Baby Love

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL    THURSDAY DECEMBER 22, 2005
(Genesis 33:5, Psalms 127:3, Proverbs 17:6,
Deuteronomy 6:7)

***CHRISTMAS PASSAGE:  On the eighth day, when it
was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus,
the name the angel had given him before he had
been conceived.  (Luke 2:21)

With Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of
a baby only a few days away, I pray that this
Devotional on babies will be a blessing to you!

Babies, a special gift from God.  While death is
a sad part of this human experience we all have
to deal with throughout our journey and one day
face ourselves, today I want to deal with the
other end of that spectrum, when life begins. 
One of the great joys I have each day is receiving
emails from people excited that they are going to
have a child.  It is one of those special moments
in a person's life that crescendos less than a year
later with the birth of that precious baby.  It has
been an honor and privilege to pray for so many
babies still in the womb and in a few months
receive a picture of one of those babies that is
truly a gift from God.

Having a child is one of the greatest
responsibilities a person has during this lifetime. 
Raising that child is without a doubt the most
important ministry a parent will ever have.  The
Bible claims in 1 Timothy 5:8 that if you don't
take care of your relatives, especially those in
your family you have denied the faith and are worse
than an infidel or unbeliever.  There are no
exceptions to this verse.  It doesn't say, unless
you are a pastor. It doesn't say, unless you are
the head of a major company.  It doesn't say, unless
you are too busy helping other people.  The Word of
God is clear that the number one responsibility of
a parent is to your family and EVERYTHING else in
your life is secondary.

*I want every parent to take a moment right now,
pray, and ask God if your spouse and children are
truly the number one priority in your life after
your relationship with Christ.  If not, NOW is the
time to make whatever changes that need to be made
to insure they are!

For every man and woman who is reading this today
that is expecting a child, I want to encourage you
to start praying over your child even know while
that baby is still in the womb.  Pray health over
your baby.  Pray protection over your baby.  Pray
God's blessings over your baby.  Pray that your
baby will have a heart that yearns for Jesus.  Even
after that baby is born, you need to be praying over
your baby everyday.  God has entrusted this life
into your care.  Prayer demonstrates our dependence
upon God.  Never in your life will you be more
tested and more dependent upon the Lord than in
raising your child.

As your child begins to get older, teaching that
child how to pray, reading the Word of God to your
child, making sure your child is in church every
week, are all ways to follow God's Word and raise
that child in the admonition of the Lord.  GOD HAS
GIVEN YOU THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RAISING YOUR CHILD
IN THE FAITH AND WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE.  The
Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6, "Train a child in
the way he should go, and when he is old he will
not turn from it."  *The greatest thing you will
ever do for your child is to lay a foundation of
faith in Christ and God's Word in their life!

Listen moms and dads.  As your child gets older
they will begin to make their own decisions.  At
some point, you won't be able to make their choices
for them.  That is why laying that foundation of
faith is so critical.  Let me make sure you
understand something.  You are NOT responsible for
the decisions they make.  Just like your mother and
father were not responsible for the decisions you
made, you are not responsible for the decisions
your children will make.

That is why those early years are so critical,
since what they learn in those early years will
help to shape the choices they make as they get
older.  Know that even if they turn from the
Lord at some point, when times get difficult it
is that spiritual foundation you helped lay in
their life that will sustain them.  Just like
the prodigal son made some horrible
decisions, when he hit rock bottom he knew to
"go home" to his father.

Let me speak for a minute directly to those who
have had the pain of losing a child before you were
able to give birth, as well as those who have had a
baby or child die.  Let me remind you the Bible
tells us that tomorrow is promised to none of us. 
That means each day is a gift from God whether we
are in the womb, 2 months old, 5 years old, 15, 40,
or 90 years old.  We will never fully understand why
God chooses to allow someone to die when they do. 
However, the greatest desire and goal of any parent
should be for their child to know Christ as their
Savior and have the assurance of everlasting life.

For those who have lost a baby in the womb or a baby
or young child, you can be assured that your baby or
child is forever with the Lord.  The only thing that
will send a person to hell is rejecting Christ as
their Savior and since your baby or child never had
that opportunity, they are with the Lord for eternity.

Also, I know that many of you are in tears today
because you so desperately want a child and for
reasons only God knows, you have not been able to
conceive.  Again, why your prayers have not been
answered is something only God knows for certain,
but let me encourage you to continue to pray for
a child, knowing that with God ALL things are
possible.  We have too many testimonies both from
God's Word and from so many people of how God
allowed them to conceive later in life after many
years of not having any children. Never forget that
God may have a special calling on your life to be a
mom or dad to a child by adoption.  There are so
many children who have been given up for adoption
who need Godly parents, and God may be calling
you to have a child by adoption.

I love you and care about you so much.  There is
nothing more exciting in life than finding out that
you are going to have a child, going through
those months of preparing for the birth of your
child, and then that incredible day you will never
forget as long as you live when your baby is born. 
Of course, that is also the start of the most important
job you will ever have in this life, raising your child. 
Let me close today with a special prayer of blessing
for your baby, whether this baby is still in the
womb or recently born, and for you to be the Godly
parents God has called you to be.

"Father, I pray today for those precious babies who
are still in the womb. I pray oh Lord that you will
touch these precious lives and make their bodies
healthy, their minds sharp, and their hearts tender
towards the Lord.  I pray oh Lord that you will bring
forth these precious babies from the womb in your
perfect timing and that these babies will grow and
mature into mighty men and women of God should Jesus
tarry in His return.  For those babies and children,
I pray oh Lord that you will protect them from the
evils of this dark world. I pray oh Lord that they
will be raised in the admonition of the Lord, in the
strength of your Word, and become great men and women
of God to lead your people in these last days. 
Father, I lift up the moms and dads of these children. 
Give them your strength, your wisdom, your discernment
as they raise their children in the ways of the Lord. 
I pray oh Lord that you will guide them and help them
to be the Godly moms and dads to their children you
have called them to be.  Bless their homes oh Lord,
let the Sprit of the living God be present and make
their home and lives great beacons of light in this
lost and dying world.  I pray blessings on these
babies and children, blessings on these moms and dads
in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
Amen!"

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

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(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

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May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Merry Christmas!!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell