Thought for the day
Imagine what it would have been like if the Old Testament law covered such things as eating of dessert:
For we judge between the plate that is unclean and the plate that is clean, saying first, if the plate is clean, then you shall have dessert. But of the unclean plate, the laws are these:
If you have eaten most of your meat, and two bites of your peas with each bite consisting of not less than three peas each, or in total six peas, eaten where I can see, and you have also eaten enough of your potatoes to fill two forks, both forkfuls eaten where I can see, then you shall have dessert.
But if you eat a lesser number of peas, and yet you eat the potatoes, still you shall not have dessert; and if you eat the peas, yet leave the potatoes uneaten, you shall not have dessert, no, not even a small portion thereof.
And if you try to deceive by moving the potatoes or peas around with a fork, that it may appear you have eaten what you have not, you will fall into iniquity. And I will know, and you shall have no dessert.No, those verses are not to be found in Exodus, Leviticus, or Deuteronomy. But something similar is in the "lawbook" of almost every parent. As children, we thought the "rules" were terribly unfair, almost bordering on "cruel and unusual punishment".
But, as we became parents ourselves, we began to understand the need for setting guidelines for the behavior of our children, both in matters as mundane as the eating of dessert and as crucial as having a faith in Jesus Christ."And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:1).
God, we look to you as our heavenly Father and give thanks for our earthly parents who taught us and trained us (though we didn't always appreciate it at the time). We ask your blessing on those of us who are now in the process of training our children. In Jesus' name, amen.
Verses
Matthew 8:13
Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go home now; because of your faith, so let it be.' At that moment the boy recovered.
Isaiah 61:1
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Psalm 118:6
He is for me! How can I be afraid? What can mere man do to me?
Matthew 21:22
Anything you ask for in prayer, believe, and you will get it."
Proverbs 28:25
A grasping nature stirs up enmity, but he who trusts in the Eternal thrives.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for clothing Yourself in flesh and making Your home among Your own creation. You are both God and Man, completely divine and completely human. Rather than coming to us only through written precepts and the revelation of Your Word, You came to us through a Person’s life, something we could tangibly see, physically grasp and personally identify with. You revealed the divine nature and perfect will of the Father through the Person of Jesus Christ. Grace flows through You in those whose lives are spiritually transformed and the lives of those who experience miracles and healings. Thank You for emptying Yourself and taking the nature of a servant as You walked in truth and obedience, knowing that it would lead to death on the cross. We praise You, Jesus, as You are exalted to the highest place. We confess that You are Lord, to the glory of God the Father! Amen.
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