Malachi 4:6 says: "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." This Scripture speaks initially of the coming of John the Baptist in the spirit and power of Elijah. This is confirmed in Luke 1:16-17 and fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus Christ.However, many believe there is a future fulfillment. Malachi 4:5 says: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the GREAT AND DREADFUL DAY OF THE LORD." We all know that when Jesus first came it was a time of great rejoicing. "Peace on earth, and good will toward men" the angels cried (Luke 2:14). The angel also said to the shepherds: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2:10).
This first coming of Christ ushered in the church age of "grace." I believe that the second coming Christ introduces "the great and dreadful day of the Lord" when all the nations of the earth will be judged by Jesus Christ, the soon coming Messiah. Never in the history of the whole world, since the great flood, has there been such a need for the turning of the hearts of fathers and mothers back to children.
Contraception, sterilization, and abortion are certain testimonies as to how hard our hearts have become towards children.
Children are no longer high priority in our world or even in the church. We have got far away from God’s heart and His Word.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
Picture from Etsy.
523 Hits
John, the apostle spoke of Jesus coming from "the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18) This means from the heart of the Father or the lap of the Father. Because Jesus came from the Father's intimate affections, He could speak of His Father more authoritatively and more intimately than any others who had ever spoken about God. What an advantage Jesus had above all others.
We all want our natural trees to be fruitful. Why not our family trees? In John 15:6 Jesus says that He will cut off the branches that do not bear fruit. We all agree that this passage primarily talks about spiritual fruit. However, there is a parallel here. Christ uses a natural vine to illustrate a spiritual point.
Man was made for sacred purposes; trees were not. Of all the myriad of creatures that God created it was only man that was given the sacred and priceless privilege to bear the likeness and image of God. This should never be underestimated. After creating the vegetation and trees, God said that “it was good” but it was the family tree that God blessed and gave the divine commandment to “Be fruitful and multiply.” This commandment has never been revoked and is as important today as in the beginning. Time has not changed this generational mandate.
Here in Tennessee, we live among beautiful hardwoods including oak, walnut, and hickories, etc. We are surrounded with logs and sawmills. My son-in-law owns a sawmill. Many of the hardwoods take years to mature yet the perpetuating of the forest continues. One wonders how the forests could possibly continue to yield such a vast amount of trees year after year, and yet, with God’s help they keep growing.
In Genesis 1:11-12 we read how God created the vegetation on the earth, including all the many varieties of trees and "God saw that it was good."
Every blessing that God gives to us is always for our own good, otherwise it would not be a blessing. The big question we must ask ourselves, and be honest about it, is why do we 21st century Christians accept gratefully from God all other blessings, and yet for whatever reasons, refuse the blessing of children God would bless us with if only we would receive them?
Is this a No. 1 problem or a No. 1 blessing?
Before the fall in the Garden of Eden, it is possible that Adam and Eve had an open channel, unhindered by sin, to reveal the true likeness and image of God. I cannot help but imagine what a magnificent couple they must have been. I wonder whether there was some type of glory covering their bodies because after the fall they knew that they were naked and felt a desperate need to cover themselves.
Some thoughts from Michael Barnett:
1. GOD'S ORIGINAL MANDATE
"If we do not stand up against evil, we are supporting it."
"If all my senses were to contradict God, I would deny every one of them and sooner believe myself to be out of my right mind than believe that God could lie!"
Some of the fathers on our Hilltop Fellowship here in Primm Springs invite you to join them for an adventurous weekend of learning new things and opportunities to bond to your sons in the great wilderness of the Hilltop land.
Nancy and I returned from Scotland last night, one day late as our flight was canceled for a day. We are now on our way to the Above Rubies Family Retreat in Panama City, Florida.
Psalm 119:11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Nehemiah 8:8: “They read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”
Psalm 51:6 says, “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
It is obvious when we read Deuteronomy 6:7-9 that God wants our children to be constantly confronted with the truth of His Word in every aspect of life. There is no separation of church and state here.
We read Proverbs 23:23 in my last post. What does it mean to “buy the truth”? The Hebrew for “buy” is qanah and means “to erect, create, purchase, procure.” We buy the truth when we desire it for why would we buy something we do not desire?