Thursday, October 27, 2005
The prophet Hosea describes the sad state of the people of Israel as "adulterous" and "unfaithful" because "this land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord" (1:2). The Lord tells Hosea to marry an adulterous woman and to have children with her as a prophetic sign of what the Lord wants to do with Israel. The Lord outlines His punishment for Israel and then promises to isolate, heal, and restore Israel despite her sinfulness:
"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
She will look for them but not find them.
Then she will say,
'I will go back to my husband as at first.
for then I was better off than now.' (2:6-7)"
The Lord continues to describe how He will strip Israel of all the fruits
of her idolatry and wickedness but then makes a statement that encapsulates
His plan for restoration:
"Therefore I am now going to allure her. (2:14)"
He continues:
"I will betroth you to me forever
I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord...
I will say to those called 'Not my people', 'You are my people';
and they will say, 'You are my God.'"
Our ministry dedicated to reaching the "bad kids" of the world. Any child who is old enough to know right from wrong is old enough to sin (James 4:17). Anyone old enough to sin is old enough to repent and be restored into righteousness.
Most troubled kids are suffering from what Dr. Gary Moon calls "Compassion Deficits". (Dr. Moon is a Christian and wrote the book Homesick for Eden about Spiritual Direction/ Discipleship) In short, most troubled kids have not received sufficient love to make them feel like whole, happy people inside. Usually, it is the pursuit of this love that causes the behaviors that get a kid labeled "trouble-maker", "problemed", or even "bad". Traditional Child Psychiatry often tries to ignore the existence of compassion deficits by teaching kids that they can fix their own problems by improving their self-esteem. The child is also usually taught to rely only on the strength of his/her mind and that a lack of self-control is the child's main cause for getting into trouble.
The truth is that each troubled child is Worth God's Time. If Israel was worth God's time, if the harlot Gomer was worth Hosea's time, then even the most difficult of children or teenagers is worth God's time, too. This is one of the most difficult concepts about God to grasp, but it is THE central, foundational theme of Christianity. Why did Christ come? Because we, a fallen, dirty, wretched, ungodly people, were worth His time.
Allen Hood, associate director of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Mo, has been a part of one of the biggest and most substantial prayer movements in the U.S. for several years. I was privileged with the opportunity to ask him some key questions over dinner one night. I asked him what the main thing was that he had learned after 6+ years of spending 50 hours a week praying and interceding for the coming of Christ with people from nations across the globe. He responded, "That God's biggest contention with man is that we hate the very thing that He loves the most--ourselves!"
This is the message that troubled teens and children need most of all. After all, why are they troubled? They are trying to find the love they are looking for. Why cut their wrists countless times? Why sleep with hundreds of partners, knowing the risk of STD's? Why assault their caregivers? Maybe their parents messed up royally. Maybe they were abandoned or abused. Maybe they have serious biological/psychological illnesses. Or, maybe they made some really bad decisions trying to kill the pain or to find acceptance. Whatever their circumstance, we believe that they can find redemption in the open arms of Christ. We do not give up. We do not stop praying for the troubled. We do not doubt Christ can and will change lives through what we each do.
BECOME A PART OF THE ROAD HOME!!! WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR STORIES OF REDEMPTION ABOUT TROUBLED YOUTH AND CHILDREN. WERE YOU EVER A TROUBLED YOUTH YOURSELF? WE'D LIKE TO HEAR YOUR STORY. ALSO, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS DEVOTIONAL AND THE REST OF OUR BLOG TO ANY FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER WHO MAY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MINISTER TO A TROUBLED YOUTH OR CHILD. PLEASE VISIT:
www.road-home-min.blogspot.com
and:
www.road-construction.blogspot.com
Marty Altman
m.altman@lycos.com
"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
She will look for them but not find them.
Then she will say,
'I will go back to my husband as at first.
for then I was better off than now.' (2:6-7)"
The Lord continues to describe how He will strip Israel of all the fruits
of her idolatry and wickedness but then makes a statement that encapsulates
His plan for restoration:
"Therefore I am now going to allure her. (2:14)"
He continues:
"I will betroth you to me forever
I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord...
I will say to those called 'Not my people', 'You are my people';
and they will say, 'You are my God.'"
Our ministry dedicated to reaching the "bad kids" of the world. Any child who is old enough to know right from wrong is old enough to sin (James 4:17). Anyone old enough to sin is old enough to repent and be restored into righteousness.
Most troubled kids are suffering from what Dr. Gary Moon calls "Compassion Deficits". (Dr. Moon is a Christian and wrote the book Homesick for Eden about Spiritual Direction/ Discipleship) In short, most troubled kids have not received sufficient love to make them feel like whole, happy people inside. Usually, it is the pursuit of this love that causes the behaviors that get a kid labeled "trouble-maker", "problemed", or even "bad". Traditional Child Psychiatry often tries to ignore the existence of compassion deficits by teaching kids that they can fix their own problems by improving their self-esteem. The child is also usually taught to rely only on the strength of his/her mind and that a lack of self-control is the child's main cause for getting into trouble.
The truth is that each troubled child is Worth God's Time. If Israel was worth God's time, if the harlot Gomer was worth Hosea's time, then even the most difficult of children or teenagers is worth God's time, too. This is one of the most difficult concepts about God to grasp, but it is THE central, foundational theme of Christianity. Why did Christ come? Because we, a fallen, dirty, wretched, ungodly people, were worth His time.
Allen Hood, associate director of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Mo, has been a part of one of the biggest and most substantial prayer movements in the U.S. for several years. I was privileged with the opportunity to ask him some key questions over dinner one night. I asked him what the main thing was that he had learned after 6+ years of spending 50 hours a week praying and interceding for the coming of Christ with people from nations across the globe. He responded, "That God's biggest contention with man is that we hate the very thing that He loves the most--ourselves!"
This is the message that troubled teens and children need most of all. After all, why are they troubled? They are trying to find the love they are looking for. Why cut their wrists countless times? Why sleep with hundreds of partners, knowing the risk of STD's? Why assault their caregivers? Maybe their parents messed up royally. Maybe they were abandoned or abused. Maybe they have serious biological/psychological illnesses. Or, maybe they made some really bad decisions trying to kill the pain or to find acceptance. Whatever their circumstance, we believe that they can find redemption in the open arms of Christ. We do not give up. We do not stop praying for the troubled. We do not doubt Christ can and will change lives through what we each do.
BECOME A PART OF THE ROAD HOME!!! WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR STORIES OF REDEMPTION ABOUT TROUBLED YOUTH AND CHILDREN. WERE YOU EVER A TROUBLED YOUTH YOURSELF? WE'D LIKE TO HEAR YOUR STORY. ALSO, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS DEVOTIONAL AND THE REST OF OUR BLOG TO ANY FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER WHO MAY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MINISTER TO A TROUBLED YOUTH OR CHILD. PLEASE VISIT:
www.road-home-min.blogspot.com
and:
www.road-construction.blogspot.com
Marty Altman
m.altman@lycos.com
