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| Vol. 13 No. 4 April 2011 | Page 13 |
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| Vol. 13 No. 4 April 2011 | Page 13 |
Adam B. Cozort
There are millions of people in this country who begin every morning with a cup of coffee. Without it they feel as though something is missing in their morning routine, and the day is left incomplete, or certainly more difficult.
From a spiritual perspective, the same should hold true for the Christian when it comes to our lives. Our study of the Scriptures, prayer lives and time spent meditating on the things of God should be such an integrated part of our lives to the point that a day where any of those things does not occur is considered an incomplete day.
On Sunday mornings at the congregation here, we have a forty-five minute devotional of songs, prayers and Scripture reading to start off the day. My wife recently commented that this devotional was her cup of coffee on Sunday mornings to get her mind focused and ready for what the rest of the day would bring. In pondering it, I found that it holds the same effect for me. I wish more congregations of the Lord’s church would consider what a powerful asset such a program could be to the attitude and mindset of the Lord’s people beginning each Lord’s Day.
However, should such a “cup of coffee” be confined to only the Lord’s Day? Certainly, if time spent with the Word of God and giving honor and praise to Him on the first day of the week is beneficial to the mentality of the Christian, doing the same thing on days two through seven should accomplish the same goal. Paul wrote on many occasions concerning the approach of the Christian to daily life (1 Thessalonians 5:14-22; Philippians 4:4-13). In each instance, the central component to the proper attitude is time spent before God and His Word.
Every Christian, whether they have been a member of the church for thirty years or thirty minutes, needs constant, daily time with God to keep in the right mindset and on the right track. The best time for that type of meditation is at the beginning of each day, before the trials, struggles, stress and business of each day settles in the crosshairs of our focus.
Let me challenge you to have a spiritual cup of coffee every day. Spend at least fifteen or twenty minutes each morning in study, prayer and meditation. If it means getting up that amount of time earlier than usual, do it. Before long, it will become a part of your daily routine and, like all other habits, you will feel like your day is incomplete without it. However, unlike most other habits, this one can positively affect every aspect of our lives on a daily basis. Try it. It just might make each day a little easier and bring each blessing into a little better focus.
Robert Johnson
Memories are funny things. They can be very vivid about events and people many years after the events or people are gone. They can start to fade almost immediately. They can be blocked due to some unpleasantness they recall. Many times, though, even if memories cannot be recalled of specific people or occasions, they may still be present, in how those things have helped shape our lives, and the warm feelings that go with us throughout our lives of such, even though the details may not be as clear.
The memories we have of our mothers, whether they are still being made, or have been completed, are part of who we are. This is true because of the nurturing aspect that goes with motherhood. One can understand how a special bond exists between a mother and her children, having carried them within her, and caring for them all her life, even beyond the time when they can see to their own physical needs. A child will suffer when such characteristics are missing from a mother, when being a mother is nothing more than a biological function, not an attitude of mind and heart as well.
There is something wonderful watching a mother hold a newborn child. There is something that touches your heart knowing how many times she has spent the night without sleep to see to her children who were sick. It is a source of joy to see a mother feed her children, to play with them, rock them to sleep and even cry with them when their worlds are not right. These and many more qualities are part of God’s plan for families, for such love to be shown to children in this way, as a complement to how a father loves and provides for them.
Christian mothers love their children, not just so they can have a good life here and now, but so they can know of God’s love and have eternity instilled in their hearts. How many spiritual songs have children heard sung by, and sung with, their mothers, prayers said and heard and Scriptures taught and applied? Before children can ever remember a sermon preached in the pulpit, there are countless lessons they have learned at home with their mothers, and praise God this is so.
Such mothers are worthy of praise and honor. Like the worthy woman of Proverbs 31, her children should rise up and call her blessed, and her husband also should praise her (31:28). This coming Mother’s Day, and every day, take time to let her know how special she is to you. For those of us whose mothers have gone on, we can thank God for sending us someone special and remember the lessons of their lives. Every day, we all should live faithfully in Christ, so that the fellowship of this life will not be broken in eternity.
For every mom who reads this, who is doing her best to be her best, thank you. Our society cannot exist without you. Our homes would not be a haven of hope without you. The Lord’s church would be minus many members without you. Your love, care, patience, instruction and hope are so desperately needed. You honor God and put Him first by being a godly mother. Know how much you are needed, loved and respected, not just today, but always. You will always be a part of who we are, in our hearts, our lives, our memories. “Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice” (Proverbs 23:25).