FRUITFUL PARENTS

Posted on February 6, 2011 @ focusontheheart.org

("heart for the home" page)

How in the world can we be fruitful in a barren world?

Fruitful parenting comes with consistently loving, teaching and living according to the core values that we know in our heart to be true and right before God. As we find in the first few verses written by David in the book of Psalms, where he describes a tree that is planted by the rivers of water; he begins to tell us all about the man or woman that is blessed. Then David tells us in the second verse about the thing that makes this person happy and how he never ceases to meditate on this all through the day. He even says that it's on their minds all night! Let's look at David's message to us all in the first chapter of Psalms;

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth(abiding) in the way(course of life) of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat(spend time abiding with) of the scornful(one who mocks or scoffs). 2 But his delight(valuable thing) is in the law(precepts) of the LORD; and in his law(in His precepts) doth he meditate(they ponder) day and night." ~ Psalms 1:1-2

David was talking about the core values of a man or woman who was blessed by God. This blessed man or woman that he spoke of here wouldn't entertain the idea of receiving counsel from an ungodly person about anything that had to do with his heart, mind or soul. Neither would they find themselves following after or abiding in the sinful course of life. This describes the people we meet or maybe even some of our friends who would tempt us to join with them in fulfilling the desires of the flesh for a short season. Beware my brothers and sisters where you find yourself abiding, not only in the day, but in the nighttime too! This is exactly why it's so important; as the great Psalmist begins this awesome book of songs with divine guidance from his God Almighty to meditate day and night on the Word of God. Then David tells us that this blessed man or woman doesn't spend their time abiding with those assemblies, populations or in the dwellings of those who have become scorners or mockers of who? Mockers of the man who's core values are found in the LORD.
Oh no, the blessed man or woman will not find themselves in any of those places, but rather in the precepts of the LORD! I don't know for sure about you, but I have felt that some of the laws that we have been forced to live by in the U.S. have been unacceptable. Yet we are made to follow them, even though they may violate our core values as holy children of Christ. For example, the liquor laws, the abortion laws, the laws about open pornography and nudity on TV as well as the internet. What about the laws protecting the rights of the criminal who repeatedly chooses to abuse the minds of other adults and helpless children? Then there's the laws that affect what can and cannot be mentioned in the schools, government facilities and clinics of OUR LAND! All of these are precepts made by and for our country to follow and if you don't respect and abide by them, you'll be punished under the law. Are these laws productive or are they destructive? Does the LORD GOD Almighty look upon our land with joy or are His eyes filled with tears today?

THANK GOD that His precepts will never bring a parent or child harm. God's laws will never bring shame and reproach to the population of the blessed! I have a leader and LORD who gives me laws(precepts) that bring value to my home, my life and the lives of my children!

Now that we have taken time to ponder this vital introduction to the book of Psalms; we see David's inspiration to write concerning the importance of where we place our core values and learn how to welcome God's blessings into our dwellings as parents. Couples, single moms and dads, separated parents and widows, we can all learn from David's message today; pondering the precepts of God; receiving the blessed life and every parent has the equal opportunity to pass this lesson and blessing on to our children too! Our fruitfulness as a mom or dad must begin in our hearts and in our home as we hold to our core values and see our children doing the same!

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it (His desires) to pass." ~Psalms 37:4-5

*Literal translations from Strong's Hebrew & Greek Dictionary in parenthesis (*)

FRUITFUL PARENTS

What David say about about being fruitful is Valuable!

Fruitful parenting comes with consistantly loving, teaching and living according to the core values that we know in our heart to be true and right before God. As we find in the first few verses written by David in the book of Psalms, where he describes a tree that is planted by the rivers of water; he begins to tell us all about the man or woman that is blessed. Then David tells us in the second verse about the thing that makes this person happy and how he never ceases to meditate on this all through the day. He even says that it's on their minds all night! Let's look at David's message to us all in the first chapter of Psalms;

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth(abiding) in the way(course of life) of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat(spend time abiding with) of the scornful(one who mocks or scoffs). 2 But his delight(valuable thing) is in the law(precepts) of the LORD; and in his law(in His precepts) doth he meditate(they ponder) day and night." ~ Psalms 1:1-2

David was talking about the core values of a man or woman who was blessed by God. This blessed man or woman that he spoke of here wouldn't entertain the idea of receiving counsel from an ungodly person about anything that had to do with his heart, mind or soul. Neither would they find themselves following after or abiding in the sinful course of life. This descibes the people we meet or maybe even some of our friends who would tempt us to join with them in fulfilling the desires of the flesh for a short season. Beware my brothers and sisters where you find yourself abiding, not only in the day, but in the nighttime too! This is exactly why it's so important; as the great Psalmist begins this awesome book of songs with divine guidance from his God Almighty to meditate day and night on the Word of God. Then David tells us that this blessed man or woman doesn't spend their time abiding with those assemblies, populations or in the dwellings of those who have become scorners or mockers of who? Mockers of the man who's core values are found in the LORD.
Oh no, the blessed man or woman will not find themselves in any of those places, but rather in the precepts of the LORD! I don't know for sure about you, but I have felt that some of the laws that we have been forced to live by in the U.S. have been unacceptable. Yet we are made to follow them, even though they may violate our core values as holy children of Christ. For example, the liquor laws, the abortion laws, the laws about open pornography and nudity on TV as well as the internet. What about the laws protecting the rights of the criminal who repeatedly chooses to abuse the minds of other adults and helpless children? Then there's the laws that affect what can and cannot be mentioned in the schools, government facilities and clinics of OUR LAND! All of these are precepts made by and for our country to follow and if you don't respect and abide by them, you'll be punished under the law. Are these laws productive or are they destructive? Does the LORD GOD Almighty look upon our land with joy or are His eyes filled with tears today?

THANK GOD that His precepts will never bring a parent or child harm. God's laws will never bring shame and reproach to the population of the blessed! I have a leader and LORD who gives me laws(precepts) that bring value to my home, my life and the lives of my children!

Now that we have taken time to ponder this vital introduction to the book of Pslams; we see David's inspiration to write concerning the importance of where we place our core values and learn how to welcome God's blessings into our dwellings as parents. Couples, single moms and dads, seperated parents and widows, we can all learn from David's message today; pondering the precepts of God; receiving the blessed life and every parent has the equal opportunity to pass this leasson and blessing on to our children too! Ourfruitfulness as a mom or dad must begin in our hearts and in our home as we hold to our core values and see our children doing the same!

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it (His desires) to pass." ~Psalms 37:4-5
*Literal translations from Strong's Hebrew & Greek Dictionary in parenthesis (*)

FAMILY PRIORITIES

We all share some very important priorities!

"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." ~Proverbs 22:6

Like yourself, I love my family more than anything else in this world and it's my desire that they all be as safe, happy, healthy and as prosperous as they can be in everything that we do; at home and in the public circle. We can all admit that it is a day to day challenge, but most days it goes pretty well considering all that could happen that doesn't. I hope that you are able to experience some harmony as well, whether you are married, separated or divorced. I know that it is possible to find harmony regardless of your status, if we just don't give up trying! It's our responsibility as a parent to be aware of everything that could eventually have an impact on our families. Particularly those things that pose a threat to our peaceful existence and steal our joy. We also must realize that those threats could come from outside the home, but they can also come from within our homes, hearts and histories.
We have people coming into our world from all walks of life. There are teachers, coaches, family members, schoolmates, influencing peers and others. Some have good intentions and some do not. These people all have different priorities and moral standings that may differ from your own and they can have a tremendous effect on how our children think about life, feel about the world around them and how they behave right now, as well as the way they will act as adults. The media is also a powerful source that can undermine morals and values in even the strongest of families if we don't purposefully take care to control and counteract those messages. We must make sure that we aren't threatening our families from within by our own lack of adjustment, poor priorities and an absence of leadership. We should also make sure that we aren't using negative products and techniques of our own upbringing, if you find this in your past as a child growing up. We're not the only influence in our children's lives so we need to make sure that we are the best and the most persuasive influence.
Some people think that family life is a thing of the past, but I'm here to tell you that the family is even more important today than in the past generations and it's erosion is totally unacceptable. It sometimes seems like a fight. Well, it's a fight that you can and must win! As a parent, the power is yours to set your child on a course for success. You may not be feeling very powerful as a parent right now, but if you will find the courage to rise to the challenge, I know that your child can and will be blessed beyond belief. The Word of God tells us that a child will remember. When? It says that they will remember when they are older! So don't become discouraged or give up trying! God will give you the patience, long suffering and even peace when we lay carry our children to the Lord in prayer.
Do you wish you knew how to decide what's good and what's not good for the children in your home? I'd like to end with a few verses that will help you to see a little more clearly how to judge the good from the bad influences. I memorized these verses for a class I was taking a while back and it really made a difference in how I decide what is clearly wrong for the children and for some, even the grandchildren.

"Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scorner. But his delight(his joy is found) is in the law of the Lord; and in his law does he meditate day and night.(all the time) And he will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also will not wither; and whatever he does will prosper." ~Psalms 1:1-3

Isn't that awesome stuff parents? Tomorrow we will talk some about the tree planted by the rivers of water. I'd really like to share something unique that God showed me about the trees that grow along a river. So join me tomorrow for my life application with this particular tree and how it applies to you and your children. Until then, keep your chin up and your knees bent as you seek the Lord for strength and guidance!