Love Watching thru the Window –By Karen Rowe

Over the weekend we gave our son permission to oversee a bonfire with a water hose. Daniel, being eight years old, and a boy who likes to be called “Reload” as of recently, was most excited to become known as “Fireman Reload”, as we put him at safe distance in control over the water, which shot the flames down and wet the edges to keep the fire in its safe bounds –Freedom was given to our son, yet he had boundaries set.

Think of your life walk with Jesus and your purpose on earth …Do you trust God’s Love for you enough to obey?

A son who challenges us to learn God’s message about His Fatherly love, watchful eye and faithful dedication in simple terms –is also a growing boy who challenges us to take a good look at our own human characteristics; and whose experiences offer us an opportunity to understand God’s strength in His patient love!

Can I put the rest of the fire out? –was our son’s final question to us as we answered with an explanation, No, the purpose is for it to burn until clean.  Just do as you are told.

A son who asked his daddy later in this same day, “When can we remove that sticker that says ‘do not remove’?” was happy to be left in charge of the controlled smaller fire as we went to work in the house that overlooked where he was.

He thought he was alone, but we were watching him …

As we watched Fireman Reload from the picture window to monitor his safety, we saw our son do exactly what we expected him to do; He put that fire out with the water hose!  We watched him disobey until he began stepping into the charred, now smoking embers –testing that level that he could go before consequences!

This may make us sound like bad parents, but I believe that we can learn a lesson about God!  So many people think God is bad because he allows people to make bad choices, but I see God’s love instead.  That God loves us so much, He teaches us to choose wisely –so that we will be prepared for greater things!

We already knew our son was bursting at ‘the seams’ of his very being to put that fire out!  As parents we knew his ability and capability to disobey –just as we know that he is learning the value of self-control!  Self-control comes by learning God’s knowledge with understanding that he will need to apply to his choices the rest of his life!

Today, as parents, we believe it is our God gifted job to faithfully model God’s fatherly love and teach our children respect with integrity, so that one day, we believe as they are growing up and facing difficult choices and many temptations, they will know that they can trust in God’s love! –enough to want to obey God’s Word!

God created our innermost being; He “knit” us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), so it is our responsibility to seek understanding (Proverbs 4:7) in that A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure (Proverbs 16:9 & see also Proverbs 16:3 AMPLIFED!)

It is good to remind ourselves that it is such an awesome blessing to simply strive to please God, who tests our hearts (1 Thessalonians 2:4).

If we are honest, don’t we all want to burst out of our seams sometimes & disobey God when we don’t feel like doing the right thing…or when the temptation comes to justify what we want to do based on how we feel? –But these are the things that God has purpose set in teaching us –a blessing or a lesson!

We are born with a sinful –maybe even self-seeking nature…, but we can choose to be reborn with humility, equipped with the Wisdom and the power –God’s working yarn in our existing stitch to learn and overcome our nature to sin against God Learning each and every day …

From experience it is good and miracle of the life that sometimes, peace and joy can be experienced so full that our body feels like we can’t contain the Spirit whom dwells in us –To God be the glory; God is greater and bigger than we are!

Yet, sometimes, even with knowledge of which God is, selfish ambition sneaks up, and we seem to blindly seek to create fissures in our knitted seams that God through His Son has accomplished for us…

Trust is by faith / Obedience is by trust –with no need for understanding to obey; yet get understanding, because understanding brings Wisdom in our knowledge…so that WHEN temptation comes…we are equipped to stand firm in God’s Holy Word!

A mother and father knows our child’s mind and his heart!  We knew before we got out of sight the probability of our son’s choice, but we offered our son the opportunity to be responsible and earn our trust in spite of the opposition we expected from him –Just as God knows our every thought and the purifies the pureness of our hearts through our tests and trials!

God watches our every move, just like we watched our son from that perfect view from up on the hill.  We saw his every disobedient move and we loved him anyway –despite his defiant attitude.  As we continued to monitor his safety, we oversaw the freedom we had given to him misused, but we were not surprised –disappointed, but not surprised.

So I prayed to know what to do and the lesson came to me like this –and in perfect time!

God is faithful to teach us, and we learn that we can trust God in HIS love that is for us even through our mistakes!  There may be a consequence for our disobedient choices, but the love and understanding in the lesson is the value!

God’s goal is not to harm us or trick us –and the Holy Spirit enabled me to teach my son like this!  God is honest, just and true and gives us an opportunity to confess for our benefit because He loves us and is fair and just with an all-knowing heart that understands our temptations and weaknesses as we learn!

Let’s face it, until we learn better, don’t we run around that mountain away from trusting God again and again until we submit to surrendering our heart to only desire to do what God’s will is?  So as a young boy learning –is it different, that we as adults often times are tempted to “challenge / tempt” our God to attempt to get what we want; or think is best?

Once again, I stepped to the door and spoke to our son; and it was then that he listened and obeyed, but not without a final request to put that fire out –which he had already been doing…Perhaps to get approval to justify his actions as right?

God gives us an opportunity to learn, but how too often do we test His patience and love like this?  God’s patience does not mean he is ignorant or weak –or lacking in love or discipline for that matter!

We are to trust God with upmost respect for His Word!  Isn’t denial an attempt to get our way?  Ever notice that blessings and freedom and peace and joy are found in obedience?   Doesn’t God give us opportunities like this to prove our love for him and earn His trust?  Ever notice how God promotes trust?  As our faith is tested we have an opportunity to grow a level with God as we are faithful to the faith God has given and place our trust in God alone!  God entrusts us as we earn trust.

Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”  When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time (Luke 4:12-13).”

God does not trick us –He gives us an opportunity to confess our sins to Him so that we can continue in our blessings!  All-knowing from my watchful view, I gave my son an opportunity to confess to me and tell me what I already knew –I wasn’t looking to trick him; rather for his respect for the Truth, because I wanted to reward him for telling the truth and give him permission to spray that fire the rest of the way out, because I knew the desire of his heart and the fire wasn’t that big of deal to me –I love my son more.

However, when I asked him, “Did you spray water in the middle of the fire?”  Fireman Reload, wiggled the truth and danced his words with justification, “I spayed around the edges” –He denied the truth, which denied his responsibility to the truth, so my answer to his request was chosen by my son “no, put the water hose up and come inside.”

God loves us and he gifts us with a parental love that we will never give up on teaching our children and a love that wants to bless them –but with a Wisdom that knows that it is best to learn.  For Today, my son has me as his mom and  I will never give up on teaching him God’s values, but one day he will be fully responsible to God for his choices that will directly reflect how I did my job in teaching my son respect, honesty and the value of confession in the truth!

God is Truth and nothing in Him is a lie!  I respect the truth.  Fireman Reload doesn’t know this, but I would have let my son put the fire out that day if he had simply told the truth and confessed what I already knew!

God is faithful, but are we always faithful to God?  Confession is telling God what He already knows and is an opportunity to show God our respect to whom He is!  Truth is a form of trust to the love a parent has for the child.  My son knows I love him.  Why would he lie and avoid the truth?  Maybe the temptation to avoid responsibility –or pride to admit he did wrong…?

If we can figure out the answer to this question through the eyes of a child, then we may better understand our adult issues that keep us out of the fruit of the spirit –temptations to deny the truth and justify our actions; avoiding knowing God’s Word, but God’s word says, “Do not deny or boast in the truth”.

God knows us intimately!  We were not surprised by our son’s actions –We already knew his heart, mind and capabilities –almost to the countdown until he disobeyed; and did that which he already knew was wrong according to the rules his parents just spoke.

God is not surprised by our actions either, but he begs us to consider the blessings in honoring His Truth and Word!  God has not given up on us –and He has not given up on you!  Just like I will never give up on my son –I will always love him with a faithful love.  Yes, my son will choose his behavior and he will reap from the consequences, but my love for him will never change –Neither will God’s love!

I encourage you to live like you are living for eternity … not just living for the day –Live for God’s glory and be blessed in all you do!

How much greater is God’s love for us –than my love for my son?

Greater love has no one than this, that He would lay down His own life for his friends (John 15:13).

We know and pray to God as our Father ONLY because of placing our believing faith in Jesus Crucified –otherwise we are only praying to God as our Creator!  This is YOUR season to KNOW Jesus as your Personal Savior!

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts (Psalm 139:23).

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:24).

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:11).

This is intended to be a message of “self-control” through the power of the ONE who will carry us if we just remember to trust God’s love for us as our Father, who always has a plan not to harm us, but to prosper us and to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

As we daily grow in our understanding of just how much we can trust God’s love He has for us, I hope this was a blessing to you as you are being built up by God’s Word in your most holy faith (Jude 1:20) –To God be the glory alone!

Love in Christ,

Karen Rowe

To Contact me by email:  karen@hopeintoday.com

Hope in Today Ministries, Inc.

The Train Whistle, Sounding the Call of God’s Love

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