Faithway Baptist Church: Leesburg, VA http://www.faithwaybaptistchurch.com/blog Despise not thy mother! http://www.faithwaybaptistchurch.com/blog/post/despise-not-thy-mother Sat, 07 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.faithwaybaptistchurch.com/blog/post/despise-not-thy-mother Proverbs 23:22 "...and despise not thy mother when she is old."  Those words are given to all of us who have the priviledge of maturing while we have an aging mother. The word "despise" in the KJV doesn't mean to hate or abhor like we think of it to mean today. Rather it carries with it the idea of "to think little of or to ignore." 


In a culture that literally worships youthfulness, the people who have experianced life and who have the most to offer are often pushed to the curb and forgotten about. Many times our parents are treated the exact way that God commands us not to. 


Here is the problem: God wants His children to be different! He doesn't want us to be a copy of this world. If you have a mother that is still living, then this verse applies to YOU! As you grow up and establish your own family (which is the Biblical thing to do, Gen. 2) you must not forget about the needs and concerns of the special lady that the Lord has given you - the lady you call "mom!" 

]]> Thanksgiving to God! http://www.faithwaybaptistchurch.com/blog/post/thanksgiving-to-god- Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.faithwaybaptistchurch.com/blog/post/thanksgiving-to-god- I am amazed at how the Lord constantly provides His children with everything we need for life and godliness. There is this philosophy alive and well today that teaches that the more money we have, the more we can get done for God. Beloved, that is a pure lack of spirituality.

 

The story of the widow’s mite found in the Gospels is a perfect example. God was pleased with the little that she was able to give because it came from a pure heart. Compare that small gift to the large sum of cash donated by the Pharisees - but their heart was far from pure. As the old song goes, "Little is much when God is in it, labor not for wealth nor fame, there's a crown, and you can win it, if you go in Jesus' name." 

 

In Isaiah 1, God made it clear that He would reject Israel's offerings and He would not even hear their prayers until they started obeying from the heart. Contrast that passage to II Chronicles 7:14.  The Bible tells us how to receive blessings from God. It gives a list of things that we can do to get God’s blessings. The one thing different from II Chronicles is and Isaiah is that God says He would not hear their prayers in the latter passage. Israel knew what they had done wrong, they knew their sins, but refused to deal with them. God calls His children to a life of holiness and obedience if we want to receive His blessings.

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