Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.
"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12)
This is the "first commandment with promise" (Ephesians 6:2) and starts the second set of instructions in Exodus 20 for godly living. While the first four commandments focus on our relationship with God Himself, the last six are designed to protect and enhance our relationship with each other.
Among all human relationships, the family becomes the primary sphere (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:21-25; Ephesians 6:1-2) for learning. Human government and nationality have their place in our relationships between and among each other, but the home is the basic training station (Genesis 18:19; Ephesians 6:4) to establish functional authority.
The home is the place to exercise the discipline that will instill respect for authority (Hebrews 12:5-11). Such discipline may involve corporal punishment (Proverbs 22:15; 23:13-14) or verbal rebuke (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12) or even involve the withholding of reward or privilege (Genesis 49:1-26). Government struggles and society reels when homes are negligent in establishing obedience to rules.
The promise of a long life is based upon the child obeying his parents (Proverbs 6:20) and helping his parents as they require care or assistance in their later years (1 Timothy 5:8, 16).
The Lord Jesus submitted Himself to this authority (Luke 2:51). Since He lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), it would follow that He upheld this commandment and honored His earthly parents just as He honored His heavenly Father.
The honor given to parents is even extended to all elderly people (Leviticus 19:32). Would God these instructions were followed by all families.
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you."
My mother-in-law just spent two weeks in a local rehab after three months of in and out of hospital visits. I have to say that it was clean and full of cheerful people who were trying their best for the most part to care diligently for the occupants. She came home on Saturday. On Friday she was a wreck for she didn't believe that we would come for her. Why? Because so many others there were told the same thing and they did not come back for them.
She was so relieved to be home. While the place was clean and bright, it was an artificial environment. It is NOT a family situation as the LORD created for His people. I think of what Yeshua said about the hired hand in John 10:12-13, "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep."
My mother-in-law was upset as they washed her each day. Some were so rough she felt violated. One day she was brought to the shower with several other ladies. She was mortified as they all sat there naked. The thought made me think of concentration camps. What about dignity and modesty? Each night she HAD to give up her hearing aids. They said it was to keep them from being lost or stolen. In the morning she had to wait till they could bring them to her.
These people were not mean, just doing a job. One day a young aide was trying to get them interested in "trivia". But they sat there, slumped in wheelchairs. Most devastating of all is the lack of hope. I thought of how in the beginning of Dante's Inferno (the book) the gates to Hell said "Abandon all hope ye who enter here."
I thought about how the commandment says to honor our fathers and mothers. Yet the question is, are we really when so many and in growing in numbers are being placed in homes? We soothe our conscience by having "nursing home" ministries--go in a day here or there and go home feeling good.
I thought a friend's mom who had cared for the grandmother for years and years 'till she died last spring. How could she do otherwise she said. .
It is the same today with many children who are dumped into daycares. Nowhere in the Bible does it say to do such a thing! God has no alternative but families. Has not love grown cold when we think we can shove those who need constant care into the hands of strangers? What is the better witness for the LORD? Which exemplifies John 15:3, "Greater love has no one than this, than one lay down his life for his friends."
The LORD doesn't ask many to physically die but He does ask us to put others first. If we put in the same effort as others do in their jobs, what a difference it would make! I have long thought that each young woman should have practical nursing skills as part of their education.
Obama's healthcare makes provisions to ration seniors. I know that my mother-in-law has cost 10s of thousands in the past few months. So there is logic in it. Worldly logic that is! Logic, that as a cousin years ago told me, that it was best for her children to grow in daycare for she had her own life to live.
I have watched people over the years work like crazy for houses, cars, security etc. I have rarely seen them work to have the mother return to the home to care for their own children and elderly. How can an elderly person be cared for as they should if the woman is out of the home? When did the dollar become more valuable than family life? It is ironic that there are those who won't care for their own family, but will care for others if paid for it.
I was taught and have taught my children that family takes care of family. Love freely does what money can't buy. I think of Yeshua who gave His mom into the care of the disciple John who took her into his own home, who said in Mark 7:11 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of G-d in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, "Honor your Father and Your Mother"; and "He who speaks evil of Father or Mother is to be put to death; But you say, "if a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would have helped you is Corban (that is to say given to G-d); You no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the Word of G-d by your traditions which you have handed down and you do many such as that.
PS Vickie wrote me and told a little more about her MIL.
"...my mil just spent 3 weeks in the hospital with Congestive heart and kidney failure. She is now home again and doing very well thanks be to the LORD! I am a blessed woman. This evening was her 88th birthday. Now a party is planned for next week but 4 of my 8 children were here, 2 of the great grandchildren. It was such a blessing to me to see all around the table. My mil coaxing Emma 3 to eat her dinner. "One potato, two potato, three potato, FOURRRR!!! Emma would open her mouth and eyes wide to receive the forkful! All gathered around my mil to sing Happy Birthday as we gave her a small piece of sugar free cheesecake with 2 candles on it. 2 because she is a "double diget!" LOL"
Listen to this beautiful story about a mother who chose life for her unborn child and see what the world would have missed had she chosen to abort instead.
The song at the end says:
I want to live like this with the sun on my face, and I sing happily, gracefully. I want to live like this, with the air of the mountains, because this enchantment doesn't cost anything.
Ladies, say this with me: I speak
dishonestly of the purity of Christ if I dress in a way that
contradicts my testimony, or puts into question my chastity. I
represent Jesus by the way I behave, dress, speak, and love my
neighbor. The way I present myself in public should point others to Christ, not distract people from Him. - Stacy McDonald
This week was my birthday. My family always treats me like a queen. I received a wonderful email from my oldest daughter and her husband and a call from my son. My two younger daughters took great care of me all day. My husband came home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. My daughters made me a wonderful cake. I received gifts that were just what I needed. Here are some photos of the day. I am truly blessed. Thank you, God for such a wonderful, loving family.
Here is the card my daughters made for me. Isn't it beautiful!!
“And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” 1 John 3:23
“Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29
“And He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
I love how He really summed up ALL the commandments by essentially combining them into two commandments. The first four commandments are God related (vertical) and the last 6 are mankind related (horizontal). If we believe in Jesus, we will by shear love for Him want to keep the first four commandments. If we love one another, again, just by shear desire to do this we will keep the last 6 commandments.
Just think if we believe in Jesus we won’t have a desire to serve other gods, make idols, profane His name. (Now, I am not sure about the fourth commandment, it doesn’t seem like many keep this commandment anymore. I need to do some serious research on this one. I know God has never rescinded any of His commandments, so it is still a viable commandment.)
In the same way, if we love each other, we will desire to honor our parents, we won’t lie to each other, steal from each other, we won’t commit adultery, covet what each other has, kill each other.
But, can we do this ALL on our own? No, of course not, when we believe in Jesus, He will give us the strength and power to keep these commandments. We can NEVER do it in our own strength. The desire will come when we commit our lives to Him and allow Him to do the work in our lives.
I am so thankful that He doesn’t leave us to our own strength to do His will, once we accept His gift of salvation. He is always right with us, guiding us, empowering us and strengthening us.
“But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:13
“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8
“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
“Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11
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