Sunday Morning

This morning at church we had a guest speaker Dr. Ross. He has had 30 years in ministry and was the co founder of True Love Waits. I will be honest (and I don't mean this against anyone) but this was the first time in awhile that I have heard a preacher that really spoke with such passion for what they were sharing with us. His message this morning was very short and to the point. It was directed at us parents; bottom line "How will your 20 year old view Jesus? When they are ready to go off to college, how will they view him?" He said there were many topics that he could talk to us parents about but the most important was our influence in our child's life on how they would see Jesus. He said that God's design was for the mom and dad to have the biggest influence on their child and it's our job (yes the community and family help us) to make sure our child knows Jesus. He said that so many of us keep like a little Jesus in our back pocket and pull Him out when we need something. We need to realize that the Jesus we serve is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, He is the only One, the One who created the universe and us. We need to realize that He is a Great and Mighty God. He doesn't just sit and wait for our wish list each day. Yet, He loved us so much He died for us. He wants us to praise Him for the wonderful, amazing, forgiving, gracious, all powerful God that He is. Dr. Ross said this was the Jesus that our children needed to see in us and for us to teach them this Jesus because that is who He is. This message really struck me this morning. How many times am I guilty of focusing only on what I need from Him, or what I need Him to do to help others, instead of praising Him for all He is. How many times am I guilty of being too lazy to pray that way? Countless....I fall short, yet He continues to bless me...why I wonder? Madalyn is a blessing from God; a true joy. He has entrusted us to raise her with the knowledge of Him and to one day become a child of His. When we were trying to get pregnant; I was praying to get pregnant and I was praying for my child to be. I told God that this child He would bless us with would belong to Him and He would use this child to bring glory to Him. We are all His children if we have declared that His son Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose in 3 days. If we have asked Him into our heart and believe He is the one true God and the only way to salvation. Kevin and I pray that one day we will be able to rejoice in Madalyn's decision to follow Jesus and to be saved. Who wouldn't want that for their child? For them to know the one that made them and that loves them even more than we do. I challenge you as I am challenging myself to be in awe and respect yet to know intimately the creator of the universe, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the One who has always been and who will always be. Have that feeling of how great and worthy He is of our praise yet we are not worthy of Him, but He loves us just as we are. If you have children or are around children, pray for them to see that Jesus in you. Not just a Jesus that we bring out when we need our wish list met and then put away again until something else bad happens.