Tuesday, April 9th: Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-21, Psalm 78:65-72, Proverbs 12:25 ~ Jeannine

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-21, Psalm 78:65-72, Proverbs 12:25

Happy Birthday Tammy! I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.” He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”  Luke 13:18-21

In the devotional that I am reading through I was really challenged by this...

"Just as the Jews of Jesus' day wanted the Kingdom of God to come triumphantly and comprehensively in one swift show of power and transformation, so we tend to want the reign of Christ to come into our children's lives...this isn't how his Kingdom comes into the world, and it's not how his rule and reign comes to our lives or the lives of our children. It starts small, like a tiny seed that requires nourishment and light to grow. It begins almost invisibly, doing its work from within, like yeast. The Holy Spirit works through the Word to make a dead heart come alive, and over time, that radical inner change works its way through the whole person. This means we, as parents, have to be patient. It means we should not be surprised that our children are not now everything we long for them to be."

I've really been struggling in the last year as my children get older and start making their own decisions. Decisions that I am not in control of any longer. I have to trust that God will take that mustard seed that we have hopefully planted in our children and will grow it into something wonderful. And I will have to be patient (willing to relinquish my desire and trust God) while watching them grow, sometimes turning slightly away from the sun or possibly having a leaf or two that dries up, but hopefully, ever-renewing, ever-growing, and ever-strengthening as they grow into all the God intends for them to be.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 34:1- Joshua 2:24, Luke 13:22-14:6, Psalm 79:1-13, Proverbs 12:26