The Chronicles of Biscuit: It's "Beginst" the Law

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

This morning I took all three of our boys golfing.  As Biscuit teed off the ball on hole eight, he jumped into the cart and asked, "Mom, did you see that?"  I answered truthfully, "No.  How did you do?"  Biscuit replied, "I hit a bird!"  I asked, "You did? Did you kill it?"  Biscuit said, "No. I don't think so." Then added,  "Is that "beginst" the law?"  I told Biscuit it was okay....that he just accidentally hit the bird. No laws were broken.

I know I should correct Biscuit in him saying "beginst" instead of "against", but it's just one of those cute 'little kid' things that I really don't want to change right now!  However, I got to thinking about how Biscuit uses the word and also how he cared about whether or not he was breaking a law.  I realized that by saying "beginst" Biscuit is actually stating what we do when break a law:  We are BEing AGAINST that particular law!  So, in reality, Biscuit's interpretation of the word makes sense!

Are you concerned about doing things that are "beginst" the law?  Do you care to obey the laws of our land, of our government, the "rules" in your workplace, home, school?  What about God's laws?  Are they important to you?

Under the Old Law, the children of God had strict rules and laws about how to live and how to sacrifice.  Christ died on the cross as a final sacrifice, so that no more sacrifices would need to be made.  His death became the final sacrifice for our sins.  Without that final sacrifice, we would have no hope.  We would never be able to follow every rule, every guideline, every law that was given.  The old covenant was imperfect. God knew that, so He gave up His Son, Jesus, as our Savior.  The new covenant was perfect because of the perfect sacrifice.

But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. Hebrews 8:6-7

But what about those laws of old?  Do they matter?  They absolutely matter!  Those laws pointed out what was sin and what was not sin; however, because the old covenant couldn't take away sins, those laws pointed us to a new covenant with God....a new covenant with a once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin! 

Those old laws was written for us to learn, just as all scriptures were:  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

The old law was nailed to the cross.  We now no longer live by the law, but by the grace of God. 

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14

However, just because we are not under the law....we are not required to sacrifice for sins, does that mean we can sin willingly and knowingly just as we please?  Can we take advantage of the death of Jesus and of His cleansing blood?  To quote the scriptures, "BY NO MEANS!"  Because of our salvation, because of our love for God and for Jesus, because of the gift of the Holy Spirit, we should want to stay away from sin!

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  Romans 6:1-4

Jesus wants His followers to do the things they do because of the love they have in their hearts for God and for man. He wants disciples who obey Him because they love him. He said, "If you love me, keep My commandments" John 14:15.

Just as Biscuit was concerned that hitting a bird was "beginst" the law, we should be concerned about the laws of God.  The laws of God show us what is sin and sin can separate us from God.  God's grace is able to take away that sin....but only if we are for him and not "beginst" him.

Happy 15th Birthday, Zachary!

When I was young, it seemed like the years went by slowly.  I was always wishing they would go faster.....faster for the next birthday.....faster for Christmas......just faster.  Now that I'm older and our children are getting older, I want the years to go by slower, but they don't!  The funny (strange) thing is that even our children think the years are going fast!  It's just the nature of our fast-paced society! 

So, here I am, blogging about our second-oldest child's 15th birthday. Wasn't it just yesterday that we brought Zachary home from the hospital???? It sure seems like it!  However, I know that it is true.  He's really fifteen! Zachary, though very specific about the food he wanted for his birthday, didn't seem to care what his cake looked like or what his party "theme" was going to be.  I suppose that's just the way it is with teenage boys!  I found some neat party plates at Target and they became the inspiration for his party.  Daughter, Lauren, made the party banner.  So cute! For table decorations, I cut shapes out of colored paper....colors that matched the plates and napkins. Another son, Jacob, has a marble collection and the marbles and strips of curled paper tucked into glass vases made perfectly colorful centerpieces! The cake was also decorated using the party ware colors. It was a quickly-made cake, so it's not perfectly flat and smooth, but it worked out well and was very tasty! On Zachary's actual birthday, during the past weekend, we took a family trip to Arlington, TX. During our late-morning breakfast/early lunch at Cracker Barrel, the waitresses treated Zachary to "Coca Cola Chocolate Cake" and ice cream. He was a little embarrassed that they sang to him, but didn't seem to mind the free dessert!

The afternoon was spent at Texas Rangers' ballpark for a Junior Rangers question and answers event (our younger two participate in the program and the rest of the family got to tag along) and then a baseball game that evening. So much fun! The Rangers won in an exciting and close game!

July 27, 2011 - A Letter on Your 15th Birthday!

Zachary,
We are so very proud to have you as a son!  You are a great Christian example to others!  We appreciate you for who you are and for what you do to help us and others.  We look forward to seeing how God will use you as you strive to be His servant!

You are our GPS and we couldn't make it without you. (literally that is usually true...especially in big cities!)  You step up as a leader and "head of the house" when your dad isn't home and are much more mature than your age would imply!  As a mom, I appreciate that you are so willing to take charge (in a respectful way) and do whatever needs to be done.  You are a great role model for your brothers, even though they might now want to admit it! 

Thank you for your work ethic, for your leadership abilities, but most of all, thank you for making the decision to follow Jesus.  We look forward to watching you  continue in your walk.

We love you very much,
Mom and Dad

"Do Unto Others"

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12

Everybody is different.  I think we would all agree on that point and consider it a true fact.  This fact has been very evident in our house today.

Our second oldest child, son Zachary, turned fifteen Saturday. His family birthday party is tomorrow night and he has been very "demanding" (in a kind way) about what he wants for his meal.  He wants pulled pork sandwiches on Kings Hawaiian Roll bread, Ramen Noodle Salad, and Banana Slush Punch with his meal, cake, and ice cream.  

In early June, our third child, son Jacob, turned thirteen.  A "biggie" birthday.  Here was the conversation about his birthday party.  

Me:  What do you want for your meal, Jacob? 

 Jacob:  I don't care.  Anything is fine.

Me:  What kind of cake do you want?

Jacob:  Whatever is easiest for you, Mom.

There is a BIG difference in these two boys!  I love them both, appreciate them both, and enjoy them both!  Their likes are different.  Their dislikes are different.  Their personalities are different.  Their responses are different.  

It's kind of funny that the calmer, non-caring one in the birthday party example, is actually the one who has to work on his temper and attitude.  The more "specific-food-minded" one is actually the one with the calmer, easy-going personality.  They are both different and both unique, just as our other two children are also different and unique.

The verse listed above is commonly known as "The Golden Rule".  My husband and I have been discussing this "rule" lately.  He has asked me and has brought it up in Bible class before if this "treat others the way they want to be treated" is as it seems.  Specifically, should we treat others the way we, ourselves, want to be treated, or rather.....should we treat others the way "they" would want to be treated.  What do you think?

Before you answer, think of the personalities of two of our boys that I've written about above.  The way they want to be treated is different because their personalities are different.  If we, as their parents, "treated" them both the same, would that be a good thing?  We love them the same.  We take care of them the same, but we treat them different just as they treat us different - by their different personalities.

In our parenting of these two boys, as well as our other two children, we actually are careful to parent them the way that they need for their own personalities.

When I think of "The Golden Rule", I think of being a servant.  I think of helping others, caring for the sick, etc.  For me, "treating others the way I want to be treated" means that I am going to go out of my way to help others and to serve others. For me, talking to others is a way of doing just that.  I am very much a people person and a communicator.

On the other hand, my husband is more of a quiet person (in this way...not all ways :)!!)  He is more time-minded.  He is more work-minded.  He will help others and does, but it's in different ways than I do.  If he were to "treat others the way he wants to be treated" would mean no visiting at the hospital, no phone calls or emails of concern, and no analyzing ways to help others.  He isn't going to do or want to do some of the things that seem natural to me because he, himself, wouldn't want those things being done for him.  If he treated the sick the way he would want to be treated, the sick wouldn't ever be visited or tended to!  He's not the typical sick husband!  If he's sick he doesn't want ANYONE (even me) catering to him or doting on him!  He wants everyone to stay away!  

So, maybe when we think of "The Golden Rule", we need to treat others kindly and considerately like we may also want to be treated, but also think about how the people themselves might want to be treated.  Sometimes, in thinking that way, it may be different than what we might think is "right".  But, we have to remember that in many or most things, different responses to things doesn't always mean "wrong".  It's just different.

People will react differently to sickness in themselves, illness of a family member, death of a loved one, personal trials, pain, and other stresses.  They will respond differently.  They will reach out differently.  They will cope differently.  They will expect different responses from their friends and family.  But, different doesn't mean "wrong".  To quote a friend who made a wise statement recently:  "I have to remind myself a lot that you never know how you will go through something until you are there."

The only wrong way we could act or respond to certain situations, was if we failed to rely on God during any of these examples.  If our fear and worry about the situation takes over, instead of our faith in God and gaining our strength from Him, then we've got trouble.  If our inability to get out of our comfort zones in order to serve and help others, then we've got trouble.  God wants us to "do unto others" as His Son, Jesus would have done and actually did do.  In everything and in every way, Jesus served others.  We can imitate him by serving others....and sometimes our "serving" of others will be different than what we might think. It will be serving them the way they want to be served.....the way they need to be served.

On this Gratituesday, I am grateful for God's Word, the example of His Son in the way He showed "The  Golden Rule" to everyone, and for Him creating us all different.  What an awesome Creator!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

A Great Question

I would like for you to ask yourself this question today:

If you woke up tomorrow with only what you thanked God for the night before, what would/wouldn't your morning look like?

A friend posted this question on Facebook yesterday, and it really made me think.  Does it make you think, too?

No matter how good/how bad our prayer life may be, it can ALWAYS be better.  Let's work on making it better this week and think about this question as we pray.

Have a great Monday!

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! Psalm 66:20

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Blessings Among the Heat and Drought

Southwest Oklahoma, as well as other parts of the U.S., have seen record setting numbers of days with temperatures of over 100 degrees.  We have also been having a drought.  Our small town of Tipton has had only a few sprinkles and immeasurable rain only once or twice since October.  It's hot.  It's dry.  It's extremely hot!  It's extremely dry!

Our county has issued a water restrictions, where city water can be used for livestock daily, but lawns can only be watered a few days a week.  There has been a burn ban in effect for many months.  Cotton crops are suffering.  Herds of cattle and other livestock are being sold early.  The heat and drought are causing problems for farmers and those in the farming industry.

How can blessings be found among these problems?  What good can be seen from any of this?  Well, for one, there are not many flies this summer!  Not nearly as many as there usually are at this time of year!  Another thing we've noticed is that there aren't any mosquitoes to speak of.  That's a huge blessing when a few years ago the threat of mosquito borne illnesses were a hot topic throughout this area.

My husband and one of our friends see the blessing of no worms with their livestock.  When there is a lot of rain, the threat of worms getting into the ground and in the feed of the livestock increases greatly.  In years past this has been a huge problem causing some loss of life in some of the livestock.  The lack of rain has eliminated this problem this year.

And finally, because there hasn't been rain, there hasn't been much mowing going on.  We have well water for our lawn, so we have to mow quite often, but our field next to the house usually needs mowing several times a month hasn't needed it once at all this year.  My husband and son also mow lawns for people and they haven't had to do it very often, either.  Although they make a little money doing it, they are having more time to do other things since they aren't mowing as much.  Another blessing!

Sometimes it's hard to see blessings in the midst of trouble, trials, sorrow, sickness, or pain, but in each of those areas there are always blessings to be seen.  We just have to open our eyes and look for them.  We have to want to see them.  We have to expect to see them.

God is faithful and blesses us in so very many ways.....even in the heat and drought.  Thank you, God, for your blessings!!

Take the time to read this passage today:  Deuteronomy 28:1-12