Seeds of Greatness

^NAU Genesis 17:5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ "I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. ⁷ "I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

Observation:  Abram was a good man with a good name.  God made Him a great man with a great name.  His greatness came as the result of faith: 

^NAU Genesis 15:6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

What a beautiful truth.  Righteousness is born out of faith.  Greatness is born out of faith.  The Father of a multitude of nations was great because of his great faith in his Great God; Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth.  

This passage also reminds me of John Maxwell's decleration:  "There is no success without a successor."  The Lord reassures Abraham that he will not only have a successor, but a multitude of successors:  "I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

Application:  I put true success to bed every night.  I take him on walks with my wife every morning.  True success has curly hair and a smile that melts my heart.  True success is the children God has entrusted to me by grace.  When I invest in my children, I am investing in the future.  

The Lord has reassured my heart this morning that He is the same God who established covenant with Abram.  He wants to establish covenant with me.  He wants to grant me many spiritual descendants.  And it is through my children that this covenant finds its beginning.  When He gave us children, He gave us a sacred trust.  My children are the seeds of greatness.  They will accomplish more than me.  They will go further than me.  They will have a deeper relationship with Jesus than I do.  Like Joshua after Moses, Like Elisha after Elijah, my kids will have a greater impact on the world than my wife and I ever imagined we could have.  And their greatness will be because of the Greatness of our God.

Prayer:  Lord, I accept the gift of my children.  Thank You for showing me this morning that they are my greatness.  And, You are my greatness.  Lord, grant me the kindness, patience, respect, love, honor, and wisdom I need to help my kids reach their full potential.  Father, baptize my wife and I in Your Holy Spirit that we may raise our children in the fear of Your name.  

Lord bless our children.  Fill them with Your Holy Spirit.  Father, I pray for my eldest son that He will love You all of his days.  I pray that the years of His childhood will be a strong spiritual foundation for lifelong service to You.  Father, may He be like Samuel who listened to Your voice for a lifetime.  Give Him a strong will that is surrended to You and quick to obey Your voice.

And Lord, I ask that You will bless my daughter with inner beauty that far outshines her outward beauty.  Father grow Your character within her.  Make her an influencer for Your kingdom with firm resolve.  When others pressure her to sin I pray that You will grant her the strength to stand for righteousness and bring honor to Your name.  Lord I thank You for my children.  Cause them to walk in Your ways.

And Father, may our youngest live out the meaning of his name.  As he was received of you according to our request, may he receive Your will and carry out Your requests of him.  And, like the disciple who brought his brother to Jesus, may he bring many to Christ.

Finally I ask that You will empower my wife and I to be the kind of examples to our children that they will want to emulate.  Father thank you for hearing our prayers.  Continue birthing Your love within us.  Amen.

Deadly Desires

NAU Genesis 4:5 for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

Observation:  Cain was angry at God.  He felt sad inside.  He looked like a little boy who was pouting.  

Application:  I have felt these feelings when I have chosen my own way.  I felt it this morning when Jay Jay came telling me:  "Daddy, put away your computer!"  In my heart I know I need to be upstairs and I feel angry because I can't do what I want to do.  Cain was angry because He couldn't do what he wanted to do.

Life is not always about what I desire.  It is about doing well.  When I live by my desires alone it can be deadly.  When I do not bring the sacrifice God desires, than those around me become a sacrifice.  When I don't do well my family gets slaughtered.

Prayer:  Lord, what a sobering word this morning.  Help me to do well.  Lord, teach me that righteous living is more desirable than my own wishes and wants.  There is a way that seems right but ends in destruction.  Let me forsake that way.  I embrace Your ways Jesus.  Lead me in Your ways.  Even when it means setting aside my quiet time for a moment to come and minister to my family.  

All of life is sacred.  And while you are calling me to put You first, sometimes that means stopping to minister to the needs of my family.  Teach me to do well.