A RETURNING FAITH

“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” II Timothy 1:5

For the past few weeks, the newspapers, radio, TV and the stores have been reminding us to “remember mother.” I don’t think that anyone is ignorant of the fact that this Sunday is Mother’s Day. It’s sad that today we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we don’t have time for others and we need special days to remind us to care and love others like mother, father and grandparents etc.

The observance of Mothers Day in this country began in May of 1914, but long before that date God decreed the honoring of mothers. Not for one special day, but every day of the year! (Exodus 20:12). Christian mothers are the world’s greatest asset.

We usually think of honoring our mother merely in terms of material gifts and public recognition. But the most important way of demonstrating the esteem in which we hold our mothers is to be the sort of person our mother wants us to be.

Our mothers desire one thing from us above all else. It is not that we should stand up publicly praising them or buy them nice gifts. Their one desire is that they may see something of their faith and inspiration taking root in the life of their children.

Don’t just give her flowers and gifts on Mother’s Day to tell her that you love her, but incarnate in your lives the spirit of nobility and faith and devotion which she has. It is said that music is written not to be admired, but to be played.

In the Bible, motherhood is highly respected. Throughout the book of Proverbs children are instructed to love, respect and obey their mothers. In the Old Testament a child who hit or cursed his parents was sentenced to death by stoning (Exodus 21:15-17; Deuteronomy 21:18-21). The prophet Isaiah tells us that the greatest comfort imaginable is the love given by a mother to her child (Isaiah 66:13), and the Psalmist wrote that the most profound grief is the loss of a mother (Psalms 35:14).

The love of a mother is never exhausted. It never changes, it never tires, and it endures through all; in the face of the worlds condemnation, a mother’s love still lives on. To a mother there is no bad or ugly child. A mother can have ten kids and every one of them will know that they have all the love of their mother. The love of a mother is comparable to the love of God. A mother’s love is kind and patient, she is always supportive, loyal, hopeful and trusting. Her love is forever.

When all have deserted you, she will stand with you. When all doubt, she believes in you. When all despairs, she hopes and when all surrenders, she fights and pray’s on. Mothers are rich when they love their own. There are no poor mothers, no ugly ones and no old ones. Their love is always the most beautiful of the joys. And when they seem most sad it needs but a kiss when they receive or give to turn all their tears into joy.

A young man who was tired of the monotony and the restrictions of home decide to leave, to go to a place where he could wander and be free. After some time of living his life on his own he realized that it was not what he had dreamed it would be. He decided to write to his mother and tell her that he was sorry and wanted to come home and that he would be taking the train back home.

He told her that if she still wanted him, she should hang a white handkerchief on the tree in their yard which could easily be seen from the train before it stopped at the station. He had decided that if he did not see a handkerchief he would stay on the train and continue on. How amazed the young man was when he found that his mother had used every available handkerchief and white sheet she had to hang on all the branches of the trees in the yard. He could not understand how his mother could continue to love him. It was a mystery to him that his mother’s love had increased instead of diminished.    

LA FE DE NUESTROS PADRES

“Escucha, pueblo mío, mi ley; inclinad vuestro oído a las palabras de mi boca. Abriré mi boca en proverbios; hablaré cosas escondidas desde tiempos antiguos, las cuales hemos oído y entendido; que nuestros padres nos las contaron. No las encubriremos a sus hijos, contando a la generación venidera las alabanzas de Jehová, y su potencia, y las maravillas que hizo. El estableció testimonio en Jacob, y puso ley en Israel, la cual mandó a nuestros padres que la notificasen a sus hijos; para que lo sepa la generación venidera, y los hijos que nacerán; y los que se levantarán lo cuenten a sus hijos, a fin de que pongan en Dios su confianza, y no se olviden de las obras de Dios; que guarden sus mandamientos, y no sean como sus padres, generación contumaz y rebelde; generación que no dispuso su corazón, ni fue fiel para con Dios su espíritu.” (Salmo 78:1-8)

Se ha dicho que:

1. Hubo una generación que vio y experimentó el movimiento de Dios. (Primera generación)

2. Entonces hubo una generación que vio el movimiento de Dios, pero no experimentó el movimiento de Dios. (Segunda generación)

3. Entonces hubo una generación que ni vio, ni experimentó el movimiento de Dios. (Tercera generación)

Otra manera de decir la misma cosa es la siguiente:

1. La primera generación conoció al Señor de la obra.

2. La segunda generación conoció la obra del Señor.

3. La tercera generación no conoció ni al Señor de la obra o la obra del Señor.

Lo que se describe aquí es un ciclo.

Si examinamos cuidadosamente la vida de Abraham, descubriremos que él necesitó un cambio drástico en su vida. Dios necesito que hacer un poco de trabajo en él antes de que él fuera capaz de ser la cabeza terrenal de un plan nuevo de Dios. Él tenía que ser un hombre de poder y fuerza. El necesitaba tener un encuentro poderos con Dios para lograr esto, y lo tuvo. Entonces, simbólico como un nuevo principio y un nuevo destino como “el padre de muchas naciones,” Dios cambió su nombre a "Abraham". 

El hijo de Abraham, Isaac, por otra parte, no tenía ninguna necesidad por que cambiar. Él creció en medio de un avivamiento. Él tuvo todas las bendiciones pasadas a él de Abraham, la primera generación. Todo que él tuvo que hacer era sostienen el avivamiento a través de la oración, pero él no pudo hacerlo.

Fue porque Isaac dejó de sostener el avivamiento a través de la oración que su hijo, Jacob, necesitó un encuentro de poder. Por lo tanto, la tercera generación se hace la más crucial porque esta gente inaugurará la próxima generación, la generación que comenzará el ciclo de nuevo.

Queda en este asunto una última cosa significante que consideremos. José, la cuarta generación, la generación de avivamiento. Creo que Dios quiere que volvamos a preocuparnos con la salvación de nuestros vecinos y el mundo. Esto nos haría depender en la oración otra vez.

Dios sabe como devolver a su iglesia al lugar donde dependemos de Él otra vez. Él sabe como forzarnos a nuestras rodillas en oración. Él anhela un pueblo que pase tiempo con él nuevamente en Él la oración.

Creo que el mundo está buscando algo diferente. Sin embargo, si no volvemos a ser un pueblo que celosamente busca a Dios, nunca tendremos ese algo diferente para ofrecerles.        

THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

“Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.” (Psalm 78:1-8)

It has been said that:

1. There was a generation that saw and experienced the move of God.  (First generation)

2. Then there was a generation that saw the move of God but didn’t experience the move of God. (Second generation)

3. Then there was a generation that neither saw nor experienced the move of God. (Third generation)

Another way of saying the same thing is:

1. The first generation knew the Lord of the work.

2. The second generation knew the work of the Lord.

3. The third generation knew neither the Lord of the work or the work of the Lord.

What is described here is a cycle.

If we examine Abraham’s life carefully, we will discover that he needed a drastic change in his life. God needed to do some work on him before he would be able to be the earthly head of a brand new plan of God. He needed to be a man of power and strength. He needed a power encounter with God to bring this about, and he had it. Then, symbolic as a new beginning and a new destiny as “the father of many nations,” God changed his name to “Abraham.”

Abraham’s son Isaac, on the other hand, had no real need to change. He grew up in the midst of a revival, of sorts. He had all the blessings handed down to him from Abraham, the first generation. All he had to do was sustain revival through prayer, but he failed to do this.

It was because Isaac failed to sustain the revival through prayer that his son, Jacob, was in need of a power encounter. Therefore, the third generation becomes most crucial because these people will usher in the next generation, the generation which will begin the cycle all over again.

There remains in this matter one last significant thing for us to consider. Joseph, the fourth generation, the generation of revival. I believe God wants us to get back to concerning ourselves with the salvation of our neighbors and the world. That would build our dependency on prayer once again.

God knows how to bring his church back to the place where we depend on Him again. He knows how to force us to our knees in prayer. He longs for a people who will spend time with Him once again in prayer.

I believe the world is looking for something different. However, if we do not again become a people who zealously go after God, we will never have that something different to offer them.

THE SERVANT OF GOD / EL SIERVO DE DIOS: THE PSALM OF AN ADDICT

THE SERVANT OF GOD / EL SIERVO DE DIOS: THE PSALM OF AN ADDICT: King Heroin is my shepherd. I shall always want. He maketh me to lie down in the gutters. He leadeth me beside the troubled waters. ...

EL VALOR DE UNA MADRE

EL VALOR DE UNA MADRE

A los ocho años decimos; “¡Te amo mama!”

A los diez años decimos; “¡Tu eres la mejor madre en todo el mundo!”

A los dieciséis años decimos; “¡Mama, por favor, no me molestes!”

A los veinte años decimos; “¡Mama, me voy a ir de la casa mama!”

A los cuarenta años decimos; “¡Mi mama es muy sabia!”

A los cincuenta años decimos; “¡Mama, no te vayas nunca!”

A los sesenta cinco años decimos; “¡Daría lo que fuera por estar con mi mama!”

“Se levantan sus hijos y la llaman bienaventurada; Y su marido también la alaba: Muchas mujeres hicieron el bien; Mas tú sobrepasas a todas.” Proverbios 31:28-29

THE VALUE OF A MOTHER

THE VALUE OF A MOTHER

At the age of eight we say; “I love you mom!”

At the age of ten we say; “You’re the best mother in the world!”

At the age of sixteen we say; “Mother, please, don't bother me!”

At the age of twenty we say; “Mother, I'm leaving home mom!”

At the age of forty we say; “My mother is so wise!”

At the age of fifty we say; “Mother, don't ever leave me!”

At the age of sixty five we say; “I would give anything to be with my mother!”

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:  “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Proverbs 31:28-29

EL AMOR INAGOTABLE DE UNA MADRE

¡Una madre es la única mujer en la tierra que puede dividir su amor entre diez niños, y un marido y cada uno todavía tienen todo su amor!