up in the world and concerned about their spiritual well being. Today, as a grandfather, I see the importance and watch the gifts from God put into the hands of my children and I pray for them daily. The greatest blessing you could give your children is give them back to their Father (and yours) providing them with the best instruction about their Father you can possibly give. That's a 'thank you' to the Lord for His wonderful gift He gave to us.