Job - Now I lay me down to sleep. . .

Job 1:4-5 His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom.

There are 13.6 million single parents in the United States today. With 84% of those parents being the mother. It is not far-fetched to assume the child will take on the mannerisms and morals of the parent they are with the most.

In the time of Job, the role of the woman was to raise the children. The majority of the time, I bet Job's kids were at home with mom. We see the effects of children who have grown up in Hollywood getting everything they want and living the rich lifestyle - it seems like that lifestyle also affected Job's children.

As parents, we will go to extremes for our children - it was no different for Job. He would offer a sacrifice for each child after their partying to cover any sins they may have committed. Are we guilty of that? Are we teaching our children that our relationship with God is enough for them as well? Or do we show them the wonderful love that God has for them and how much they will benefit from having their own relationship with Him.

It is important for us to show an example to our children by living a life as Christ-like as possible, but we must also teach them how to have a strong relationship with Christ. Like any relationship - it takes work. It takes effort on our part to make the time to study His word and spend time talking to Him and praising Him and being kind to others for Him. Our kids need to hear this from us - it is not the responsibility of the preacher, the Sunday School teacher, the Youth Minister or even grandma. It's time for us, as parents, to start parenting. Children are a gift from God - I want to make sure I let Him know how much I appreciate that gift.

Samson - Taking Down Al-Qaeda?

Judges 13: 2-5 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

"Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause physical and mental birth defects. Each year, up to 40,000 babies are born with some degree of alcohol-related damage. Although many women are aware that heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects, many do not realize that moderate—or even light—drinking also may harm the fetus. In fact, no level of alcohol use during pregnancy has been proven safe."- Taken from the March of Dimes.

Is it surprising to realize that God already knew this information before we figured it out in the 21st century? Before Samson was even born, The Lord said to Samsons mom, "Don't drink". For some of us, that task may be fairly simple. Drink water for nine months, okay. Then she is told that he is to be a Nazirite - this is not the same as a Nazarene. Jesus was a Nazarene - which simply means he was from in or around Nazareth. A "Nazarite" is someone who is going to wholly work for God from birth. Now that's a whopper.

Can you imagine being told that your child needs to become a lawyer, you need to guide him and direct him so that he will become a lawyer and when your family gets in trouble and ends up in jail - he will be able to get them out. But your son doesn't even like to read? Samson is to be raised in preparation for delivering the Israelites from the Phillistines - that's a lot of pressure for a pregnant woman to take on.

These verses - just like alcohol and pregnancy - still speak volumes on a mothers role in her childrens' lives. Once the Lord told her the responsibility that lay ahead of her, it wasn't just for nine months. She would have to make sure he never cuts his hair, follow God's calling, don't touch dead stuff. Parenthood doesn't end when the child goes to school. It doesn't end when the child starts to drive. It doesn't end when the child graduates from high school. Parenthood is a lifelong commitment of a gift that God has entrusted to you. Sure, our responsibilities change as the child grows, but our level of commitment should not. We are raising Samsons in our own time. They may not save Americans from Al-Qaeda, but they can win people to Christ and make a difference for the King - which is what really matters, with a little support from mom and dad.