Daily Devotional, Year 2 – May 18 (What Is True Love? Part 2: “Parenting”)

By admin On January 26th, 2021

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – May 18

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What Is True Love?

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Part 2:

“Parenting”

To read Part 1, click here…May 16 (What Is True Love?)

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“Correct thy son (or daughter),

and he shall give thee rest;

yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”

Proverbs 29:17

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“I love hot dogs and pizza!”

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“I love baseball!”

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“I love my wife!”

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The word, “Love” is a catch-all word which encompasses many different forms of affection.

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And so, it becomes somewhat confusing when somebody says, “I love this!”, or “I love that!”

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Fraternal love (Prehispanic sculpture from 250–900 A.D., of Huastec origin) wikimedia public domain

Kartoffel pizza – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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LOVE, A MANY-SPECTRUMED THING!

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There are many Christians who are likewise confused about what it means to love.

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And in the May 16 devotional, the many qualities of love were spotlighted: self-sacrifice, patience, forgiveness, purity, temperance, honesty, and many other virtues are all part of true agape love, and cannot be separated or eliminated for there to be genuine love.

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**And in the May 16 devotional (click here to read), these aspects were pointed to, in the Crucifixion of Christ.**

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Sign of the Son of Man Constellation – made of the various constellations on this website

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LOVE FOR OUR CHILDREN

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**Now in today’s devotional, the spotlight will turn to the family…because, there is great confusion about just what is, “true, genuine love” for our children.**

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Yes, there are many parents who make the claim that, “I really love my kids!”

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And some of these parents would actually lay down their lives for their children, if for example, they saw their children drowning.

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Family Portrait – cropped photo – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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***BUT WOULD YOU* *LIVE FOR THEM?***

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And many parents would die for their children.

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But the question to be answered today is…

…”Would I live for my children?…

…Would I lay down my daily life for my children, right now?…

…Would I sacrifice my everyday life, my selfish pleasures, my career, my free time for my children?”

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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KIDS SLIGHTED FOR SELF-INDULGENCE

The fact is, rather than devote their lives to patiently guiding their children on the upward heavenly pathway, many parents instead indulge themselves in nearly everything but that!

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Yes, so many parents devote more time and energy to their needlessly high-paying careers, or to their personal hobbies, or to their entertainment, than they devote to their children.

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And as a result, the children get pushed aside, or get seated in front of the TV, video games, or hand-held devices, or encouraged to go play with the neighborhood kids, or go to public schooling and endless sports programs.

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And of course, Satan uses such circumstances to do his own brand of “child-rearing”.

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ABOVE PICTURE: TV, The Babysitter From Hell

Girl Texting – cropped photo – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 2.0

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SALVATION: HIGHEST FORM OF LOVE

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But what is true love?

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Well, true love is to desire the highest good for our children!

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And what is the highest good?

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The Salvation of souls! That is the highest good!

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That is the reason that Christ came to this earth.

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Woman praying – Heinrich Seufferheld – 1893 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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THE WORLD CONTINUES (FOR A TIME)

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And so, God has allowed this world to continue, from His great hope that Mankind might finally realize our error, and turn once again back to the Lord…

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Listen… “For the creature was made subject to vanity (meaninglessness),

not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope,”

Romans 8:20

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Yes, as this above verse reveals, God has allowed this world to continue these past thousands of years, for the express purpose of showing Mankind the error of our ways…

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…but also, to show Mankind the glory of Heaven’s government of “unselfish love”, as we look at Christ, and at the marvels of Creation.

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People on Times Square – cropped photo – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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LEADING OTHERS TO CHRIST

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Now, when we understand God’s over-arching purpose for allowing the world to continue, then we begin to understand what true love is.

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And true love will cooperate with God’s eternal purpose, by working together Him, in leading others back to Heaven’s unselfish government.

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And so, those households which have two believing parents, will want to show their children true love, beginning while the children are still young.

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And such parents will have to stand up to the outside pressures from the world, and worldly Christians, to allow ungodly influences into their children’s daily life.

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Homeschoolers playing Dutch Blitz at picnic gathering – cropped photo – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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WITH ALL THY HEART

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The Good News to all this is, we have a very tenderhearted and forgiving God, who can work, and does work miracles on a daily basis.

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This is the only hope for your children.

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It is futile to try to argue them back to God.

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**It is only by spiritually blessing your own life, can you ever hope to bless your now-almost-grown children.**

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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FULL IMMERSION

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*Change my own music to the most holy and heaven-like music.

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Stop watching TV myself, even if they refuse to give it up (We’re talking about rebellious teens. Younger children may be pliable enough to set back on a heavenward course).*

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*Give my own self to reading and listening to Scripture. Begin to pray and contemplate the Bible without ceasing!

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*Rid my own life of spiritually-unhealthy worldly-minded associations.

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*Create a Heaven-on-Earth in my home.

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*Don’t “talk” my religion so much as “live” my religion. Because it is God who changes the hearts of wayward individuals.

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But He will only do this for me, as I allow Him to burn away the dross from my heart and life.

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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PRECIOUS PROMISES

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Oh yes, there may be many fiery trials ahead, O Christian parent.

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But it will all be worth the pain, as we witness others…“bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters (which) shall be carried upon their shoulders.” Isaiah 49:22

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Yes, God has His own ways of bringing back our wayward children, back into His fold!

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But right now, both you and I must begin to order our own lives aright, in the fear and service of Jesus Christ.

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Prayer – Mother and Daughter – Wikipedia – (cropped image) the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to live by Thy agape love, laying down my life for my children, making my home an intelligent, gentle, and loving, Bible-based home….

Marine Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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THE END

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TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN

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THE REVELATION 12 DRAGON

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This Dragon constellation appears in the eastern horizon about mid-summer in the pre-dawn hours, spewing his flood-waters northward toward the Revelatio n 12 Woman in Travail (not pictured in this chart).

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The Wave of Water is primarily composed of the Constellation Auriga.

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**There are two dimmer stars (#’s, 1 & 2) which are closest to the Dragon’s mouth.**

Signs Of Heaven