And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? Judges 13:12.
The words spoken to the wife of Manoah contain a truth that the mothers of today would do well to study.
The child will be affected for good or for evil by the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled by principle, and must practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child.
If before the birth of her child she is unstable, if she is selfish, peevish, and exacting, the disposition of her child will bear the marks of her wrong course…. But if she unswervingly adheres to the right, if she is kind, gentle, and unselfish, she will give her child these traits of character.
And fathers as well as mothers are involved in this responsibility. Both parents transmit their own characteristics, mental and physical, their dispositions and appetites, to their children…. The inquiry of every father and mother should be, “What shall we do unto the child that shall be born unto us?” The effect of prenatal influences has been by many lightly regarded; but the instruction sent from heaven to those Hebrew parents … shows how the matter is looked upon by our Creator.
The mother who is a fit teacher for her children must, before their birth, form habits of self-denial and self-control; for she transmits to them her own qualities, her own strong or weak traits of character. The enemy of souls understands this matter much better than do many parents. He will bring temptations upon the mother, knowing that if she does not resist him, he can through her affect her child. The mother’s only hope is in God. She may flee to Him for grace and strength. She will not seek help in vain. He will enable her to transmit to her offspring qualities that will help them to gain success in this life and to win eternal life.
The Faith I Live By p. 262
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-update—I am in ______ Community Hospital. They did the debridement on Thursday night the day I checked in. . . . They are currently wet to dry packing them and eventually they are supposed to vac pack on them. They told me today if there was cancer found in the wounds they would not be able to use that method to close them. The pathology report is due back Dec 10th. Everything is hinging on that report. Please will you pray that the report comes back cancer free. Please also pray that my heart rate will stay under 100, every time I get up my heart goes into tachycardia. Please pray for Jesus to continually hold me and keep, that my testimony will honor Him. Barbara
—Please pray for my friend whose aunt died December
8, 2018, after a long illness. Wanda
—-Please pray for me. I came down with the flu 3 weeks ago this coming Wednesday and developed what they think is a bacterial sinus infection. Most antibiotics make me sick so I’m having a hard time overcoming this. I have improved but I’m not well yet. Brenda
—-I have a friend whose daughter has gone into ER. She has had a bad reaction to a medication. The Mom (my friend) was speaking, that her grown, young daughter may of had a stroke also. Please let us lift her in prayer. Kim is the daughter’s name. Katherin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
My grandfather, Edwin Harmon, was the most important person in my life for the first ten years of my life. I was his “shadow” following him everywhere and watching everything he did. He could not even shave without an “audience.” As I think back upon those times, I think that my grandfather reveled in the attention. For most of his life, he had felt unwanted and unloved. Now he had someone to keep him company and who loved him unconditionally.
We, too, have Someone Who yearns to be our constant companion. With longing desire He draws us to Himself with cords of love. (Hosea 11:4) The Great King of the Universe, the Creator of all is lonely for our company. He is as the father in that well known parable of the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-24) Although by our rebellion, we have broken His Great Heart of Love, He loves us still. Although we have transgressed His Commandments, He has provided a Way of restoration to His family. Think of it! “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Ro 5:8
Isaiah prophesied of His great sacrifice, “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isa 52:13-53:12
May we make our Loving Redeemer the center of our life. May we follow Him wheresoever He goes, imitate to the best of our ability whatsoever He does. May our sweetest thoughts be of Him is my prayer.
Rose
What Kind of Inheritance?