Joy of the Lord…Blessings of the Lord…FEAR of the Lord

How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him. ~ Psalm 128:1-4

My Daughter, Cassidy Ellen

If we fear the Lord, then we will follow His ways which will lead to JOY! So, the opposite must be true and that is why we see such misery and despair, such a quest for temporary satisfaction.  No fear of the Lord=NO JOY.  No obedience=NO BLESSING. 

The Scripture tells us that we will enjoy the fruit of our labor if we fear the Lord and follow His ways.  I see many who have fruit from their labor, but they are definitely not enjoying it, they are continually laboring over it or managing it.  There is truly no joy in that and I would not call that prosperity! 

A Young Olive Tree…

To have children like vigorous young olive trees is a blessing! I researched an olive tree. I have never grown one (I’ve grown a lot of trees and veggies!). A good density of fruit on each branch is required for productive picking. The way to achieve this density is PRUNING, or discipline. An unpruned tree will have olives scattered in groups of one or two all over an untidy bush. Such trees are costly and frustrating to pick. A primary objective of pruning is to produce dense clusters that can be stripped off the tree in great showers. So pruned trees (disciplined children) will produce great clusters of fruit, rather than sparse groups that are inconsistent and unmanageable.  The pruning of young trees follows two contradictory principles that must be BALANCED. The first is to shape the tree into the form that, except for frost damage, will be its structure for life. The other is to allow the young tree to grow and build energy reserves.  A determination to form the perfect shape by excessive pruning will weaken the young tree and stunt its growth for a number of years. Achieving the right balance is part of the realm of art and talent that distinguishes the good pruner from the heavy handed one.  

Our children require discipline, but this discipline must come from a place of love.  Just as our obedience to God will not be fruitful if not from our heart, our discipline of our children will not produce a healthy fear if not done in love. 

It is important to shape our children into what we want them to be.  It’s interesting that the olive tree is shaped first into what it will be for life.  Except for frost damage…that is interesting to me.  I have “frost damage”.  I was beaten and abused in every way a child can suffer misuse.  BUT, it is not the structure for my life.  That was “frost damage”.  I have been pruned and reshaped, molded into the image of Christ.

One of the important facts to emerge is that the olive fruit requires strong sunlight at every stage from fruit set to oil production. Olive flowers that are in deep shade will not set in large numbers. Those that do will not produce good levels of oil. Pruning is therefore needed to reduce the density of the foliage and allow sunlight to penetrate into every part of the olive tree. That will preach…We will not produce good levels of oil if we have dark corners.   

 “If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” ~ Luke 11:36 

OIL represents faith.  We are the Light of the world because we are full of faith…the oil that lights the lamp. 

 The Word says that this is the Lord’s blessing: children like vigorous young olive trees (Psalm 128:3).

• Malachi 2:15 tells us that what God wants from our marriages is godly fruit.
• Psalm 127:3 tells us that children are a gift from the Lord, a reward from Him…once again, a blessing.

So why do we continue to slaughter the blessings of the Lord that are given to millions of men and women every year, 1.5 million to be accurate?

We wonder why we have such meaningless tragedies plaguing our land…we have no blessing. We are under a curse!!!

REVERSE THE CURSE! Abolish abortion in our lifetime.

Let’s begin to be a voice for those who have no voice.  Following a horrible tragedy in Connecticut, I couldn’t help but notice that, even if briefly, the nation’s heart was turned toward the value of a life.  My question is this: 

If knowing how their lives would end, would these mothers have still made the same decision, to birth their children?  Is it better to have your children for only 6 years or never at all?  Is it worth it?  Would it have been better for them to never have been born?

 

Lord Jesus, I cry out to you in my most holy faith asking You to turn the hearts of Your people back to You. I pray that we would speak Your Word unashamed and with boldness and zeal, not fearing any man but out of our reverent fear of the Lord. I pray that You would guide and lead each of us as parents, Holy Spirit, to mold our children into the structure for their life…beginning with the foundation in You.  We love You, Lord and thank You that You have entrusted us with these precious gifts.  Help me to never again take for granted the special treasure You have laid before me.  Help me to be Your mouthpiece, put Your words on my lips out of the abundance of my heart. In Jesus Name, AMEN