Sunday: First Things First
Read Ecclesiastes 12:1. What’s the message there for us?
As youth matures into adulthood, thoughts will arise about having to provide for basic needs-food, clothing, and shelter. Jesus Himself has told us how to prioritize our needs when He said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Of course, for those who are older and who didn’t make the choice for Jesus when they were young, there is still time to make the right decisions regarding stewardship.
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As we saw in Genesis 28:20-22, Jacob had made some important life choices, both spiritual and financial. In the vision, the Lord introduced Himself to Jacob as “The LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac” (Genesis 28:13, NKJV). Then as part of his vow to God, Jacob said, “The LORD shall be my God” (Genesis 28:21, NKJV).
Read Genesis 29:9-20. What is important about the timing of this event in the life of Jacob?
After Jacob made his spiritual and financial commitments to God, the Lord directed him to Rachel at the well (see Genesis 29:9-20). It is fitting to make your spiritual decision and your lifework decision before committing to marriage. Your future spouse should know “what they are getting into.” Is this person a committed Christian? What type of work will he or she be involved in? Will this person be a teacher, a nurse, a lawyer, a laborer, whatever? What kind of life will I be committing to? Other questions that need answers before the marriage commitment are: What level of education has been completed? What amount of debt will come into the marriage? Am I willing to accept this situation as part of my responsibility?
| Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-15. Why is this principle so important to consider when looking for a life partner? Though it doesn’t guarantee a good marriage, why would it help make the chances of a good marriage better? |
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The real problem with today's lesson is that all these decisions about life take place in your late teens. This is when you are rebelling against your parents, hormones are messing with your brain, there is pressure to do well at school, and your peers are applying appalling pressure to have a great social life. Then there are the girls and guys that are so beautiful or handsome and smell like roses or perspiration from exercise. And amidst all that you are expected to be wise and make a good decision about a life partner and a career.
I'm an expert in this. I have a nearly 18-year-old grandson and in just a few months his vote is going to count just as much as mine in electing the government. He already drives a car faster than I care to drive. And he has had a girlfriend but that broke up and it looks like he is getting another one. And I, Grandad, have to try and help him study Maths, Physics, and Chemistry so that he can get a TER score high enough to get into the course he wants to do at Uni.
O wisdom where art thou in this big mess of youthful hormones? How does Christian direction and management handle 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol (dopamine for those who don't know what to do with a formula) a teenage body produces so much of it on the right stimulus? The answer lies in family commitment. Look at the verses that are in our texts for consideration today. It is not about how wise you should be when you are making these big decisions. It is about support from families that care.
That is why Grandma prays each night for her grandchildren and feeds them snacks before they start their homework, and sits down with them, and organises their schedule. It is about care and love.
And we know they will make mistakes and break their hearts, and fail examinations, and have fights with their parents and experience all the other frailties of inexperience. Passing on wisdom is tough work for us aging grandparents but we love it!
I, like Maurice and William Earnhardt, had parents that did a very good job of raising me. I remember Morris Vendon saying that there are several mountains you have to go over before being lost -- your parents' training, your Christian schooling, Christian friends, Christian wife, and Christian siblings. Now I haven’t gotten over any of the 5 mountains, so I am not lost, by the grace of God. Yes, some of us have a lot to be thankful for. And, if you don’t have these mountains, you have one Mountain that is the most difficult to get over and be lost.
Like others, I am now a grandparent and a great-grandparent, with most of my family living many miles from us. In my morning worship my prayer list grows as a talk to God about my family. As many of our grandchildren have finished college and have or are looking for their life work, I have found that it can work best when “my prayer bones work more than my jawbones”.
Our heavenly Father would like for us from day one to be ‘able and willing’ to hear Him. Some of us were blessed to hear Him through our parents, guardians, or special people we met along the way when growing up.
I never spoke about this, but, if I may be permitted, today's lesson provides a fitting forum. I grew up in a low-income household where every penny was turned many times before it was spent. Just like our heavenly Father’s door is always open, so was the door of my parents' home always open, should we need to step in for advice.
As an adult, I appreciate all the hardships they endured, never complaining or making it known to their three children that we were 'poor'. I learned to consider what I have to be 'sufficient' and am thankful for it. This disposition gave me the stability and patience to allow my heavenly Father to add to my life in His good time. It takes children a while to sort through their parents’ life and to appreciate it all. I have learned that, with or without planning, one's family life draws the blueprint for the life of the children. Hopefully, most impressions are positive when carried over into adulthood, but all has 'value' to learn from.
My husband and I only ‘dated’ 6 months before he had to return to the US. He told me that he married me because he appreciated the way my mother dealt with the difficulties in her life. I did not meet my husband’s family until I came to the US, which left me unable to see for myself how they were dealing with the difficulties in their life. I asked him the one question which, for me, could answer all the other questions I could not ask. I wanted to know: “Are you a Christian, and do you and your family believe on God?” His answer was ‘yes’, and this was sufficient for me. I was able to trust that we would build our family’s life on the same foundation – faith in God’s Word. We got married in Las Vegas.
Instead of finishing high school, my husband enlisted in the army to go to Vietnam. His limited education was good enough to start out work as a forklift operator in the warehouse of the FAA, but God planned it to be the first rung of the ladder until he was accepted from many other applicants to be the airport certification inspector who certifies all the airports on the Pacific Islands receiving federal funds.
Diligence, commitment, being reliable, trustworthy and willing to step out into unfamiliar territory, working hard to improve present circumstances, became the hallmark on which our heavenly Father built our family's life. God willing, we will enjoy our 46th wedding anniversary in May.
Thank you for sharing, Brigitte. Christianity is about practical living, and one of the really encouraging things for me is to hear how others have lived their faith in the "ordinary" events of life. It is not about miracles and theological intricacies, but about living daily in Him. That in itself is a miracle.
Yes, Maurice - to 'know and accept' that we are "living daily in Him is a miracle all in itself". Being aware of His omni-presence gave me the basis for forming a good-intent disposition, honoring Him in all I do.
That is a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing.