Last night our family started to read the gospel of Mark.  Each of us took turns reading from Scripture.  Afterword, we talked a little, had a prayer, and hugged each other on the way to bed.

There are benefits to studying the word with your family.  (My oldest two children are 9 and 10 years old.)

Improve reading skills.
Improve study skills.
Improve family structure.
Improve dedication to God's word.
Improve relationship with God through an obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

We love our children.  Yet, we know that if God isn't first in their life, because of our lack of teaching, we have done a disservice to God as parents.

Remain humble before the Lord.

The Lord's humbled
John A. Reeves

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Children 10/27/2011
 
Without a doubt, God gave children as blessings. 

Are they blessings to provide us entertainment?  Are they blessings to bring us pride?  Are they blessings only for their obedience?  Are they blessings for their future ability to provide us monetary gifts?

Hmmm? 

Maybe their blessings because they offer us (as parents) opportunities to glimpse how God might look at us (people).  We need His love.  We need His discipline.  We need His patience.  We need His grace.  We need His teachings.  We need His provisions.  We need His law.  We need . . . . 

What honest parent, who looks within themselves, doesn't see God's desire for the lost in their baby's eyes.  Who doesn't sense a deep awareness of the need to nurture "a little one" toward Christ.

A parent recieves wonderful blessings to know that they can glimpse what it means to love one who has a will to choose.  They receive blessings when they live for Christ.  They receive blessings when they realize that they can't do it (parent) without the assistance of God.

What a blessing a child is when they, by their nature, teach us to rely on God.

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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Zig Ziglar, in his work, 5 Keys to  Igniting Motivation and Success, talks briefly about why so few Jewish men are in prison.

He states that Jewish fathers do three things with their boys.  Everyday they tell them that they love them by:

            1.  telling them "bless you"
            2.  telling them "I love you"
            3.  give their boys a big hug (sometimes a big kiss)

The work of Jewish fathers is extremely dramatic.  Zig talks about a prison minister in Florida named Billy Glass.  Billy mentioned of the 40,000 men in prison only 13 were Jewish.  Not 13000 or 1300 but a real 13.

One of the things that Billy found out among prisoners is that they hate their fathers. 

The fact is, dad's you have a stong impact on the future of your children.  Please take your role seriously and be humble before God.

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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God and Christ used my dad to make a great inpact in my life.  I am so greatful that I had the training from a person who knows what it truly meant to be "without God".  The article that illustrates this is called "A Lifestyle In Christ:  A Brief Story"

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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Burning Bush 10/12/2010
 
"And the angel of the LORD appeared to him (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed" (Genesis 3:2).
 
God sure knew how to get Moses' attention.  Isn't amazing how God has reached people in the past.  Yet, all people have a burning bush in front of them - even today.  It is the cross of Christ.  Did God get your attention.  If so, then proceed to do the things He wants you to do in life - lead people toward the promised land and out of slavery.

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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The book of Jude lays it out nicely.  It says in singleness of clarity that Christians need to "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3).

Contend means to fight.  Fight for righteous clarification and understanding from those who teach the word.  Fight against those who attempt to destroy belief in God.  Fight against hypocrisy of all Christians.  Fight against liberalism of the word.  Fight against ungodly secularism of our leadership.  Fight against legalism of faith in Jesus.  Fight against greed.  Fight against sexual perversion of all kinds that are spoken in Scripture.  Fight against those who would destroy the true teachings of what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ.  Fight against stupidity that permeates an immoral and "politically correct" people.

Read the book of Jude and understand how "the lord's humbled" can fight "for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3).

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.'  But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.  He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.  So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD" (Jonah 1:1-3). 

If you have ever studied the book of Jonah then you know of the difficulty Jonah has in carrying out the commandments of the Lord.  Have you ever had similar failings in following the commandments of God?  Have you ever wanted to "run away" from godly tasks.  Please humble yourselves before God in all ways.

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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"He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him"  (Colossians 2:15).

Jesus triumphed over the dominion of Satan.  Jesus gave gifts to men.  Jesus loves His people.  Jesus shows fruits of His victory.  (see, the article Roman Triumphal Procession).

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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Above Reproach 07/22/2010
 
"For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.  He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it" (Titus 1:7-9).

What does it mean to be "above reproach"?  Does it mean that no one would accuse such a person of wrong doing?  If that is the case than, of course, all people would be above lying, falsehood, deception, and evil.  But that, unfortunately, is not the case - a work of the Devil to be sure.  So, can an elder/overseer be accused of something? Yes.  The question then is, upon investigation, will the charges of wrongdoing hold up (1 Timothy 5:19)?  Therefor, an overseer who is "above reproach" is not one who is not accused but one who is shown to be without wrong in such and such a matter.

Pity for the one who accuses falsely another for gain or evil (Luke 3:14).  Scary for the one who treates falsely the servant of God for he/she treats God that way (John 15:20).  Strong is the one who stands for Christ by living for Christ (Galatians 2:20; Philipians 1:21).

God will repay the one who lives for evil (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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