7 Lies Ministry Wives Believe* - concluded

So we started on this 2 weeks ago - and I added a few comments in purple** - and will do same this time - and include a picture or 2 or more. 

Produce Plants and Pillars

This topic came to heart after I read Psalm 144: 12 - in various versions including:

May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants.

May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace. (NLT)

 

May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; (ESV)

 Let’s pray that our young sons will grow like strong plants and

that our daughters will be as lovely as columns in the corner of a palace. (CEV)

Our children start off as a gift from God to us... He expects that we raise them to be a gift not just back to us (especially in our old age) but to their generation and most importantly to Him.

My dear friend, Beryl and I have used this verse to pray for our children more than once. Each time the Holy Spirit reminds me that children turning out "right" and righteous is no piece of cake. In fact it could be a piece of cake if you consider the need to mix many ingredients together & bake it in a oven to get a pleasant outcome.

Plants need to be planted in the right soil, watered often, exposed to SONlight and of course pruned  and pruned now and again...otherwise they will end up wild, unproductive and worse yet a waste of space.* God forbid!!!

Talking about Pillars, they need to and have to be really fortified from within** and also have deep and solid foundations in order to support all the "weight" that will be placed on them. They also need to be stable in order to be stabilizers wherever they are.

And our daughters are not to be just any pillars - God expects them to be Pillars for the Palace.


I'm looking forward to celebrating our "plants" and "pillars" this coming weekend as part of International Children's Day...they will not depart from the House of the Lord. Amen!

References:

* Luke 13: 6-9 - ⁶ And He told them this parable: A certain man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find [any].

⁷ So he said to the vinedresser, See here! For these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue also to use up the ground [to deplete the soil, intercept the sun, and take up room]?

⁸ But he replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil].  ⁹ Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this; but if not, you can cut it down and out. (AMPC)

** Ephesians 3:16 - May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. (AMPC) 

7 Lies Ministry Wives Believe*

Last weekend, I had the opportunity, pleasure and privilege of being with some amazing Mrs. Pastors and then on the last day of our Conference, my dear friend, a Mrs. Pastor herself, sent me this article written by another Mrs. Pastor by email...


The sheer similarity between this article and some of the things we discussed propelled me to share the full article - in 2 parts to give time for "digestion" and maybe even "passing out."