children getting saved

Since Carly and Isaac were conceived, we have prayed for their salvation. Since they were born, we have worked for their salvation. We have exposed them to gospel truth. And even though we've failed (and continue to fail) many times, we have strived to live our lives as such examples that would bring honor to Christ. As parents, we have no greater desire for our kids than that - to be saved.

I have wrestled with this question: How can I lead our kids to Christ? And then...How do I know if my child is saved? In all raw honesty, I have used bedtimes to manipulate our kids to come to Christ. We've read through the children's Bibles; we've talked through all aspects of the Gospel. They know the right answers. And with each child, I have prayed a little prayer with them for Jesus to come into his/her heart, whether or not this is good or bad for a parent to do. But are they saved?

Do I know what that question really means? What I'm really asking is...Is God working in the life of my child unto salvation? You see, what I'm beginning to understand is that salvation is a divine work of God, not a work of Mom or Dad. John MacArthur believes that a prayer, such as the one mentioned above, "is basically a human act and not necessarily consistent with the working of God."

MacArthur says, "You can't look at any event, at any specific prayer, at any specific formula, at any particular confession that they might make that in fact they have asked Jesus into their life or they've made a decision for Christ. That is not an indicator of salvation. You cannot look at any such event to know your child is saved. And I think that it is important to say because so many parents having heard their child pray such a prayer or make such a decision in early childhood then wonder how it is that the child reaching junior high, or high school, or college years completely turns their back on the Lord or treats God with indifference or is disinterested in the church and roams off into the world... And they wonder how in fact that could happen if they were saved at some point in time past. But you cannot look at an event as an indicator of salvation. The only thing you can look at is evidences of the working of God in the life."

So what he's saying is that the only thing we can look at are the evidences of God's work in our children's lives, and even then only God knows the true state of the heart. I found these evidences to be helpful [very summarized, of course]:

1. Honest, personal conviction of sin. Not because of their fear of our parental punishment or disappointment. This conviction should lead them to repentance. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
2. Understanding and belief of the Gospel. This is the fact that each one of us is sinful, in need of forgiveness - a Savior. Jesus Christ bore the punishment of God - the punishment that we deserved. To grasp that truth also requires the work of the Holy Spirit.
3. Sanctification. A pursuing of obedience - not because they want to please us, but because they want to honor God. Only by the help of the Holy Spirit is this even feasible.
4. God produces fellowship within believers. A desire to be around other believers. That desire comes from the work of the Holy Spirit as well.

Side Notes

I'm not saying that #1-4 SAVE.

God saves.

#1-4 are evidences of salvation already occurring.

A recurring phrase that is the whole point of this............"work of the Holy Spirit" or "God working." I get it. I can't save my own kid. (I say "my own kid." They're not even from me - they're God's children.) The prayer I prayed isn't a magic formula that will give them the ticket to Heaven. So what's our job? As parents, we will continue to provide the truth of God's Word, in which the Spirit of God can work in their hearts to bring about a miracle of salvation.

have you ever wondered...

...about the prayer in Gethsemane? Before Jesus was arrested to be crucified, he prayed.

"[Jesus] began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to [his disciples], 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.' And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'" (Mark 14:32-36, ESV)

Quite perplexing how Jesus was so horrified and dismayed and so sorrowful. Until yesterday, I figured that he was distressed because of the physical anguish he was about to go through. Being God, Jesus knew the outcome; he knew he was about to be beaten and crucified. And he knew he would rise again. I thought that surely this was distressing to him. But the book Knowing God poses a different perspective, which makes much more sense.

J.I. Packer writes, "It was because Jesus was to be made sin, and bear God's judgment on sin, that he trembled in the garden, and because he was actually bearing that judgment that he declared himself forsaken of God on the cross. . . . the unique dreadfulness of his death lies in the fact that he tasted on Calvary the wrath of God which was our due, so making propitiation* for our sins."

So, why was he distressed? Because of SO MUCH sin placed on him? Sin is bad. BAD! A perfect and holy God would not be just if He allowed it. Sin brings about the wrath of God, His perfect wrath. That's what sin deserves. Was Jesus so distressed because of the amount of terrible sin put on his shoulders? Or was he distressed because he realized the magnitude of God's wrath toward that great amount of sin? Clearly, the horror Jesus displayed was not only due to the physical pain he would go through. Packer writes, "The physical pain, though great (for crucifixion remains the cruelest form of judicial execution that the world has ever known), was yet only a small part of the story; Jesus' chief sufferings were mental and spiritual, and what was packed into less than four hundred minutes was an eternity of agony...."

Do we realize just how awesome it is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins? Or do we throw that idea around and not really grasp the magnitude and seriousness of it? Jesus became a curse for us. Justice has been done. Sins that will ever be pardoned were judged and punished in Jesus, and that pardon is now offered to us offenders.

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation* in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26, NASB)

See also Isaiah 53.

Praise God!

*Propitiation (pr-psh-shn) n. Appeasement of God's wrath. Covering, putting away, passing over, rubbing out sin so it doesn't create a barrier between man and God, thus pacifying God's wrath.

our rock

1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
   Let me hide myself in Thee;
   Let the water and the blood,
   From Thy wounded side which flowed,
   Be of sin the double cure,
   Save from wrath and make me pure.
2. Not the labor of my hands
   Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
   Could my zeal no respite know,
   Could my tears forever flow,
   All for sin could not atone;
   Thou must save, and Thou alone.
3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
   Simply to Thy cross I cling;
   Naked, come to Thee for dress;
   Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
   Foul, I to the fountain fly;
   Wash me, Savior, or I die.
4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
   When my eyes shall close in death,
   When I rise to worlds unknown,
   And behold Thee on Thy throne,
   Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
   Let me hide myself in Thee.

grump

[grmp]

n.

a cranky complaining person

Grr.

Do you want to hear me complain? My husband got to hear it tonight. Poor guy. Instead of feeling better afterwards, I felt dirty. To make matters better, I went to the deep-freeze and pulled out three fat cookies and ate them with milk. That didn't help anything but my gut.

Late one night, Jesus walked on the water towards the disciples' boat. They thought he was a ghost, and they freaked out. Jesus said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." Peter answered, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus said, "Come." So Peter did. He got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."

It just seems to me that I've been a lot like Peter. Why do I get so caught up in circumstances and activities that I forget to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith? One day (years ago), Jared described me as "busy, busy". I think ONE of those busy-s can be okay. So lately, this Veggie Tales clip kept popping into my head.

I'm not even sure what these guys were so busy with. I'm not even sure what I'm so busy with. I just know that "grump" and setting my eyes on earthly things have gone together. It's all meshed together with 5 cups of selfishness. Cookies didn't help, and neither did complaining. Jared's love and encouragement DID help, but what helped most of all was the realization of my sin and God's forgiveness of it.

While I'm posting You Tube videos, how about this reminder:

(The video stinks, but just listen.)

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

what must i do...

...to be saved?

It's quite perplexing that the Bible never mentions the term asking Jesus into your heart. It never says accept Christ. Walk down the aisle. Raise your hand. Sign the card. Talk to the pastor/elder. It doesn't say ANY of those things as a recipe for being saved. In Mark 1:15, Jesus proclaimed the good news of God. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Now, because we (society and me) are task-oriented people, we take these two items and turn them into checklist-items.

• repent
• believe

Paul Washer describes it like this: "You were saved because you repented of your sins and you believed, and not only did you do that in the past, you continued to do it even until now . . . . A proper translation of that verse He gave is this: The Kingdom of God is come. The time is fulfilled. Now, spend the rest of your lives repenting of your sins and believing in Me. Conversion is not like a flu shot. "Oh, I did that. I repented. I believed." The question is my friend––are you continuing to repent of sin? Are you continuing to believe? Because He who began a good work in you will finish it. He will finish it." (Here's the rest of the sermon.)

At the end of this quote, Washer refers to God beginning a good work in us (Philippians 1:6), which brings up another crucial point. Our wise and sovereign Creator is the One who turns us to repentance and belief. This is what transforming grace is all about. When we deserve hell, He chose us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:5). For many years, I believed that I was saved because I had asked Jesus into my heart and life. Wrong. I am saved because God loved me and God called me to repentance and believing in Him. Wow, that is humbling. (Charles Spurgeon talks more about election here, a really good sermon.)

THEREFORE, we Christians, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28), go on a lifelong journey of being progressively sanctified with the help of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 say, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." Does that mean I will never again mess up? No. But I will spend the rest of my life repenting and believing Him. 2 Corinthians 13:5 warns us to examine ourselves. We are to test ourselves in the light of Scripture to see if we’re in the path, because a true Christian will be different.

still

Still, my soul be still

And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow

God, You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone

Still, my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows

Still, my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise As stars appear when day is dimming

by Keith and Kristyn Getty

my problem

Another lie I didn't realize I believed...

"The Truth is that only by accepting full responsibility for our actions and attitudes can we ever be fully free from guilt. As one writer said:

Sin is the best news there is, the best news there could be in our predicament. Because with sin, there's a way out. There's the possibility of repentance. You can't repent of confusion or psychological flaws inflicted by {your parents--you're stuck with them}*. But you can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds for hope and joy**."

*Myra's note: I'd rather use the word "others" here. How could I ever blame my parents for inflicting flaws? That's unfair. They're human, just like everybody else.

**Myra's second note: This is only through God's grace, through the shed blood of Jesus.

the Holy One

Like a prize at the end of a race, this song "Glory to the Holy One" is at the end of R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God. This is the next book I want to read and own. Here are Sproul's lyrics:

~~~

Seated on the ether throne,

Above all mortal view;

The King supreme in glory sat,

Bathed in refulgent hue;

Holy, holy, holy,

cried the seraph throng;

Glory to the Holy One,

Is the angel's song.

All around the mercy seat

The winged creatures sang;

Glory to our God on high,

Their poignant anthem rang;

Holy, holy, holy,

cried the seraph throng;

Glory to the Holy One

Is the angel's song.

With shielded eyes and covered feet,

The angels hovered high,

While glory shook the portal walls,

And smoke rose to the sky.

Holy, holy, holy,

cried the seraph throng;

Glory to the Holy One

Is the angel's song.

Woe is me, the creature wailed,

His face upon the floor,

dirty lips and loathsome tongue

His heart could stand no more.

Holy, holy, holy,

cried the seraph throng;

Glory to the Holy One

Is the angel's song.

Come, angel quick and purge my lips,

Make pure my soul anew;

And I shall rise and stand again,

And I will go for You.

Holy, holy, holy,

cried the seraph throng;

Glory to the Holy One

Is the angel's song.

~~~

Every knee will bow.

breath of wind

It's that kind of wind today that makes your hair slap your face. You can almost lean into it and not fall. When I hear the roar of wind at night especially, a sense of unsettled nervousness shivers through me. The trees swirl wildly above my head, and I want to escape into a silent room without windows.

In a desperate attempt to gain a better perspective on this God-made power, I searched for what Joni Eareckson Tada once said on the radio about wind. I couldn't find it. (Can you help me?) Instead I read John Piper's sermon The Free Will of the Wind.

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 (See Piper's sermon for context on the verse.)

Jesus compared the work of God's Holy Spirit to wind...how it moves, creating results. Wind is invisible, yet so powerful. You see the window picture at the top of this page? Wind broke that window. But that's beside the point. Actually, this sermon shared four points.

1. ...wind blows where it wishes... When we are born again, believing in Jesus, His Spirit lives in us. And His Spirit indwelling in us is free, just like wind. "The wind blows where it wills and gives life and faith."
2. ...you hear the sound of it... Wind has effects. The Spirit moves, and we will see His work.
3. ...we don't know where it comes from... We just know it doesn't come from us. God causes new birth, and we don't know how (Mark 4:26-27).
4. ...we don't know where it goes... We don't know its destination, either.

Piper said, "Today there are two basic responses to what Jesus says in John 3:8. One is threatened by it. And the other is thrilled by it. To some it feels threatening because it takes the new birth out of our control and makes us feel helpless. But to others this is thrilling, because they have already discovered they are helpless."

As I go hoe the garden now, I hope I can take a big breath of 30 mph wind and be reminded of His Spirit living and breathing in me.

little mouths

We spent the morning playing and laughing and talking and...fighting. It is simply baffling how one minute our kids can love each other completely and do the opposite the next minute. One minute the kids can be laughing and the next, they're crying. Out of their mouths come joyful chatter and songs, and just moments later they're filled with hateful, biting words. And now Carly is laying on her bed, joyfully singing about Meshak and Abednego and Abraham obeying God's laws. Isaac is humming while rolling around on his bed. Oh, there's a loud, "I'M NOT TIRED!!!"

Yesterday, we read about Adam and Eve and how sin came into the world. This story is not new to the kids, but they were engrossed as I read it, more so than they have been in the past. This particular version from Leading Little Ones To God described sin and evil in more depth than most Biblical children's books do. It's a little scary teaching kids about Satan, but he's real. We can't act like he doesn't exist. The lesson described the fall with "Oh, that was a sad, sad day. All the happiness was gone out of the hearts of Adam and Eve. And on that day all the unhappy things and wicked things began. Satan was glad. But Adam and Eve were sad. And God was sad." Isaac looked at me and said in a very quiet, serious voice, "That makes me sad that she ate the wrong fruit." After we talked about it, he concluded, "I would eat the right fruit."

There's good and evil. We try, even vow to do good, but we fail. Colossians 1:21-22 reminds me, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." I was a joyful mommy at 10:05 a.m. At 10:06, one kid hit another, and I became a roaring monster; the roar carried out the front door, where our neighbor was quietly sitting observing. Whoops. Minutes later, all was well. Do all moms do that? Growl one second and sweetly answer the phone the next?

In Jerry Bridges' Transforming Grace, he writes:

The prophet [Isaiah] said of God, "You have put all my sins behind your back [38:17]." When something is behind our back, it is out of sight. We can't see it anymore. God says He has done that with our sins. It is not that we haven't sinned or, as Christians, do not continue to sin. We know we sin daily - in fact, many times a day. Even as Christians our best efforts are still marred with imperfect performance and impure motives. But God no longer "sees" either our deliberate disobedience or our marred performances. Instead He "sees" the righteousness of Christ, which He has already imputed to us.

This is hard for me to comprehend or understand, but this is part of what Bridges calls God's grace.

lately

It seems self-centered to write a blog just about us, but I suppose that's why people check this blog - to see what we're up to. Posting plain pictures (especially of food) is more fun. Nevertheless, here is an update of lately.

Jared goes to class daily. He has PT (physical training) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He enjoys this, even though it's at 6:30 a.m. He'd rather exercise for an hour than show up in class at 6:30 and sit there listening to an instructor that early in the morning, which is what he has to do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So far, he has gotten lunch breaks at home and gets out of class around 4:00.

Isaac doesn't like it when I call this apartment "home." He usually says he wants "to go back to the apartment." Until two days ago, he was still saying "I want to go hommmme," but these last couple days, he has used the term "home" for the apartment when he wanted to leave the swimming pool or Wal-Mart or something. Carly, on the other hand, has never seemed to mind being gone from home (the real home), or else, she hasn't acted like it. The other day, she said that she missed Lucy. Isaac said that he missed the cats. Carly got big eyes and a smile when I told her that Grandma Sally and Grandpa Alan were coming for a visit in a few weeks.

The kids' days have been filled with play, whatever suits their fancy. Lately it's been trains and tracks (what's new?!). Carly lines all the farm animals up on a big wooden train car. The other day I watched them line up their 40+ markers, naming each one of them with every name they could think of. Isaac insisted that Loren was brown. They like playing preschool and Curious George games on the computer, but we limit them, reminding them that computers make you dumb if you spend too much time on them. I wonder what they think of me typing on this blog. Probably: Mommy must be getting real dumb! One particular preschool game plays songs as a reward for completing a task. Yesterday I saw a different side of Carly and Isaac as an Elvis tune with the words "gimme that barnhouse rock" came on. Carly immediately stood dancing on the desk chair with wheels. Isaac starting head banging from side to side. After Carly's dance, she started flinging her hair around everywhere. Isaac jumped off his chair. Oh my.

On regular weekdays, we run errands in the morning so as to avoid the heat. Early afternoons are spent doing school activities followed by swimming in the pool. 100 degrees doesn't feel so bad when you're splashing around. Twice a week we go to the complex's laundromat. Carly and Isaac race there with their trike, bike, or scooter, and Carly gets mad if Isaac wins. Starting in September, we plan to attend MOPS meetings, where the kids will have more interaction with other kids and I will have more interaction with other Christian mothers.

I asked Jared a couple weeks ago if we could start a new tradition eating out for Sunday lunch every week. This has eliminated the "I'm hungry" wails and my scramble to find something edible from the fridge leftovers as soon as we return home from church. Now this is rest. Or maybe I should just plan better. But my excuse for no more do-ahead Sunday lunches is: my oven here doesn't have "delay start." Church and the people in this tiny church have been a blessing to us. We SO appreciate the bold Truth being preached. Monday night, a church elder (who happens to be the pastor's dad) came to visit with his wife. I might write more about our conversation in another blog, but the evening was a true blessing; it's just what we needed. We enjoyed listening to their testimonies and sharing ours as well.

And talking about blessings...

It is an understatement to say that we appreciate all of you. It's rather humbling to try to grasp how much time has been spent on your loving us. Prayer for us. Sermons and Bible studies sent to us. The kids' Sunday School lessons sent, written in the form of personal letters. Packages sent to make us feel special on our anniversary and my birthday. Emails, I mean personal ones, sent just to fill our day with devotions, thoughts, conversations and news from home. Regular phone calls. And there are other ways I'm forgetting. Just thinking of all these undeserved blessings makes me cry. Not that we're so homesick; we're not as bad as we were. But to wonder: Who are WE, to deserve this kind of love?! What's even more amazing is how God loves us, even died for us, even though we're dirty, rotten sinners. Okay, I didn't think this blogpost was going in this direction, but this song comes to mind. Who Am I?!? (Click on it to listen.)

Have a meaningful day. We love you all!

childlike innocence

Sunset Mall sits right across Loop 306 from our bedroom window, so I took the kids there last week. A cute little mall, it is. Our goal was to window-shop. The kids aren't great shoppers because I'm not a shopper myself, but they did fairly well. Stopping at the coin-operated riding toy sections of the mall every now and then helped. I am thankful that Carly and Isaac love these toys even without quarters. In fact, I'm not sure they even know that the cars and trucks GO when you put quarters in them.

In one particular cowboy store, I was checking out some trinkets on a display. Carly watched a family pass closely by. One particular man was in a wheelchair, his leg chopped off at the knee and bandaged up. Carly is a quiet, thoughtful girl, but she seems to be more vocal lately for some reason. At least she was on this day. "What happened to that guy's leg?!?" she asked loudly for all to hear. The silence and shock that followed was purely deafening as I processed the thought, Did Carly just say what I think she said?! Keeping my head low, not wanting to look up, I tried to answer while I felt the family's stares poke me all over. "I don't know, Carly." I tried to sink into the floor as I made wide-eyed eye contact with who seemed to be the man's brother. Because of the silence and lack of something better to say in this awkward situation, I kept talking to try to correct the situation and fill the empty silent space...which never helps. "God just wanted him to be that way. He makes us all different." Since the family was only 3 feet away from us, we ended up talking with the man and his family about the accident, where he got crushed on an oil rig just a year ago.

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4). Carly's naïveté in asking this question made me catch a glimpse of the kind of child Jesus is talking about here.

grace

A good article on GRACE. Click here.
A must-read.

praises and prayer

Just yesterday I was thinking of all of you. I was amazed at how many acts of love we have experienced from people back home. We've gotten mail, emails, phone calls, and more. If I mentioned names, I'd miss someone, but you know who you are. If you're reading this, you're probably one of those people praying for us. It is amazing to me how much love has been showered down on us this past month (even before we left). I was thinking how awesome you all are, but then I realized that it's not YOU. It's Christ's love shining through you. We can plainly see His light shining through you guys as He uses you to encourage and love us. It's another example of God's grace.

We are grateful for your prayers. They are being answered. One example: Prayer for us to get to know people... We are not social people, so I knew that it would have to be a God-thing for this prayer to be answered. Jared is getting to know people in his class (even if it be through him having to beg for a ride home when he locked his keys in the car). I met a girl at the pool who sells wickless candles. She might've only wanted another customer, but it's been good to talk to another mom for a couple afternoons now. Then this morning, I met another girl at the playground. Such a neat girl; she might even be a Christian. God hears us. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." He answers.