Isaac Boluwatise

Will They Truly Not Depart?
– by Earl C. Davis

When we read Proverbs 22:6 and say a child who is trained up in a godly fashion will always return to his roots, no matter how far he roams, it is true as a general rule, but not absolutely and always true, because every child has his own free will. But there is enough promise in this verse to let us know, when we are raising our children, that it is not in vain; enough promise to comfort the faithful and broken heart when the child strays.

Children are the source of great joy: Proverbs 23:24-25; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 17:6. They can also be the source of great sorrow. The same man who spoke of children as a joy, as arrows in a quiver and said, “Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them ” — this was David, who also moaned those heartbroken words: “O Absalom, my son, my son. Would to God I had died for you! ” His son Solomon would have broken his heart, too, if David had lived to see his idolatry. Rebekah said twice in Genesis that the marriages of Esau were a “grief of mind” and that she was “weary of life” because of him.

The waywardness of children is no respecter of persons. I think of a dear friend in the ministry who had a child on drugs, wandering over the country for years. No parent can point a finger at any other parent, for children are not robots who can be completely controlled, even by a loving Christian parent. And I do not wish to heap a pile of guilt on parents who have done all they could to train up their children right, and still the result has not been anything to write home about. There are no perfect parents, but most Christian parents I know truly desire to impart their faith to their children, and do the best they can.

“… I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” – Isaiah 43:1 NKJV

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, ‘Though you are one of the teeming millions in this world, and though the world would have you believe that you do not count and that you are but a speck in the mass, God says, ‘I know you.’ How wonderful is that? Take a moment and consider the things in life that rob us of self-esteem. Words such as, ‘I don’t want you; I don’t love you anymore.’ Or ‘You’re unsuitable for the job; sorry, we have to let you go.’ Or, ‘You keep making the same stupid mistakes. You’ll never get it right.’ Or, ‘Why can’t you be like your brother, or your sister, or so-and-so?’ Understand this:

1) Your self-esteem cannot be based on what you do for a living. Because when you can no longer do it you’ll feel worthless. Think about some of the famous people you know: athletes, artists, speakers, etc. When they can no longer do what they do they often get depressed, even suicidal.

2) Your self-esteem cannot be based on what you own. Recently the U.S. housing market lost up to 40% of its value in one year. Millions of people saw their social status go down and their financial security go up in smoke.

3) Your self-esteem cannot be based on other people’s opinion because it will always make you vulnerable to rejection. What’s the solution? Discover what God thinks about you and build your life on it. ‘… thus says the Lord, who created you… who… redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.’ (Isaiah 43:1 NKJV) It doesn’t get any better than that!

Immediately after World War II the allied armies gathered up many hungry, homeless children and placed them in large camps. There the children were abundantly fed and cared for. However, at night they did not sleep well. They seemed restless and afraid.

Finally, a psychologist hit on a solution. After the children were put to bed, they each received a slice of bread to hold. If they wanted more to eat, more was provided, but this particular slice was not to be eaten – it was just to hold.

The slice of bread produced marvellous results. The children would go to sleep, subconsciously feeling they would have something to eat tomorrow. That assurance gave the child a calm and peaceful rest. More tomorrow! Isn’t that really the basic longing deep inside each of our hearts?

It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out why we’re that way. The longer I live, the more I see taken away from me. Oh yes, I’ve got more stuff than I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff. I’ve got books I’ll never read, work manuals I’ll never work, catalogues I’ll never order from.

Plus, I’ve got jars and jars of assorted nuts and bolts, electric wire nuts, picture-hanging brackets, and curtain rod implements. Stuff. The funny thing about it is that when I need some of this stuff I can never find it, so I wind up going down and buying more stuff.

Would you like to know what I do with the leftovers? I put them in the jar alongside the stuff I was looking for when I went down and bought new stuff. It’s right beside the half empty gallon paint can I saved from one of my projects back in 1991.

Yeah, I got stuff all right but I’m also losing things — lots of things. My mind, for instance. My once active brain picks the dumbest times to go on sabbatical. Some things I’m still good at; some things I’d rather not discuss. I’m sort of like the professor on Gilligan’s Island who was smart enough to make a two-way radio out of a coconut; but didn’t have sense enough to fix a hole in the bottom of the boat. That’s me all right.

And my eyes aren’t as keen as they once were, which might have some redemptive value. At least when I can’t think of someone’s name I can always use the excuse, “I couldn’t see you very well.”

Yes indeed! I want more tomorrow, like the little children in the war camps. I need something to hold on to; something that will let me know that tomorrow is taken care of already. God knew that we were all going to be like those little children. That’s why he so often referred to us as ‘little children’. And one of my favourite ‘little children’ talks Jesus gave, came to us by way of the pen and parchment belonging to Matthew, His disciple: “Don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing,” Jesus said. “Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

That’s better than stuff stuffed into the closet. Better than stuff on shelves in the garage. Better than stuff in jars. That’s even better than sliced bread!

Larry Hatfield is Pastor of Grand Assembly of God in Chickasha, OK.

Visit at http://www.boluwatise.blogspot.com

Don’t give up….

One day I decided to quit…

I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God”, I asked, “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

His answer surprised me…

“Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.

I gave them light.

I gave them water.

The fern quickly grew from the earth.

Its brilliant green covered the floor.

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.

And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.

“In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed..

But I would not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would

not quit.” He said.

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared

to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6

months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He asked me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots”.

“I would not quit on the bamboo.

I will never quit on you.”

“Don’t compare yourself to others.”

He said.

“The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.

Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”

“Your time will come”, God said to me. “You will rise high”

“How high should I rise?”
I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

“Yes.” He said, “Give me glory by rising as high as you can.”

I left the forest and brought back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.

Never, Never, Never Give up.

For the Christian, prayer is not an option but an opportunity.

Don’t tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

And heaven’s door opened this very moment.

A lady was driving along with her father. They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, What should I do?”He said “keep driving”.. Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse.

“What should I do.” The young lady asked?”Keep driving,” her father replied. On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over. She told her dad, “I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!”Her father told her, “Don’t give up, just keep driving!

“Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly.

After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out. Her father said, “Now you can pull over and get out.”She said “But why now?”He said “When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm, because you never gave up your storm is now over.

This is a testimony for anyone who is going through “hard times”.Just because everyone else, even the strongest, gives up. You don’t have to…if you keep going, soon your storm will be over and the sun will shine upon your face again.

Someone shared this with me. Feel free to pass it on to some people you know. Tell them, “never give up”, because GOD will never give up on them!
Keep Driving! This story touched me! I hope it touched you!

IATB