“Inspiration for Families”
VOLUME 22 NO.6 | June 2007
Painting by William Claire Greiner
“...He blesses the home
of the righteous”
Proverbs 3:33
Houses or Homes
By: Bevan Greiner
The
LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but He blesses the home of the righteous.
(Proverbs 3:33)
Are our dwellings houses or homes? Money can buy walls and a roof which can constitute a house, but it is righteousness and the Lord’s blessing which brings the love and harmony essential for a home. But what is a righteous home? What does it consist of?
Our homes will qualify as righteous homes only when they are comprised of righteous hearts. The Psalmist says in Psalm 101:2, “...I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Perfect, righteous hearts are never created by that which we do; they are only created by that which God does. Only God can take our stained hearts and through faith in Him, cleanse them and drape them in the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Then, with righteous hearts, we have the foundation on which to build righteous homes. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11)
A righteous home begins with love for the Lord Jesus, followed by Christ-like love for family and neighbor. Love for Jesus truly transforms us and enables us to move forward in obedience to Him. This is vital if we are to turn houses into righteous homes that love and serve God, family and community.
God also desires to bless homes that are in a continual state of purging and purifying. This requires an on-going commitment to guarding against anything that would distract from, or prevent godliness. In Genesis 35:2, we read: “Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:” This act of purifying his household led to the blessing of God shortly thereafter.
Dear friends, there are many ‘strange gods’ among us today that are robbing our homes of godliness. These ‘strange gods’ can be certain television shows, internet sites, godless music and a host of other amusements or idols that can steal our affections and vie for preeminence in our lives. It requires determined diligence to guard our homes from the harm that ‘strange gods’ can cause. Is your dwelling a house or a home? Is Jesus Christ preeminent? I pray that we all will seek His righteousness and not our own and, by God’s grace, build homes that are righteous. These homes will be blessed of God.
“The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.”
(Proverbs 12:7)
Generational Impact
Ever wonder whether your life really matters? Do you sometimes ask yourself whether the sacrifices you’ve made for your family will have any lasting effect? Let me assure you, your life does matter and your family sacrifices do have an impact. I base this bold statement on two studies about how a person’s actions affect the lives of their family in generations that follow. The research centered on the lives of two men: Max Juke and Jonathan Edwards. Here’s how the men lived and the legacy they left.
According to research conducted by Richard L. Dugdale in, “The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Pauperism, Disease and Heredity”, there was a man named Max Juke who lived in American colonial times. Juke was reportedly an atheist who believed in liberation from laws. He allegedly advocated free sex, no formal education and hated imposed responsibilities. Dugdale wrote that Juke was “a hunter and fisher, a hard drinker, jolly and companionable, averse to steady toil, working hard by spurts and idling by turns. He had a numerous progeny, some of them almost certainly illegitimate.” In other words, Juke was neither principled nor industrious.
Some years later, a gentleman named A. E. Winship studied what happened to the descendants of colonial era evangelist, Jonathan Edwards. Edwards was everything Juke was not: hardworking, God-fearing and Bible believing. Edwards “was a godly minister who was credited with igniting The Great Awakening through his sermons. He served for a brief period just before his death as president of what is now known as Princeton University. He believed in leading by example. He authored two books on the subjects of physical fitness and kindness. Mr. Edwards later became involved in teaching people to be responsible for their daily actions.”
Certainly Juke and Edwards had an impact on their immediate families, but what about the generations to follow? Here’s what happened in the years after Juke and Edwards died:
Of 1026 descendants of Max Juke, 300 were convicts, 27 were murderers, 190 were prostitutes and 509 were either alcoholics or drug addicts. Dugdale was able to estimate that the Jukes had cost the State of New York almost $1.4 million dollars to house, institutionalize and treat the family of deviants. By contrast, the 929 descendents of Jonathan Edwards included 13 college presidents, 86 college professors, 430 ministers, 314 war veterans, 75 authors, 100 lawyers, 30 judges, 66 physicians, and 80 holders of public office, including three U.S. Senators, seven congressman, mayors of three large cities, governors of three states, a Vice-President of the United States, and a controller of the United States Treasury.
Having a strong, disciplined and godly family does not guarantee success for generations to come. But the studies of Juke and Edwards conform what we know in our hearts. The way we live our lives has a profound impact on people around us and on future generations. We must be careful, then, how we live our family lives. Our great, great, grandchildren are watching.
-Jim
Priest‑
www.jimpriest.com
www.marriagenetworkok.net
“This
shall be written for the generation to come:
and the people which shall be created shall
praise the LORD.”
Psalm
102:18
Joe
Joe was an auto mechanic who put in long hard hours of labor at his job. Often, he would come home from work completely exhausted, and his eight year old boy would want him to play catch with him. One day a neighbor saw Joe throwing the baseball back and forth with his son and commented, “Joe, after your long day, you’re going to have a backache for sure.” Joe responded, “I’d rather have a backache now, than a heartache later.” We can never invest too much time into the lives of our children and grandchildren.
Claire’s Corner
The Writings of our beloved Dad
THAT HAND IN YOURS
When a boy or girl thrusts their hand in yours, it may be smeared with chocolate ice cream or grimy from petting a dog, and there may be a wart under the right thumb and a bandage around the little finger. But the most important thing about their hands is that they are the hands of the future. These are the hands that someday may hold a Bible or a Colt revolver; they may play a church piano or spin a gambling wheel; they may gently dress a leper’s wounds or tremble wretchedly uncontrolled by an alcoholic mind.
Today that hand is placed in yours. It asks for help and guidance. It represents a full-fledged personality in miniature to be respected as a separate individual whose day-to-day growth into Christian adulthood is your responsibility. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Negligence will ruin us. Lasting impressions are made at a very early age. Scars are carried a lifetime. A child, if not guided and trained, has no alternative but to degenerate to savagery. The responsibility is still resting upon the home. That requires wise parents who are industrious, careful, and prayerful.
William Claire Greiner
Ruth’s
Reflections
The Writings of our beloved Mom
A CHRISTIAN HERITAGE
To have a
Christian heritage,
‘Tis a gift one cannot buy,
A treasure passed from parents,
A blessing from on High.
I dare not
take for granted,
This legacy divine,
No merit do I cherish,
To call this favor mine.
But now, it is my calling,
Pass
on the favor grand,
And with Your help, Lord Jesus,
I’ll share from hand to hand.
If you’ve
no Christian heritage,
A new one can begin,
With Christ, your Lord, the great I Am,
And you, His child, His kin.
-Evelyn Ruth Greiner‑
“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD;
and great shall be the peace of thy children.”
Isaiah 54:13
GOD’S PROMISE
“For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God... showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20: 5, 6
“Thank God for that promise. Not just three or four generations, but thousands of our descendants will be blessed if you and I will faithfully teach our children how to worship the true God. We can each look down the corridor of time and say, “Dear God, I want to start something growing. Please start a fire in me that will never stop burning. I want my influence to go on and on and on.” -Adrian Rogers‑
Hugs and Tugs
By: Wendy Greiner Lefko
As we celebrate Father’s Day, my thoughts turn to my own Dad. As my eyes fill with tears all too easily in missing him, many memories flooding my mind and heart quickly replace those tears with smiles of fond recollections of the joy he brought to my life. One of the memories I can recall clear as day is when I was a little girl and my Dad took me to the mall. I don’t remember much about the shopping excursion itself, but I clearly recall getting into our station wagon with him after leaving the mall. He asked me to reach into the back seat and get the blanket that was lying on the floor. I had no idea why, but happily obeyed. As I reached back and pulled the blanket up, there beneath it was a certain new doll I had been wanting so badly. I still remember his smiling face beaming with the joy of a Daddy happily surprising his little girl with an unexpected gift. That memory is one of the happiest and clearest to me to this day, a seemingly small gesture from a loving dad that, decades later and even after his own passing, remains in that daughter’s heart and mind. A small gesture, a lifetime memory.
And that’s how God the Father loves and wants to treat His children, and even more so! Just as earthly fathers love to bring joy to their kids, so our Heavenly Father longs to do the same, and more, for us. Not only through loving, supporting, and caring for us in meeting our every day needs, but also in the unexpected, unwarranted, “surprise” blessings that bring Him as much joy as they do us as the recipients. A loving earthly Daddy is just a smaller picture of the loving, gracious Abba Father we have in God. Life is hard, and burdens often seem to outweigh the blessings, but don’t give up and don’t forget how loving our heavenly Father is and how He wants to bless you. You never know what hidden blessings may lie under the blanket of burdens you see. Happy Father’s Day to every father out there, God bless you.
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
(Luke 11:13).
Prayer and Praise
Giving
thanks to the Lord everyday!
+ Praise for righteous homes in our land that serve as beacons of hope in the darkness around us.
+ Praise for God’s work in recent meetings. He continues to prove that the gospel is still ‘the power of God unto salvation.’
+ Praise that God provided a one week vacation at the end of May during which time our family was renewed and refreshed. God is so good.
+ Praise for God’s faithfulness as evidenced through your love gifts, letters and prayers. May God continue to bless each one of you for your expressions of love.
+ Pray for scheduled meetings that the Spirit of God will pave the way and prepare hearts for the glorious news of the gospel.
+ Pray that God will continue to meet the needs of FCI in the days ahead. He is faithful.
+ We want to wish each father a blessed and happy Father’s Day. How thankful we are for fathers that desire to leave a godly legacy for generations to come to the glory of God. We thank the Lord for William Claire Greiner, and for his years of love and devotion to his Savior. We will be eternally grateful for his love and godly leadership in our home and for the imprint he left on his wife, children and grandchildren. We look forward to that grand reunion in glory!!
+ Please continue to pray for us dear friends as we continue to run the race, side by side.
With love and hope, The Greiners
“Except the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it.”
(Psalm
127:1)
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INC.
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