It Matters

"Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace." Psalm 144:12

Each year it has been our family's tradition to cut down our Christmas trees. Last week I was invited to join our children and grandchildren as they ran to the door with great excitement. So often as sorrow is an unwanted companion it lessens the pain to reflect on the wonderful, countless memories I have been given and the Eternal hope I have in seeing another generation, or even two, loving and serving the Lord with all their heart. I am reminded of the one true gift that can be given to our children and grandchildren and how much the understanding of God in their lives matters even more through their own journey of the loss they have in their own hearts in not seeing their Papa but how blessed I am to see them moving forward and staying strong and believing in a God who keeps His promises and does not change. How blessed I am to see them with faith as their Papa who spoke to them about the things of the LORD and exhibited Christ in his own life. How much this matters.

It Matters that God's design for us as husbands, wives and for our children has never changed. It matters that the gospel has never changed. It matters that God hasn't changed. It matters that His promises have not changed. Despite the many things wrong in our world today, our fallen world has not changed since the time sin entered into the Garden after God built the first home and this matters. Paradise was once was perfect but we lost Paradise and this matters.

It matters that Christ came and we can be saved...It matters.

In Genesis we read that Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed the Breath of Life in his nostrils and he became a living being, created in His image.

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, and there He put the man who He had made. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The Tree of Life was also in the midst of the Garden, and the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil.

Then the Lord God took Adam and put him in the garden to care for it and God counseled him 'of every tree of the garden you may eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat". The Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over Adam and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. The rib He had taken from man He made into a woman and brought her to the man. This was the first marriage.

The cunning serpent came, as he told Eve surely if you eat of this tree you will not die. The desires of Eves heart to want more knowledge and understanding caused her to reject God's Words and caused her to justify what she was feeling, disobeying God.

She saw this tree was good and pleasant to the eye and very desirable to make one wise and she took and ate and gave it also to her husband. Sin entered the world. Shame came upon them and they try to hide as they seen they were now naked. They try to cover themselves with fig leaves but God seen and pursued them and He extended His hand of grace to them as they knew they had done wrong. He then covered them with the skin of animals and it took the blood of the animal which was a foreshadowing of the Lamb whose blood was taken for the sins of the world. Sin entered the world but Redemption came on the Tree called Calvary.

Through this fallen world we have been given the hope of Eternity...the hope found in His Word. I have been abundantly bless to see God work mightily in our marriage and in many lives over these many years. Through His Word I grew to understand marriage and family as God intended., not by what this world teaches us. I have witnessed marriages whose husbands begin to lead in the home , and women have God's heart for their home and the children become the hope in their home as another generation is raised to know God.. A godly heritage that continues to many generations. God's ways according to His Word bring countless blessings...He restores all things and establishes our homes, new in Him.

Through our salvation we see our roles, we see ourselves and the ministry God has given us as husband and wife and the importance in giving our children Christ. That they too would come to know their Creator. Randy's life verse for our home was always kept in our hallway and is found in Joshua 24:15 "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD". A scripture that as we work with our children and teach them the things of God resonates in our spirit as we were reminded of Joshua's words to the Israelites as he challenges them to make their minds up as to who they will serve, the gods of this world to which even your children will pay a price or the One true God and declare your faith in Him.

As our children must seek salvation themselves, we have a beautiful privilege to train them and grow them as I think of Psalm 144:12. To raise mighty men of God into oaks of righteousness...whose roots are deep and who become strong and powerful as they grow as a tree pointing up to heaven. To stand strong and lead and protect...as a husband.

And the scriptures speak of our daughters in Psalm 144, growing like carved pillars adorning a palace. Some translations mention 'that our daughters may be as cornerstones"....Strong, graceful and beautiful in the Lord, so fit for a King's palace.

There is a beautiful picture to us all of the oak tree that stands outside the home while the column holds the home inside with her strength and beauty , grace and so very useful and when this column is weak, the house is weak....as it is with a wife.

So true that as God's best gift to Adam was Eve, so shall this always be. God's best gift to any husband is a godly woman of strength and beauty, Gods masterpiece and the crowning glory to her husband.

How we can pray that our faith stands strong that our children will have strong foundations, that they would love the Lord. That our marriages and the faith of our families would be a faith that is real and visible to everyone. The beauty seen in our children would be a beauty that comes from knowing the Lord "Those who look to Him are radiant" Psalm 34:5.

As we celebrate Christmas may we look at the tree and be reminded of the Tree at Calvary that restored our lives after sin entered the world by way of the tree in the garden because of man's turning from God. As we celebrate this season may we also embrace our families. Ladies, love your husbands and children as read of in Titus and men, loves your wives as Christ loved the church and gave His life for it as we read in Ephesians. It is our greatest and noblest work. As you look at the gifts, may we remember that the greatest gift we can ever give our children is Christ. And this gift will be with them long after we leave this earth and it will bless them through to Eternity.

Heavenly Father, Help us to remember our highest and noblest work. We thank you for salvation and how you love and pursue us and your love in never ending. Help us to follow you so that our children will follow in your footsteps. Give us strong faith to put our priorities in order. That our sons will be like mighty oaks and our daughters as graceful pillars adorning a palace. Count our children worthy to escape everything in this world that comes against them so they may stand before you in glory...it matters.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

It Matters

Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. Psalm 144:12

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92:12

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine flourishing within your house, your sons like olive shoots sitting around your table. Psalm 128:3 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:

as plants. Psalm 115:14,15

The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children…Psalm 127:4,5

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Psalm 128:3

And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. Job 42:15

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies… Proverbs 31:10-27

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; … 1 Peter 3:3

Michelle A. Guerra