LEFT BEHIND

After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.  Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Luke 2:43-46(NLT)

Have you ever wondered as a parent how is it possible that Joseph and Mary left Jesus behind?  After all they were entrusted to raise and look after the Son of God. They of all the couples living on the earth at that time were chosen by God for a reason.  The Bible calls Joseph a righteous man (Matthew 1:19) and Mary was called highly favored one and blessed among women (Luke 1:28).

There was a time in my life as we raised our daughters where I did wonder about this scripture; thinking how is it possible that they lost track of Jesus and He was left behind.

There was a season when Dan and I drove to church in separate cars because of the different responsibilities of serving at church and the time frames involved.  Our daughters would sometimes ride to church with one of us then ride home with the other parent.  After one of our daughters was left behind twice at church we had to make a rule that was unbreakable.  Whoever you rode to church with – you will ride home with and no exception to the rule.  It was a 15 minute drive home from church and a 15 minute drive back and this was before cell phones so thank God for a very patient and understanding Sunday school teacher.

Before this issue of Jesus being left behind the Bible tells us in Luke 2:39-40(NLT), When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.  There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him. 

Notice, Joseph and Mary fulfilled the requirement of the law of the Lord, they had lived their lives holy before the Lord and raised Jesus according to the Word.

We are given a promise in Psalms 112; if we live “rightly” it will carry promise for our children.

I encourage you to read this passage slowly and mediate on the message of what our responsibility is and if we live accordingly, what the outcome will be.

Psalms 112:1-10(NLT)
    Praise the LORD!   How joyful are those who fear the LORD and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. They themselves will be wealth, and their good deeds will last forever. Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Good comes to those who lend money generously      and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.  They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

And here is another promise we can count on:

Psalms 92:13-15(NLT)
    For they are transplanted to the LORD’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.
    They will declare, “The LORD is just!      He is my rock!     There is no evil in him!”

Joseph and Mary are great example of Godly parents for the Bible says:

Luke 2:46-52(NLT)
Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 
All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 
His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” 
“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 
But they didn’t understand what he meant. 
Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. 
Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. 

If by accident one of your children were “left behind”, what would they be found doing?

FATHER'S DAY TRIBUTE

This Sunday we celebrate Father’s Day.  I encourage all of us to study our Fathers. Find out something about them that you never knew.  When you study for a test, a job skill or hobby; time and effort is put in to make sure your best can be done.  I can assure you the time and the effort you put into learning about your Father will reap rewards for a lifetime.

Recently I asked my grandchildren what was their favorite thing about their Dad. 

Family #1:

8 yr. old girl:  He tickles us.

5 yr. old boy:  He takes me to the movies and plays with me.

3 yr. old boy:  He plays basketball with me.

The Mom:  He is a hands on Dad.

Family #2:

8yr. old girl:  He is always there for me.

3 yr. old girl:  He takes me fishing.

The Mom:  He plays with the girls on their level.  Now this daughter also responded and wanted to tell her favorite thing about her Dad (Dan):  He taught me never to give up, to go down fighting and swinging. (Oh, by the way that was not a literally statement…Dan did not teach the girls how to box!!)

A common thread runs through those responses and it is time.  Dad's your kids love you to spend time with them!

January of 2006 my Father passed away.  I was amazed at the things I learned about my Dad at his funeral.  I was also shocked to see there was not even standing room left at the funeral.  Unfortunately I did not realize how many lives my Dad had impacted while here on this earth. I wished I had taken the time while my Father was alive to learn those things about him, the priceless stories people told me at his funeral.  You see Kenneth (my Father) was a carpenter by trade and he had invested in countless young men teaching them the trade and giving those young men their livelihood.  Kenneth also attended every military funeral within Branch County and beyond. A bus was used to bring former military to attend Dad’s funeral.  However, active military attended also.  The funeral director made mention that Ken’s funeral was the largest military funeral they had ever had. Yes, my Dad was extremely patriotic.    My husband Dan delivered the message that day and I had the opportunity to also speak.  Below is what I presented at Dad’s funeral.

Kenneth Stamp my father was a carpenter.

 One of the things I admired most about my father was, his God given talent to take wood and turn it into something beautiful and useful.  In his younger years constructing commercial buildings, houses, house additions and remodeling projects-to his retirement years of making toy boxes for our children. If you were to go to my parents house right now into the basement or garage you will find unfinished projects.  Many times I wish I would have inherited his talent in carpentry; especially when I endeavor to fix something myself.

This last week as we watched my father slowly pass away; I watched the many times my mother would pick up my Dad’s hands and say “these hands have done a lot of work and made many things”  Thursday when we were with my mother as she picked out Dad’s casket, she was drawn to this casket.  She said it reminded her of my Dad and something he would have built.  I agree.

My father was a carpenter and I love him.

There is another carpenter who I love more than life itself.  His name is Jesus Christ.  Yes, Jesus was a carpenter on this physical earth that is how he made his living.  But that is not why he came to this earth.  My old pastors of 17yrs. use to say for every thing in the physical; there is a spiritual application.  Just as a carpenter takes a piece of wood and uses it to fashion, shape and build, Jesus came to build fashion and shape lives.

When a carpenter builds a house he must make sure the foundation is solid.  The foundation is the strongest part of the house and must be to with stand storms, wind and rain.  In Matthew 7:24-27 is the story of the house built on sand and the house build on the rock.  Just as the foundation of a physical house must be strong; so must the foundation of our lives.  If we have a solid foundation built on the Rock of Christ Jesus we will be able to with stand the storms of this life.

I would like to give you an opportunity to ask Jesus to be your savior. If you have never made a commitment to Jesus or would like to renew your commitment to the Lord Jesus, we will take a moment now.   My husband has already quoted many scriptures in reference to eternal life.  The one we are most familiar with is John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

There is only one way to the Father in heaven and that is through Jesus.

If you will repeat this simple prayer today your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of life and you will be heaven bound. 

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come to you in Jesus name.  Your word says all have fallen short of the glory of God.  I ask you to forgive me of my sins and wash me white as snow.  I recognize Jesus Christ is the Son of the one true living God.  I invite him into my heart to be my savior. I desire a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Thank you Father for today my name has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and I am Heaven bound.  Amen

If you prayed that prayer for the first time or are renewing your commitment to Jesus I encourage you to do three things to start your life anew in Jesus

• Pray everyday
• Read your Bible everyday
• If you do not have a Bible believing church to attend I encourage to find one

FATHER'S - the leader of the pack!!

THE HAPPIEST MOTHER'S DAY

My daughters have grown now and our oldest daughter has three children, daughter #2 has two children and daughter #3 well she has what we call; “baby Monk in the trunk”.  One of my often replies to my daughters is; “the greatest gift you can give me is to raise my grandchildren up in the house of the Lord.  Teach them to Love the Lord Jesus and follow Him. Raise them up to be mighty warriors for the Lord.  Sing to them and teach them the Word of God.

Yes, that is right – there could be no greater gift for this woman than to see her family loving and serving Jesus.  This is my Mother’s Day wish forever and always. 

This is my wish for you today – this Mother’s Day, may your children and your legacy be:

Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no wickedness in him.  Psalms 92:13-15 (NIV)

Father God,

May this Mother’s Day be a day of answered prayer for all the Mother’s whose hearts cry out to you for the sake of their children…Lord Jesus fulfill the desires of love that flow out of the hearts of mothers.  Amen.

Romans 10:9-13(ESV)
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”



NO “OUT-LAW” RELATIONSHIPS ALLOWED!

The prize for having survived parenthood is grandchildren; just ask any Grandparent.  With this new season of life both the parents and grandparents come into unchartered territory in the relationship arena.  One would think the joy of new life would conquer any minor or major issues that arise in regards to these new roles of parenting and grandparents; that is a fallacy.

To avoid these pitfalls healthy boundary lines in relationships between married children and parents should be established prior to the children’s marriage. 

Parents (future Grandparents) when your children marry; your parenting days are over.  Unless the married children ask for your advice or insight you would be wise not to interfere.  Now is the time to trust what you have instilled in your children to be enough to guide them through life.  Yes, there will be times that they may need your help or insight but you should not be taken advantage of either.  If there is not a healthy separation when they marry the married children will form an unhealthy co-dependency upon you.  This unhealthy co-dependency will not allow them to grow, mature and establish a strong independent family unit of their own.

Married children; the best thing you could do prior to marriage is take a solid pre-marriage counseling course.  This course will help you both to evaluate what life was like prior to marriage and how you as a couple desire to have your family unit formed.  What type of foundation do you want to establish for your family and build upon?  If you have been married for some time and you have not established these guidelines and boundaries now is the time to institute parameters for your family.  It is fine for you as a family unit to develop your own traditions.  In fact you may want to incorporate some of the traditions you both had as you grew up in your parent’s homes.  It is up to you as new parents or soon to be parents to decide what part you want your parents as grandparents to play in your children’s lives.

• Go on a date with the sole purpose of discussing child rearing.
• Form a team and determine together you will not undermine each other.
• Some compromise may need to take place on both of your parts to be able to come to an agreement that you both can live by.
• Decide; how do we want our parents involved in our children’s live, remember you are the parent now and childrearing is now part of your role.
• Regardless of what you decide, respect your parents after all they spent their life raising, and nurturing you.
• You may need to take each set of parents out to dinner and express how excited you are that they will be a part of your children’s lives and discuss what role they would like to play as Grandparents.  Ask them specifically; how do they envision their role to be as grandparents?  Hint, if you allow them to come up with some boundaries and they think it is their idea….well you have accomplished your goal.  Your parents most likely used this psychology on you more than once.
• If you include the Grandparents from the get go and what you see their part as, there will be less surprises for you to contend with latter.
• Beware even the best laid plans will have some issues that need ironed out and if you approach these issues in a mature calm fashion your parents (the grandparents) will respect your maturity and judgment and realize they did a pretty good job in raising you. 
• An example of an area of conflict:  One set of grandparents believe in sprinkling the baby for baptism shortly after birth, the other set of grandparents believe in dedicating the baby to the Lord and baptism by submersion is for later in life.  What do you as a couple believe?  Know what you believe and why you believe it.
• The Bible has great insight in this area of marriage in Genesis 2:24 (NKJV) it says; Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. In the King James Version it says: “And shall cleave unto his wife” (Genesis 2:24, KJV). The word cleave means: “To cling to or adhere to, abide fast, cleave fast together, follow close and hard after, be joined together, keep fast, overtake, pursue hard, stick to, take, catch by pursuit, cement together, to stick like glue, welded together so that the two cannot be separated without damage to both (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, H1692).” When something is cemented or welded together, it is one. It would take a great deal of major demolition equipment to separate or destroy it.

Psalms 127:1(NLT) Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

Psalms 144:12(NLT) May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants.      May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.

Proverbs 14:26(NLT) Those who fear the LORD are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.

3 John 1:4(NLT) I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. 

Psalms 145:4(NLT) Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.

Proverbs 13:22(NLT) Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.

Proverbs 17:6(NLT) Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.

Trust me, establishing healthy relationships between parents, grandparents, grandchildren is well worth any effort it may take!  These relationships can truly be a very rewarding and a source of great love, security and comfort to all involved.