Elizabeth George - A Mom After Gods Own Heart Devotional

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota

A MOM AFTER GODS OWN HEART DEVOTIONAL

Copyright 2012 by Elizabeth George

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-4759-6 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4760-2 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 / RDS-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dear Mom,

You spend every waking hour of your day encouraging others. And at the top of your list is encouraging your children, helping them grow up, driving them here and there, and praying like crazy as you watch over their lives. And now, I am offering personal encouragement in this book of devotions written just for youa busy mom!

In this little book, Ive drawn from my own memories as a mom in the throes of child-raising. Ive also included my observations gained from watching my two daughters manage eight children between them. From my girls I get a birds-eye view of the day-in, day-out issues, accidents, and squabbles that occur in every family...right along with the tender, oh-isnt-that-sweet moments.

So please, sit back and relax. Take a minute or two each day to find the strength and comfort you need to keep on keeping onto hear Gods Well done, My good and faithful mom!

In His amazing and everlasting love,

D o you desire that your children love God with all their heart? Then theres something you can do about it. Pray! And put your desire for your children right at the top of your prayer list. Then be diligent to live a life that reveals your love for God. Ephesians 6:4 says to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord ( NIV ). Theres a very simple way for this to become second nature: talk of the Lord. Talk about Him when youre at home and in the car, before the kids go to sleep, and as soon as they wake up. A womana motherwho loves God is a light in darkness. Matthew 5:16 says, Let your light so shine before men [before your children], that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Dear Father, let my lips sing praises, speak requests, and make frequent mention of Your mercy. Give my children ears to hear of Your goodness so that they turn to You, their heavenly Father, with ease and delight.

M om, praying for your children will make a difference in their life. It took me awhile to discover the power of prayerand Im so glad I did! As a young mom, Id made the decision to stay at home. And there were many times when I felt useless and ineffective. But when I was introduced to the idea of prayer as a ministry, that changed my perspective. I began praying for my children, around my children, and with my children. And what a privilege it was to teach my two girls to pray!

Psalm 34:8 says, Taste and see that the L ORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! What a blessingas you cultivate a heart of prayer, you will taste and know that the Lord is good.

Lord, give me a heart of prayer for my children. Allow me to model what it means to go to You with my every need as I teach my family how You extend Your provision, peace, and purpose to Your children.

I t only takes a glimpse of email spam to see evil in action in this fallen world. Its more than a little scary. But mom, you can make a difference! Moses mother, Jochebed, belonged to a sorority of mothers who gave their sons to God to use in the fight against evil. Samuels mother gave him up for God to use, and Mary saw her son Jesus offered up to die on the cross.

Psalm 37:1 encourages you not to fret because of evildoers. Instead of worrying or trying to solve every problem in your own power, devote yourself to raising godly children. The power of evil is helpless against the power of the truth you plant in your childs heart and mind. You are a courageous, loving mom when you place your confidenceand your childinto Gods care.

God, I receive such comfort and assurance as I plant Your eternal truths in the heart of my child. I cannot control the existence of evil, but I can base parenting decisions on Your righteousness just as I can place every hope for my child in Your power.

L unch out with friendsor quiet time with your Bible? Hmm. Sometimes this choice is really hard, isnt it? Time for ourselves is important, but that priority takes second place to Gods calling to train our little ones. This is your highest and most noble calling. But we cant give out what we dont possess, so its vital to nurture a passion for Gods Word and His wisdom.

Spend some time each day reading the Bible. Share its life-giving truth with your children. It requires the sacrifice of time and energy, but the years you have with your children fly by so quickly. Psalm 119:11 says, Your word I have hidden in my heart. Your time in Gods Word is time Hell use to make you a mom after His own heart. Its time well invested!

Lord, help me choose You and Your Word as my source of strength and refreshment each day. I want to deepen my understanding of Your love and Your will so that I become a mother who invests in her faith and family with everything she has and is.

T ime out! On a bad day, moms frequently repeat these two words to their children. Many moms also confess that theyd love to have a time out from disciplining children. Yet discipline is definitely part of Gods vocabulary for raising children. Proverbs 3:12 says, Whom the L ORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights. Discipline diligently the child you love. And Proverbs 22:6 says, Train up a child in the way he should go. The Bible teaches that to love your child is to discipline him or her. And Ephesians 6:4 cautions, Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Join with God in the adventure of helping your children to discover, choose, and walk in the right path.