Monday, August 2, 2010

HANG IN THERE MOM AND DAD!

This morning I was spending time with Jesus in his word.  I read 2 Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles 33, both chapters telling about the life of one of the most evil kings to ever rule Judah.  How bad was he? "Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel" (2 Chronicles 33:9, ESV).

Manasseh started reigning as king of Judah when he was 12 (a junior higher).  He reigned for 55 years.  And for most of it, he was a bad a kid.  And here's the part that scared me as a parent: "And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.  For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed..." (2 Kings 21:3, ESV). Hezekiah, Mannaseh's father, did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.  He tried to follow God in everything that he did.  And yet his boy came along and did completely the opposite.  I stopped there and wrote these words in my Bible:

"My loving Christ does not guarantee that my kids will love Christ.  Jesus, my prayer is for my kids to surrender to you and adore you—to serve you with a love and faith that convicts me of my lack of both.  Show me what I can do to lead them toward you."


Some of you are at the same stage I am: little ones at home that you are trying to figure out how to point to Jesus so that they will hear his call and surrender their lives to him.  Some of you are wondering if your son/daughter is Manasseh come back to life.  You're broken and hurting.  You are at a loss.  And if I stopped here in this blog you would feel like there is no hope.

Click here to see the hope and be encouraged.  HANG IN THERE, MOM AND DAD!!!

What a ride,
Brian

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