Have you ever been at a place in life where you just needed to be reminded of God’s promises? This past Sunday I preached a message entitled “Manna from Heaven.” In Exodus chapter 16 we find the Israelites at yet another one of their stopping places along their journey to the Promise Land. They had just witnessed God split the Red Sea wide open for them to cross, and now they found themselves where else but the desert. They went from a miracle party to a pity party almost overnight. They were in desperate need and then in Exodus 16:4, God says to his people… “I will rain down bread (manna) from heaven for you.” It was God’s way of reminding His people that He would take care of them and that He had not forgotten about them. I am not sure there are any words that are more comforting than when God says, “I will.”

Keep in mind that God is fully aware of your road. And He is certainly aware when your road leads you into the desert, because it was His choice to take you there. Always remember… Everything in your life is either caused or allowed by God for your good and for His glory! God has not forgotten about you. God is fully aware of you and your situation. When there seems to be no way, God makes a way and with God all things are possible.

God’s promises in scripture are the anchors and rocks you and I need to cling to.

• He promises to never leave us or forget about us: Psalm 33:13-15 > From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth — he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
• He promises to meet all of our needs – Philippians 4:19 > And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
• God promises to give strength and rest to the weary: Matthew 11:28 >    "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
• God promises that His grace is enough:    2 Corinthians 12:9-10 > But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
• God has promised that all things work together for good:    Romans 8:28 > And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
• God has promised the forgiveness of sin and eternal life:  Acts 2:21 > And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Thank you God for your promises and for your faithfulness!

Pastor Andy Veith

If God said… “You can ask for one thing and it will be done, what would you ask for?”

If you were dying and God came to you and said, you can ask for one thing and it will be done, what would you ask for? I know what I would ask for…. I would ask that my kids would love God, listen to God, follow God and worship God all the days of their life! I am serious! Hands down, my greatest desire for my children is that they know and believe and desire to follow God with their entire life. If they are not a straight ”A” student or if they are not the top athlete or do not end up with the best job in the world making a huge salary, but they love God and desire to follow His ways, then that would bring the most joy to my life. 

So I/we must ask ourselves, what is it that we are passing on to our children? What fingerprints are we leaving on them? If I am so passionate about my children knowing God and following God, then I must be willing to fulfill my role according to scripture. What does scripture say to us parents? We are to train up our children in the way of the Lord. There are only two batting stances in baseball, left handed and right handed. There are only two ways a child can go… toward God or away from God. It is our responsibility to train them toward the ways of the Lord.

 

This past week I received an Acronym of the word TRAIN that I believe is an excellent guide for us to follow when it comes to training up our children. 

 

T teach and disciple them in the ways of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)
R replenish their hearts with encouragement ( Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21)
A accept and value their gifts from God (Psalm 139:14)
I inspire them with love ( Matthew 3:17)
N navigate them toward Jesus (John 14:6)

As parents, we prepare and train our children how to survive the battle – they ultimately must choose to what degree they will fight! Let’s do our part and pray that they do theirs! 

I have been on a mission as of late to bring a fresh perspective to my students, to help them see the stories of Scripture as if for the first time.  I want my students to ask questions, to see beyond the surface of the story, to have a sense of wonder when they think about who Jesus is and what He is.  In short, I want my students to be in awe of God.