by Missy Milbourn
This Week's Verse: John 17:15, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.” (NIV)
Devotion:
I wanted to take him out of the world. Not kill him, but home school him. That’s how I felt when I awoke in the middle of the night to my son’s cell phone buzzing, only to open it and find an extremely vulgar text message from one of his buddies.
I was immediately angry. Not at him, and not at his friend, but at the evil one. This Mother’s heart sank, and was ridden with anguish as I prayed to our Heavenly Father, first thanking Him that He had alerted me to the situation, and then conversing with Jesus about what had just transpired.
“Dear Jesus”, I said, “is this what you felt when you prayed, ‘my prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one?’ How do I do that Jesus? How do I turn him loose into the messiness of the world, and yet teach him not to dwell in, or involve himself in the messiness/sinfulness?”
In that quiet time, the Lord impressed upon me, once again, that we have a responsibility, as parents, to do our best to teach our children about God. About God’s love, about God’s truth, about God’s way to approach life. But the sweetest thing that God did for me during that quiet time was He reminded me that though I have a serious responsibility, I don’t have to carry the weight of it all, for He’s there too. And that by His grace, He will teach my son, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:12,13)
So, how do I respond? I accept my responsibility to teach God’s Word to my children, and I claim the above truth (Titus 2:12,13) and pray it over the lives of my children.
Oh yeah, and we now have random checks of his text messages. He knows that he is being held accountable for the text messages that he sends and receives.
Father, our prayer is not that you take our children out of this world, but that you protect them from the evil one. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Application:
Does your child have a cell phone? Do you know who they’re calling and who’s calling them? Do you do random checks? Maybe it’s time to enter this part of your child’s life.
Power Verses:
1 John 5:5, “and who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” (NLT)
1 John 5:18, “we know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. (NLT)
Titus 2:12-13, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." (NIV)
5 comments:
AMEN! As a stepmother to three kids, I wholeheartedly connected to this devotion. Texting is so "hush - hush" that we have not allowed our kids to have it. Of course they think we are just being "old-fashioned", but we see it as fulfilling the responsibility God has placed on us. Thanks for letting me know we are not alone in this struggle!
No cell phones here either, but I worry about the computer constantly! So many good things can come from them, and sadly, so many bad as well. I'm not so much worried about what goes OUT of our house right now, but what comes into it...Can't we just keep them in a bubble?! Just for a little while longer?! Thanks for the 'heads-up' on what I have to look forward to in the next couple of years! Very good and informative devo!
The verse from John is so telling in its guarantee that this is an evil world, while the Titus verse is so comforting in its guarantee that we CAN overcome it by God's grace. Like you said, we have to do our part and claim it for our kids. Thanks so much for this timely word.
you know, there is a delete option.... hope you are not just getting to check the 'good messages' that he doesn't delete. technology has helped and hurt the world all in one.
Been there, done that, Miss. But it is so much fun when they "get it" and their desires to be a part of this world change (veeeerrrry slowly!) and you can claim the truth that if you bring them up in the ways of the Lord, when they are old(er) they will come back to it (KK's version!) As a side note, don't these devotions serve so many purposes, girls? Sometimes they're thought provoking in a spiritual sense, sometimes they bring thoughts of peace, sometimes they are reminders of how great our God is, and sometimes they bless us in knowing that we are not alone in our struggles and worries, that, of course, we have Jesus right by our side at all times, but we also have friends that have gone through or are going through the same thing(s) we have. God, thank you for the inspiration you have given for the "Olive Branch".
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