The Malleable Family of God!

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 Modern English Version (MEV)

Being a parent is honestly the hardest job we will ever endeavor to take on. There is no rule book, no one piece of advice that is the magic bullet, and as much as we struggle it all comes down to our own abilities in how our children turn out. I say this because I work with children who are growing into young adults and listen to their parents who agonize over all their decisions and honestly are caught in the proverbial trap of social media and mobile devices that has shrunk our world. But I find this one proverb still holds a measure of truth from the moment it was penned to this very day, train your children in the virtues of God and they will never depart from it.

The next hardest job we are born into is being a sibling, a son or daughter, a cousin, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece. Each of these roles within a family help to shape the children within our family no matter the distance in time or space. Each role is important as their unique opinion or life experience can lend a helping hand to mold the malleable minds of every other member of the family from the oldest to the youngest. If done correctly a father can rely on a brother or sister to reach a child with a perspective that is different from that of the parent. A grandparent can approach the problem from a life filled with experience and wisdom. Cousins can speak about generational concerns with words more familiar. Each member of the family is important in their own way. Here is the downside: these are roles we must want to take on and take pride in their fulfillment.

I say these things to you my brothers and sisters to bring home the truth about God, one that is earth-shattering and so fundamental to our own growth and preparations in becoming parents ourselves. God our Father in Heaven is the only source of love and forgiveness. He alone gave the gift of love, demonstrated how it works, and proved he practices what he preaches in the forgiving of all our sins through Jesus Christ, his only son. So, in everything I preach, I always bring it down to love and forgiveness. I will always remind people that though we are not perfect in our obligations of being a parent, a sibling, uncle, aunt, son, daughter, a nephew or niece, and yes, regrettably there are times we say things and do things we wish we could take back. We must hold fast to our God who made us malleable, he constantly gives us opportunities to follow his lead, he never gives up, and he loves us even when we are at our worst. God our Father is our example and though we may not live up to this ideal all the time, there is no excuse not to try.

Being malleable means the following… ‘capable of being shaped or changed, whether physically or mentally.’Unknown Author. Within that definition, being malleable is being willing to learn, grow, understand, comprehend, love when you are upset, forgive when you don’t feel like it, challenging your personal paradigm, adapting to earth-shattering events, admitting there is a better way, giving credit where it is due, and last but not least being gracious and kind with your actions and words. Being malleable is being a lifelong learner and lifelong lover of God by living your life with purpose and relentlessly seeking the wisdom of our Father and Creator. In this lifelong practice, parenting becomes a little easier, being a sibling becomes more doable, and being a son or daughter a little more rewarding. So, being malleable is having an open mind, quick to love, and slow to anger.

In conclusion, I say to you my brothers and sisters, ‘1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather than silver and gold. 2 The rich and poor have this in common, the Lord is the maker of them all.” – Proverbs 22:1-2. Write these words into your heart and know that if you practice being a good person with a good honorable name, unbreakable in faith, seeking God’s wisdom rather than riches your life will be filled with love. Your teachings to your children will bear fruit worthy of delighting in. But, if you ignore the fact God created us all equally and seek dishonesty and rudeness your children will be a misery to us all. Being a productive part of a family can be messy, can be filled with heartache, pain, and profound disappointment. Your parents may say or do things you disagree with, your siblings may be disagreeable in their actions, and our sons and daughters may surprise us with an unthinkable point of view. But in all the chaos if every member seeks understanding, is sincere in being malleable then there is no problem that cannot be overcome while maintaining a good name for everyone involved. But with equal effect, if you choose to remain quiet, unresponsive, and use silence as a weapon then the emptiness you plant will someday be harvested ultimately being utilized for an unproductive outcome that could tear a family apart. Again, my brothers and sisters God gave us free will and the minds to go our way. He constantly gives us opportunities that can change our lives for the better. We are all connected and all affected both positively and negatively in what we choose.

Let Us Pray!

Pray this in the silence of your hearts –

‘Dear Lord, I pray to always remain malleable in my words and actions, I ask for your strength to face my family with love, truth, and understand ready always to forgive. Be that sibling, father, mother, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, or niece that is relentlessly seeking a good name by dedicating my life to learning your wisdom then actively applying it, teaching your virtues to my children. Dear Lord, open my mind make it malleable so you may shape me into the more perfect version of myself. Please do the same for all the members of my family so that they too may reap the rewards of unconditional love in your arms.’

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

May the Lord bless you, and keep you from all evil and bring you to everlasting life.

Amen.

Saint Joseph Pray for us.

Sancte Ioseph, Ora pro nobis

Reflection 4: Family of God – Saving Relationships

5 “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” ~ 1 Timothy 5:1-2

Family is Everything

Family is everything.  Family is so important that it is the overriding topic God concerned Himself with in every inspired religious text known to man.  So if the creator of the universe viewed family as having such an important role in the lives of everyone of His creations and it plays such a heavy role to our salvation then why is there so many broken homes, broken children, broken marriages, and broken relationships?  By contrast we all should be family oriented, protecting our relationships be them, friends, family, and with God.  Our country if not the world is headed head-long into a relationship crisis, but more about that later. For now the question which underlines this reflection is extraordinarily simple, but never-the-less paramount to our role in this life as it was designed by God.  Could modern man have forgotten that our relationships are inexplicably linked to loyalty, love, and trust?

Families: a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head :Household (as defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary – Found online @  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/family

According to the standard dictionary the first meaning of the word family or families concerns the household.  This definition is loosely linked to individuals who live under the same roof, spending day and night together through thick and thin, through hardship and pleasant times alike.  This idea of a household is defined by the head of that household, it is a reflection of the policies which are in place that all members adhere too.  In this way the head of the household carry’s tremendous weight and influence with all the other members and to some degree they are subject to the rule of the head of the house for better or for worse.  It is interesting  that when breaking this word down under such a meaning we can see how stark our own families complex and in some regard dysfunction becomes clear, and the root of the problems or boon can be traced to a singular person within the family who wheal the most influence. Often times in our humanity we fight and cause strife with that one person in order to declare dominance or to prove ones worth or specific knowledge but by-in-large all families fight among  themselves and in the family of God we are given some specific guidelines to help ease and end our inner struggles.  Chief among all commands to people at large and to families is simply;

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ~ John 13:34-35

Here we see Jesus, the head of God’s household here on earth commands everyone to love one another, this is a direct reflection upon the kind of rule Jesus wishes to impose, and the world surly would recognise a member of Jesus’s household by how they love others.  Surely Jesus’s household then is one of peace and tranquility.  In practice fighting would be shunned, so would bulling, manipulating, and divisive tactics because people who love others could not sink to such depths for love holds us automatically to a higher standard, true love holds us accountable to our actions.  This also draws in a higher level of respect for each member of the family and all those out side the family unit or household.  In this context morality rules, the fight between good and evil is revealed, and evil is concurred.  So it goes without saying that when we submit to this command from Jesus and apply it to our lives it’s not surprising that our life is forever changed, as is our relationships within our family and household.  But Jesus did not stop there, he also commanded;

12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” ~ Matthew 7:12

Jesus in His commands for the family used an all-inclusive word when he said, “In everything”, which no fancy expensive lawyer could argue the meaning whether implied, inferred, or stated boldly.  Jesus commanded us to treat others the same way you wish to be treated in every action, word, deed, and dealings you have with other people.  The awesome part of this command is simple physiology; no one wants to be treated badly.  If every person adhered to this command there would be no fighting, no killing, no violence, no cussing, harassing,  and there would be no person who would treat another human being rudely or with disrespect because no one wants those things to be done to them.  Again we are lifted to a higher level of living and it again transforms every aspect of life.  Together, these two commands are all we need to end wars and skirmishes alike.  Not surprising these two commands also automatically endow loyalty, love, and trust. Therefore, a household ruled by these two commands found in John 13:34-35 and Matthew 7:12 is a household filled with God’s love and His divine blessing.

Above we have two extraordinary edicts that we as human-beings are to live by, they give us a way to build internal happiness and joy in our lives through the members of our household that can extend out to our external families and friends if we let it.  Likewise in the first scripture of this post we see in 1 Timothy 5:1-2 that God clearly wanted us to treat others outside the family unit with the same level of respect, love, and forgiveness. This edict also overlaps how we are to treat those members of our family which we do not see as often or spend as much time with, but again Timothy extended the reach of this by including old men, old women, young men and young women. These people do not need to be part of your family at all therefore by logic we are to treat everyone as if they where part of your family.  Because in reality we are all part of Gods family and therefore in the eyes of God we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Families: a group of persons of common ancestry :  clan (as defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary – Found online @  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/family

In this second definition of family we find the main focus within small groups of people who identify themselves within a specific population. This meaning can also encompass words like tribe or kin.  Most specifically the word clans deal with traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage based society prior to the 17th century, where as the word tribes are more indicative of  a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states. Many anthropologists used the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship. The common thread within this definition of family is found in the word “kinship”, which is a word that denotes a people who may or may not be members of the same family but cooperate for the benefit of all members of the group, tribe, or clan.  In these organizations men and women intermingle with a set rule or law that resembles closely to the aforementioned commands of Jesus.  The most striking aspect of this could be found within the one particular christian teaching that also finds it’s roots within the Jewish faith;

Q77 “Jesus Explained to His disciples, “If a companion does something wrong to you, go to the person and point this out. But do it privately. If your friend listens and says, ‘I’, sorry,’ forgive and your bond will be strengthened.” “But how often must I forgive the same person?” asked one of his disciples. “Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Most clans and tribes had a means for two people within the tribe to settle their differences most often privately.  Indeed this made the members of the specific tribes or clans grow closer and in the harshest of times the treads of unity ran so deep that it was not uncommon for all the members to support a single person or family within the group that faced difficulty from either internal  or external forces, and all members of the clan or tribe took this struggle personally, rallying to the aid of the one standing united; not ever leaving the one family to their fate.  Like bee’s you attack one then expect the whole hive to chase you down.  However, the root cause of this closeness within the tribal culture is in how they dealt with internal conflict and forgiveness played a huge part of that internal bond.  Thus, we see if applied properly deep strife can be overcome within the family unit, as it was within tribal societies, and or clans both of which viewed themselves as a larger family extended out beyond the immediate family.  In this manner we all should protect our families, safeguard them from the outside world much like the tribes of the Americas or the Clans of Ireland.  Find ways to forgive your family members in the exact manner Jesus described in Q77 and do this as instructed in Matthew 7:12, “In everything”, you do, linked to John 13:34-35, “love one another.” The family that loves reflects the blessing of God and the family that protects it’s members is a family that God loves greatly.

Strengthening Families Spiritually

I could never write the meaning of the goal our God endows us all with in the area of strengthening our families spiritually, the responsibilities God placed at every persons feet, especially fathers and mothers alike, than that of  , Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who spoke on this topic so eloquently. See below;

Amen,

If you liked this Reflection on Families  please leave a comment. Also please “LIKE” and “SHARE” this post with others.

Brian Keith

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EMAIL: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com

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God Bless,

Brian Keith

P.S. NEVER GIVE UP!

Reflection 2: Family of God – Broken Home, Broken Child

6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” ~ Proverbs 22:6

The responsibility given to all parents is to train up your children, if done they will be productive citizens, they will have a shot at happiness, they will be fruitful and happy.  But we all know this, or at least that is what is professed and yet ironically this is rarely done.  Why? I think to answer this question we must first understand what God intended for every person on earth, from every parent, and the responsibilities He places upon our children.  We also must understand that at every turn there is temptation and it affects our children just as profoundly if not more so than adults, their parents whom they look up too.  So what did God intend? 

3 “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'” ~ Jeremiah 31:3

God loved us even before He created us, hence the words “with an everlasting love.” God gave Adam life, he gave him dominion over the animals and a perfect garden to live in filled with everything Adam would ever need. God even gave unto Adam his wife Eve so that he would not be lonely and all of this God did out of everlasting love. Therefore, it’s not to big of a stretch to imagine that from God’s love He wanted man and women to be happy. If you take the total sum of all of God’s gifts to man they can all be traced back to love. God so loved mankind that He gave us free will, He gave us emotions so we could experience things far beyond that of mere animals. He gave us power and great responsibility, in that He also  gave us the power to create and to destroy.  Clearly God has not enslaved us but yet wanted every man to be free and happy. God also wanted us to be part of His divine family; enter His son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins so we could be part of that glorious family in heaven, again this comes back to love and happiness. God wanted us to experience His love, because love fills our hearts with happiness. So in truth God intended mankind to love and be happy and to be fruitful abiding in His love forever and ever. All of this is self-evident in our children who are naturally happy until we saddle them down with our sinful world. Moreover, along with all the responsibilities God gave to mankind, (many we have failed to uphold),  he endowed man to educate the children in His divine ways.

18 “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” ~ Deuteronomy 11:18-19

The truth and mercy of God was to be taught to our children so they too could have hope, and become part of God’s family, and again we seem to forget this simple fact as is evident in our own laws which stifle and confuse the parental role, and tie our teachers, parents, and guardians hands behind our backs.  Mankind seems to want to force suffering upon ourselves and our children with all the horrors that the hell which we have been exposed at every twist and turn. Mankind seemingly sees ‘s fit to crush love and happiness through our actions, setting a disastrous precedent for our children who are watching every word and move we make. It is like God wants us to be happy but we are saying through our actions and word, “Leave me to my misery, “ just as Job had once said to God.

“Let me alone, for my days are but a breath. What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?” ~ Job 7:16-18

Did Job have it right, is man worthy of such love and happiness, or should God leave us all alone in our misery? Job calls out to God, that His days, (our days), are but a breath to God and so how insignificant we are in comparison. Who are we that God should test us day and night? To take this inquiry further, why should God even care after our many failures and broken promises? I know it is hard to imagine that God would love us so much and that He would go to such lengths as to save us, exalt us, and be so proud of us and then to show us mercy over and over again. There are some moments in my life where I am just astonished at God, I am so taken with His never-give-in attitude and deep down inside I know that is the kind of attitude He wants all of us to exhibit towards one-another.  In thinking long and hard about this miracle called God, I feel so inferior, so unworthy, so flawed and because He has seen fit to forgive me I am able to forgive myself. His forgiveness extends to everyone around me, (oh how He calls to me to just forgive)! I must admit it is always a work in process, but the end result as God so promised is happiness within my heart and soul. It’s crazy but I can feel God smile down upon me in those moments. For it, all, in the end, leads to overwhelming happiness.

14 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:14-15

None of the above would be possible without faith in Christ, thus happiness comes from faith through God and His everlasting love. Our salvation is hinged upon this and the ability to teach Gods message is how this message survives from age to age. With this being the will of God, why then have we, (modern man), been so resentful, so rebellious in teaching Gods divine word to our children? Why is it that we, (modern man), create roadblocks that prevent the message of God from taking root in our children? Simply put only moronic fools would be so rebellious and be so vengeful in their prosecution of such evil defiance of God, does this also sound oddly familiar? Satan is the real mastermind in getting modern man to rebel, to create the roadblocks, (laws), which prevent the teaching of God to take place as God himself had instructed for man of all ages to do with and for their children. But we also carry some blame, and will ultimately pay the final consequence for such evil doings.

15 “But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts,‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant. 16 ‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?'” ~ Matthew 21:15-16

Jesus the son of God calls His praise from the voices of the children, and it is through our children His kingdom shall reign.  With this the responsibility is ever present and for parents it is one we cannot ignore.  As teachers of the message of God must be the center focus within every lesson and for all adults, our burden is none the lesser as the message of God must be written within our hearts.  But, and this is a big “BUT”, we must realize that for every law we make that is supposed to protect our children we also have empowered a system that has no natural connection to them and this system grows more powerful and takes from us more rights as parents, thus creating roadblocks to this specific teaching.  There are many people who say we need to protect our children from all kinds of sinful morally inept criminals and this is true, but for every law with good intentions, there are a million unintended usages that will be exploited by crafty lawyers and kangaroo courts!  Laws at every level and in every department of our justice system which is supposed to protect our children and give them rights there are a million drawbacks that could rob you of your children!  In our liberal world we have put blinders on and seem to think by empowering our children to become more powerful than the criminal, we forget that this could be taken also to become more powerful than their own parents.  Litigation is a twisted mess for grownups let alone for our children and yet if one crafty parent gained the upper-hand and wanted to legally separate the child from the other parent it is all too easy in our Family Courts to make happen!  Consider this,  a seemingly harmless provision which allowed a move-away, could become the final tool to destroy and disenfranchise the target parent and if the child was old enough and prompted by that parent which held the legal advantage they could, (child caught in the middle),  indirectly, (without knowing it), chop of the head of the target parent in court with as little effort as a sword slicing off the head of a criminal in mid-evil times.  The end result, of course, is one parent dominates all the child’s time and dictates what they like, how they like, when they like. This goes against God’s most basic plan and divine law of a two-parent family.  Believe me, when I say, God does not want men and women taking personal problems to court no more than He wants children involved within the courts’ nasty triangle.  With God there is mercy, with His divine laws there is mercy, but with our Justice System there is no mercy for the family and in its bowels, nothing can survive that resembles the plan of God.  For within this liberal, legal, and cesspool of man’s own making the only outcome is a broken home and broken child.  This is far and above what Matthew wrote and what Jesus Himself said,have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?” I say again, there is no praise in court, there is no praise in destroying families, and there is no praise in using your children as lethal weapons sent to assassinate a parent they love!  We must rethink our laws and make every parent important and vital to the parenting process and “move-away” orders do not make that happen; they do the exact opposite!  Any parent with a specific goal of separation and is willing to expend considerable effort toward achieving it, then is no parent at all but rather nothing more than a selfish thug acting outside of God.  On the other hand, any parent with a specific goal of unity and is willing to expend considerable effort toward achieving it is, in fact, acting within God’s framework of a two-parent family scenario. As of yet, the courts have no measure in which they can discern the difference between the two vastly different types of parents and because they don’t they destroy rather than build.

127 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” ~ Psalm 127: 1-5

Every child is a heritage given to us by God. They are not weapons of mass destruction, nor are they to be used as such! They are not tools to be used for selfish reasons, nor did God give them to you for such an activity!  No, God gave to us children to be raised with His word burned into their hearts and they are to be taught in such a manner.  God made every human being responsible for the care of all of His children thus they are to be raised by both parents, grandparents, and extended family members. Good is to be taught unto them, and evil is to be shunned by every family member as an example for the child.  Love an honor is to be instilled and there is no difference or distinction of which parent to respect more, or which elder to be heard more, rather every member is important. I have yet to find a law that states this with conviction and which a lawyer will uphold it or a judge will rule by it. The fact remains that children are not more powerful than their parents, but our legal system, enabled by the voters have made this a reality through ignorance. Can a baby feed its self? Can a child teach it’s self-things which they do not know? Can a teen exhibit enough wisdom as to not need guidance? Before you answer know this,  our American wisdom has now made the obvious answer that once was “NO”, and has made it an emphatic “YES”.  Either we have so much faith in our child’s abilities to raise themselves or we are so selfish we would rather nature do all the heavy lifting, really I can’t tell which it is.  But our psychobabble is incoherent and is notwithstanding God’s gift of children. Children need love, forgiveness, kindness, discipline, they need role-models, and above all, they need parents, not one… but two parents (i.e. father and a mother). Anything short of that the child is not whole, they become rebellious and broken adults. They have children without a clue of how to raise them, and their children become broken and disillusioned, and they too grow up and have children and the cycle continues.  Our children then embrace ungodly teachings of the world and they could not even if it was before them, could they see the light of God, could they see the truth of God, could they see the love of God.  Indeed there are many people who are in this predicament today, they come from fractured homes, they experienced evil at every turn, and by and large, they are ultimately lost.

The following is the statistic of children who come from broken homes:

Found online at; http://m.timesdispatch.com/mechlocal/opinion/letters/stats-of-effects-in-broken-homes/article_ba88da2c-6af8-11e2-9f38-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=jqm)

Did you know that more than 3 in 10 children grow up in broken homes and children from broken homes account for:

  • 70 percent of those in juvenile detention.
  • 57 percent of all prison inmates.
  • 63 percent of teen suicides.
  • 71 percent of teen pregnancies.
  • 90 percent of homeless juveniles and runaways.
  • 71 percent of high school dropouts.
  • 75 percent of all drug users.
  • 85 percent of behavioral disorders.

From the FATHERLESS GENERATION, the follow stats are found;

  • 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.
  • 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.
  • 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Center for Disease Control)
  • 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average.  (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
  • 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (National Principals Association Report)

A nation that destroys its families will crumble, crime will rise, unhappiness reigns and our children will suffer outside of God’s Family, for there is nothing but a broken home, broken child without God.

Become a better parent by investing in yourself and in the message of God;  

Parenting by God’s Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace, by Dr. Joel Beeke – Get Your Copy today! Click Here

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Amen,

If you liked this Posting on Broken Home, Broken Child please leave a comment. Also please “LIKE” and “SHARE” this post with others.

Brian Keith

Your invited to stay in contact with me!

EMAIL: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com

Facebook 

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HELP SUPPORT LISTENING FAITHFULLY BLOG BY MAKING ALL YOUR ONLINE PURCHASES THROUGH OUR WEB STORE!  CLICK HERE.  As a special token of appreciation please accept a free downloadable gift from me to you: FREE BIBLE

God Bless,

Brian Keith

P.S. NEVER GIVE UP!

Reflection 1: Family of God pt1

46 “While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'”~ Matthew 12:46-50 


Anyone who does the will of God is the brother of Jesus, as stated by Matthew. But what about those non-believers who do not do the will of God? What about all those people who live in sin and perversion refusing to repent? What about the majority of mankind? The fact is that those who believe and are faithful, obeying the rituals and traditions of the church are becoming fewer and fewer in number. The more advanced our society the more distant from God the populous has allowed their hearts to travel. In the end will it matter? If it does how many millions of people will have perished because they could not believe the words spoken by Jesus. How many people will have ignored the singular chance to be a brother or sister of our savior?

Family is everything, or in years past this was the teaching.  Blood is thicker than water or that was the saying.  Honor is won or lost depending on the actions of the family as a whole, but this too has given way to individualism.  As the pendulum swings (as the lawyers often say in reference to case law), we as people, one race under God have become more concerned with, “self”, than with, “we – the human collective”.  Through that process we have been deceived by Satan into putting more value into what makes us happy as an individual regardless the impact it has ( or will have), on others. This selfishness includes ignoring the direct impact on people in our lives such as our close relatives and everyone in between reaching as far out as to affect  our world-wide human family. This infection is worse than any plague of the Dark Ages as this selfishness has now been allowed by all who have stopped believing in one God, one people, one family, one Bible, one faith, and all of Gods miracles to now make the blasphemous argument that condones self-centeredness, greed, lust, and blind ambition instead of blind-faith in God! Each of these sins which again the populous of planet Earth has allowed into their  mind, heart, and soul has marred each heart it touches infecting it with such ugliness there is no words to describe it, thus this sin leaves behind a distinguishing feature on each person and their personal nature. All while Satan and his sinners go about justifying their actions which in retrospect has devolved into ignoring God and ignoring our rightful place as a brother or sister of Jesus Christ. In this what they have really said to God is, “We are happier with things, with our selfish wants, with anything else that allows us to not honor another’s code or since of justice, in short anything which allows us to do what we want, when we want, and how we want!  Even if that means we are eternally separated from Gods Holy Family!”

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28

Our Lord gave us three specific invitations to become part of His family. The first was to the weary, burdened, and to the tired. To these members of Christ’s family does he promise to give them rest. What exactly does Jesus mean when he talks about giving us everlasting rest. Well, Jesus promises to pull them close to Him, protect them, forgive them, and to take on their many burdens so they won’t have to bear them any longer. If you know your bible then this sound oddly familiar, for wasn’t this what Jesus willing sacrificed himself for? Didn’t he die for the entire human race so that we all would be saved, so that we all would be under His divine protection, having no worries? But to promise this he first separated our needs into specific groups with different and equal distinctions so that each person within that group would not only believe Him, but to also want to be His brother or sister.

17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ~ Mark 1:17

First Jesus promised to take your burdens, then he promised to mold you into His disciple. Again, the first qualification to be a brother or sister in Christ is to submit to Jesus, thus giving up your will, wants, and desires, and doing the will of God. By becoming His brother or sister you also become His blessed disciple, again doing the will of God.

Secondly, just as Jesus does not take away what he has given or promised, neither should you as His disciple take back what you have promised or given. For this distorts and destroys hope and to be the destroyer of hope is not the will of God. Remember it was said, 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33

4 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” ~ John 15:4

Jesus’s third promise was to remain within you. Therefore, in every aspect of your life if you abide in Him, He promises to remain in you. No one can do the exact will of God absent of God in their own life. No one can be called a disciple of Christ and at the same time be doing evil deeds. Likewise, a baby can not survive without it parents nurturing hand, therefore we cannot succeed without God for everything in this world is His alone to give or take. For His thoughts are not our thoughts, our ways are not His ways.

Modern Day Threats to God’s Family

Divorce is the number one weapon Satan has used in our lives as he seeks to divide and concur! However, hidden from view most people have no clue the evil of divorce and that in reality there are two kinds of divorce. The first kind is the legal separation from your spouse, which in turn if you have children opens your life and family to the evils of man’s law known as the Family Court which destroys your family and your life and which is illegal in its very practice, (more on this later). The second type of divorce is no less destructive, as it is the dissolution of your faith and standing with God for man’s law cares not for morality, nor the teaching of the Bible, because if it did then it could not proclaim the perverted message that it does, “To protect the best interest of your children.” Namely this guiding principle is never upheld when one parent seeks to destroy the other and the courts allow the behavior of that selfish spouse. Alarmingly, studies prove beyond any doubt that women all over the world are getting away with disenfranchising their husbands robbing their children of a father who loves them.

“Unfortunately, the desire for ongoing and liberal visitation between child and nonresidential parent has frequently not kept pace with actual practices. The Children’s Rights Council (1994) estimates that six million children in the United States have their visitation interfered with by the custodial parents. Two surveys support the range of this problem. Arditti (1992) reports that approximately 50% of divorced fathers relate that their ex-wife has interfered with visitation with their offspring. Similarly, approximately 40% of custodial mothers admit denying their ex-husband visitation in order to punish him (Kressel, 1985). In some cases, visitation interference has been associated with malicious unlawful acts against the father of such children (Turkat, in press). On rare occasions, a parent may actually kidnap the child.” ~ Ira Daniel Turkat, PH.D., CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW, VOL. 14. NO. 8, pp. 737-742, 1994

This leads to millions of children through divorce looses one of their parents namely the father. Then there is those in our society who ask this moronic question, “Where did all the fathers go?” Satan’s great plan to divide and concur through divorce is where all our the good fathers have gone. A more important question then lurks in the background, “How can you believe in God if he allowed your ex-wife to destroy your life and legally steel your kids from you?” This question destroys faith, destroys hope, destroys lives again namely that of our fathers who wanted so much to be a father to their children and who is being prevented from doing so by the court.  97% of these men have been turned into and measured by how much money they can provide their ex-spouse, thus reducing their role as nothing more than a living breathing wallet. They are then condemned when they cannot provide as society calls them “dead beat dads”, or absent tee fathers, ironically it was the court which placed them in such a position in the first place.  This is called alienation for a reason and it should also be called a crime and child abuse and which is being allowed and perpetrated by the courts!  It used to be each party had to prove the other unfit, but in today’s Family Court System a claim becomes proof with or without hard evidence! This practice has both disenfranchised and denied more parents the right of Due-Process as most Judges shirk their responsibility and do not read everything nor consider everything. When Family Code is sited in court declarations and the mother denies responsibility and alleges other more hurtful allegations against the father without documented proof then most  Judges automatically side with the mother calling her the “primary caregiver”. Even though it has been proven she had openly kept the child from the father and prevented equal access on court appointed time with their children or child. These are just a few experiences I have had and others like me have had in court as we fight for equal time with our children in the State of California, but in no way shape or form is this illegal activity just happening in California, but worldwide!

3 “Children are a gift from the Lord.  They are a reward from him.  4 Children who are born to people when they are young are like arrows in the hands of a soldier.  5 Blessed are those who have many children.  They won’t be put to shame when they go up against their enemies in court.” ~ Psalm 127:3-5

God gave mankind his offspring, not the courts!  God gave authority and the power to raise each child to (his/her)parents, not the court! God gave the sacred duty of bringing children up in the ammunition of the Lord to the parents, not to the courts! Our very Constitution of the United States of America gives each person the right to practice religion, thus our very Constitution extends to protect each parents sacred rights endowed to all men to parent by God through Psalm 127: 3-5.

“NO PARENT SHOULD LIVE IN FEAR OF NEVER GETTING TO SEE THEIR (CHILD/CHILDREN) EVER AGAIN! AS THIS IS EMOTIONAL TERRORISM PERPETRATED BY THE COURTS!” ~ Brian Keith, 2013

AMENDMENT I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. ~ United States Constitution – First Amendment.

This does not give the Government (State or Federal) the right to tear our families apart and disfranchising men from the role of father which we are so endowed by God to raise on a daily basis! No Government has the right to take a child or give more custody to one parent over the other because no Government has more authority than God!  God gave to me and my ex-wife our daughter equally, God gave to my friends who are fighting for custody and the rights to see their children to them and their ex-spouses equally. In short there should never be a fight over custody as that is something God given and no man has the right to deny or alter or change! The Family Courts of the world are operating illegally every time they give a mother the right to move away and take from the father all rights of making decisions on schooling, or anything else which pertains to the raising of their children/child.  No parent has the right to destroy the family because they are so selfish as to seek revenge on their former spouse, as this does not show love for or hold within it the best interest of the children involved but quit the opposite. Every-time a child is kept form seeing an alienated parent be it from the ex-spouse, court, police, or anyone else they have broken Gods sacred commandments.

“The child is not the mere creature of the State. Those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” ~ 1925 Supreme Court ruling: Pierce v. Society of Sister

I call upon all of you to stand and fight against this travesty which affects billions of parents world wide and even more children. I ask you to petition the Church, the Courts, your local and Federal Governments writing to them letters of outrage; letting them know how wrong these trespasses are and how hurtful they have become! I call upon every child who has been victimized in this way to stand and speak out about how much guilt you have carried by being forced to chose between two parents you love, telling the world how devastating this illegal choice again forced upon you by the courts! Speak out about the anger and frustration and the devastation it brought to your life and how confused you became during those years which you most likely have buried deep inside! I ask everyone to speak out because it is child abuse being perpetrated by the courts and it fly’s in the face of both State and Federal Family Code, the Constitution, and that of God and is directly apposed by His Devin will and purpose of parenthood!

“The hallmark of [the parental] relationship is the readily observable fact that this special adult is not interchangeable with others.” ~ Dr. Jack Shonkoff Board-certified pediatrician Harvard Graduate School of Education

I want to take out this moment to call attention to a friend of mine who lives in San Diego California and who’s wife of many years; a women who has denied him equal access to their beautiful daughter for years. Denied him access to a child who loves both of her parents dearly. Here is a mother who’s personal life that is more important to her than some of her other motherly duties, and whom is not  a citizen of these United States of America and who just won the right to move away to her native home of Italy. Here is a child who is a citizen of the United States, who’s father is a citizen of the United States and a father who will not be able to visit his daughter after the move because of finances. A man who has dedicated his life to educating others and is a Professor in Higher Education, a man who has been made to look like he does not love his only child because he took a few jobs over the years out of the State of California so he could provide for his family. Here is a man who has been brought to the edge of financial ruin because of the courts and this illegal system! Again, no court has the power to create such chaos in a parents life, nor do they have the right to disenfranchise or pick between the two parents or decide which parental relationship to destroy and which parental relationship to honor! It is a perversion before God and it needs to stop! I ask everyone to pray for my good friend Joseph.

“Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation.” ~ C. Everett Koop Former US Surgeon General

I ask all of you to also pray for all parents in their struggles with the worlds illegal courts who seek to divide and concur just like the great Satan they where devised from. Each week I will ask you to pray for a parent I know who has been divested by these rulings which have no place in our world and are illegal as again the court has no power over the laws of God. Each parent I will ask you to pray for during this Series on Family who has deeply touched my heart as I have heard them, written to them, and been moved by them. I will ask that you pray for both men and women and every single child caught by this devastating and selfish weapon unleashed by one of their parents as they seek revenge as mentioned above.

A Prayer Written by a Child of Divorce:

In Jesus’s name we pray,

My Dear Father in Heaven,
Please hold me tight and see the pain in my heart,
Please Lord – please be for me the Father that I need,
To make me feel happy and secure,
As my own father is so far away from me,
And I see him so few times,
I feel so sad and so alone without him,
He is never able to make dinner for me, celebrate holidays, or even read me a story to put me to bed,
Only You dear Lord can take care of me and care for all my needs,
Never again will I have to go to bed or wake up alone,
For You My God shall be with me.

“This prayer written by a child of divorced parents, should perhaps be mandatory reading for any couple with children, who is contemplating divorce. Maybe parents who have “thrown in the towel”, giving up all hope on their marriage – after reading this prayer and feeling the child’s pain – will decide to “dig deeper” into their emotional resources to find a solution for the marriage to work, so that their children should be spared such pain.” ~ The SilentOne, 2011.

“Overwhelmingly, the teenagers who were polled named spending time with family as their top answer. For nearly three quarters – 73 percent – their relationship with their parents is what makes them most happy.” ~ parentalrights.org, The Vital Child-Parent Relationship

Amen

If you liked this Reflection on FAMILY please leave a comment. Also please “LIKE” and “SHARE” this post with others.

Brian Keith

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God Bless,

Brian Keith

P.S. NEVER GIVE UP!