Ken Lovelace Ministries


HOW TO "MATTHEW 25" YOUR FAMILY ...AND THE 7TH COMMANDMENT......AND THE 6TH HINDRANCE TO PRAYER... by Lygia Lovelace "Oh, now, Ms. Lygia, that's just weird. That just gives me the creeps…" "You mean, like, God has, like, eyeballs floating around the earth, and they watch us…?!" The neighbor kids just stared at me, obviously startled. I had to swallow my smile. I had been trying to encourage them, letting them know that God is watching over those who are completely His. I had quoted the first verse that came to mind, For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him… But I didn't get the response I expected! I never before thought of that verse as startling… What a joy it is to teach new believers! The Scripture just comes alive once again for me as I disciple those who haven't really studied His Word. It must have been that way in Jesus' day…when He told parables and explained Scripture, even the religious leaders must have thought they were hearing the Truth for the first time. Oh! How I would have loved to have been in the temple when 12 year old Jesus was discussing the Scripture… I would have loved to have been there, in Nazareth, when Jesus read from the book of Isaiah in church, and then He explained it! I would have loved to have been there, with Mary, sitting at Jesus feet, hanging on His every Word. I would even have climbed the tree with Zaccheus…just to get a glimpse of the Savior, and an earful of what He had to say. That's why I love reading His Word. Jesus was a great storyteller. I love His parables. I need His truth. Have you ever truly explored Matthew 25:31-46? There's so much to be learned about the sheep and the goats, but today, I am thinking about the sheep -- because that's us, you know? If you've truly placed your love and trust in Jesus as your Savior, then you are His sheep, and He is your Great Shepherd. Oh, what a beautiful relationship you two share! One day I began my quiet time, asking God for some verses for my family. I really want to minister to my family, Lord. Show me a way that I can serve them… Immediately, God brought me to this parable. How did He do it? Well, it was "next in line" in my Bible reading! I read it, and immediately knew I had found these verses in direct answer to my prayer: When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you…" What is your family hungry for? Oh, I know nutritious food is important, but I'm not talking about that…what do their hearts hunger for? Are you listening? Are you paying attention? What about your husband? Your children? Your parents or siblings? Do you really listen to their hearts' desires? What do they long for? What inspires them? Do they know that you are interested in what interests them? In my own prayer journal, I have a page or two for each member of my family. I choose verses to pray for each one, and I write these on their individual pages. I write down their goals and desires -- their hungers, as I see them. Then, I pray. I pray that their desires would be godly ones. I pray that they would learn to feed on the Bread of Life, all the days of their lives. For it is only through this Bread that hunger can truly be satisfied. "…when did we see you thirsty, and give you something to drink?" Is your family thirsty? Have you ever been truly thirsty? I have. When I was in Israel during my college days, our group decided to go hiking. I forgot to take my water with me, and it wasn't long before I had a burning, longing thirst. I was ashamed to admit my thirst -- after all, everyone else remembered their water. But after awhile, I became desperate! I asked a fellow from our group -- someone I did not know very well -- if I could have just a swallow from his bottle. Sheepishly, he looked at me and said, "Sure, you can have the rest of it…but I'm afraid some of my lunch is in it…" Sure enough, I could see bits of bread and other unidentified floating objects in his water! But I was so thirsty, I didn't even care. I drank every last drop from his water bottle, backwash and all. To think about it now, well…I'm amazed I even did that. But that's what happens when we are truly thirsty. Our family members thirst for attention. If they remain thirsty at home, there's a big possibility that they will go elsewhere to quench their thirst. After all, a deep thirst gives a burning, empty feeling that longs to be satisfied. They may be tempted to settle for "second best" in their longing to have their thirst satisfied… But sometimes I feel too tired to minister to my family in this way. That's when I pray and ask for the Living Water to wash over me, to flow through me, and to quench the very souls of my family. And I pray that they would learn to drink from the Living Water, themselves. "When did we see you a stranger and invite you in…?" Right before we moved to St. Louis, our beautiful white cat, Vanilla Latte, had kittens -- 4 black kittens. We were so surprised! We expected some variety, at least -- maybe a little white mixed in with the black…but they were all black. Father, that's so strange! Why 4 black kittens?! Then, it occurred to me. I had been praying for a closer bond with Josiah. Of our 3 little African blessings, he has been the hardest to get to know. I grabbed the opportunity, knowing it was from the Lord. After all, Josiah, kneeling beside me in that moment, was fascinated with the kittens. "Josiah! Look! This is just like me and you! A white mama, and black babies! I pointed to Latte, and then to myself. Then, I pointed at the kittens, and playfully poked him in the tummy. He looked serious for a moment, then his face split into a wide smile. He laughed out loud. He understood, and somehow, watching those kittens together, we became a little less "strangers." Because you see, there are times when even those closest to us can seem like strangers. And there are just some family members that are harder to relate to than others. But why not invite them in? So, they are different -- praise God for differences! So, they rub you the wrong way -- perhaps it is a chance to grow! Invite them in, to the quiet places of your heart. Welcome these strangers with unconditional love. It's not necessarily the easy way, but it IS Jesus' way. "When did we see you needing clothes, and clothe you?" As families, we see each other's exposed weaknesses and warts, wouldn't you agree? I want to clothe my loved ones with the reassurance that they are treasured and special. I want to delight in them! One way that I can do that is to inspire. When Grayson plays a violin piece for me that she's been working on, I can say, "Oh, Grayson, you have such a gift…I can see that God is going to use you to comfort people with your music!" When Jonah builds something with his tools, I can encourage him by saying, "I believe you will grow to be a great carpenter some day!" If I am faithful to verbally treasure my children, then I often hear their own words of inspiration to each other. At times I even hear the twins praising each other for a job well done. But I must be faithful to set the example. And…what about my spouse? Am I willing to work towards making him feel treasured? Ken is the most important person on earth to me -- and he is second only to my Heavenly Father. I want to clothe him with the reassurance of my faithfulness and unconditional love in all areas of our married life! That's God's will for our marriage. His Word is full of verses telling me how to have a healthy, inspiring marriage: "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Colossians 3:18 "…a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping…" Proverbs 19:13 "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." Proverbs 14:1 "Wives…be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." I Peter 3:1 And we must NOT forget the 7th Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14 While I am on the subject of marriage, did you know that R.A. Torrey addresses the marriage relationship in his booklet, Power and Peace in Prayer? In the past few articles, I have been listing some of Torrey's hindrances to prayer. Here's what he says about the 6th hindrance: "A wrong relation between husband and wife is a hindrance to prayer. In many and many a case the prayers of husbands are hindered because of their failure of duty toward their wives. On the other hand it is also doubtless true that the prayers of wives are hindered because of their failure in duty toward their husbands. If husbands and wives should seek diligently to find the cause of their unanswered prayers they would often find it in their relations to one another." Torrey continues, about the wife's responsibility… "Many a woman who is very devoted to the church, and very faithful in attendance upon all services treats her husband with the most unpardonable neglect, is cross and peevish toward him, wounds him by the sharpness of her speech and by her ungovernable temper; then wonders why it is that she has no power in prayer. Any man or woman whose prayers seem to bring no answer should spread their whole married life out before God and ask Him to put His finger upon anything in it that is displeasing in His sight." Above all, pray for your family members to feel treasured in Christ, that they would find their identity and worth in Him. "When did we see you sick, and visit you?" I want to be a cool cloth upon my family's doubts, fears, and sicknesses. I want to nurse them, comfort them, and pray for them… …that their spiritual blindness would be healed, and they would see the Truth… …that they might not be lame in their walk with Christ… …that any leprosy of sin would be completely washed away… When we brought Chase home from the mission field after the attack (See article A Son for a Son), he was seemingly unreachable. He wouldn't look anyone in the eye -- not even me! He didn't want others to touch him or focus on him. He would often become frightened, and would scream and thrash around. The only way that I could calm him was to hold him down and rub his back. I would talk softly to him, and gradually, through a gentle touch and voice, he would relax and become quiet. Though I didn't know it at the time, this loving touch was healing for him. Oh, how I long to be that loving, healing comfort to my family. Oh, Father, may You touch them through me. "When did we see you in prison and visit you?" With so many people in our home, there are a lot of moods flying around! Sometimes, a family member will become imprisoned by his or her own anger, or depression, rebellion, or emotions. Often, when this happens, I am tempted to just leave them alone until the mood is past -- to isolate them, or to just walk away. But that is not Jesus' way. Jesus confronted the sick, and the troubled. He reached out to the prisoner, and pursued the outcast. It's amazing what a smile, a touch, an understanding ear, or a special treat from Sonic will do! I'm not always very good at ministering to my family -- sometimes I don't feel good at it at all, but I want to be, and I will continue to pray for God's strength and grace as I seek to do those "spontaneous acts of righteousness". I want to "Matthew 25" my family. Do you? In so doing, we are ministering to our Lord and Savior. And that, my friend, is a privilege. Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world… …I tell you the truth, whatever you did for even the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." Copyright © 2009. Lygia Lovelace. All rights reserved. Ken Lovelace Ministries.

HOW TO "MATTHEW 25" YOUR FAMILY
...AND THE 7TH COMMANDMENT......AND THE 6TH HINDRANCE TO PRAYER...
by Lygia Lovelace

"Oh, now, Ms. Lygia, that's just weird. That just gives me the creeps…"

"You mean, like, God has, like, eyeballs floating around the earth, and they watch us…?!"

The neighbor kids just stared at me, obviously startled.

I had to swallow my smile. I had been trying to encourage them, letting them know that God is watching over those who are completely His. I had quoted the first verse that came to mind,

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him…

But I didn't get the response I expected! I never before thought of that verse as startling…

What a joy it is to teach new believers! The Scripture just comes alive once again for me as I disciple those who haven't really studied His Word.

It must have been that way in Jesus' day…when He told parables and explained Scripture, even the religious leaders must have thought they were hearing the Truth for the first time.

Oh! How I would have loved to have been in the temple when 12 year old Jesus was discussing the Scripture…

I would have loved to have been there, in Nazareth, when Jesus read from the book of Isaiah in church, and then He explained it!

I would have loved to have been there, with Mary, sitting at Jesus feet, hanging on His every Word.

I would even have climbed the tree with Zaccheus…just to get a glimpse of the Savior, and an earful of what He had to say.

That's why I love reading His Word. Jesus was a great storyteller. I love His parables. I need His truth.

Have you ever truly explored Matthew 25:31-46? There's so much to be learned about the sheep and the goats, but today, I am thinking about the sheep -- because that's us, you know? If you've truly placed your love and trust in Jesus as your Savior, then you are His sheep, and He is your Great Shepherd. Oh, what a beautiful relationship you two share!

One day I began my quiet time, asking God for some verses for my family.

I really want to minister to my family, Lord. Show me a way that I can serve them…

Immediately, God brought me to this parable. How did He do it? Well, it was "next in line" in my Bible reading! I read it, and immediately knew I had found these verses in direct answer to my prayer:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you…"

What is your family hungry for? Oh, I know nutritious food is important, but I'm not talking about that…what do their hearts hunger for? Are you listening? Are you paying attention?

What about your husband? Your children? Your parents or siblings? Do you really listen to their hearts' desires?

What do they long for? What inspires them? Do they know that you are interested in what interests them?

In my own prayer journal, I have a page or two for each member of my family. I choose verses to pray for each one, and I write these on their individual pages. I write down their goals and desires -- their hungers, as I see them.

Then, I pray.

I pray that their desires would be godly ones. I pray that they would learn to feed on the Bread of Life, all the days of their lives.

For it is only through this Bread that hunger can truly be satisfied.

"…when did we see you thirsty, and give you something to drink?"

Is your family thirsty?

Have you ever been truly thirsty? I have. When I was in Israel during my college days, our group decided to go hiking. I forgot to take my water with me, and it wasn't long before I had a burning, longing thirst. I was ashamed to admit my thirst -- after all, everyone else remembered their water. But after awhile, I became desperate! I asked a fellow from our group -- someone I did not know very well -- if I could have just a swallow from his bottle.

Sheepishly, he looked at me and said, "Sure, you can have the rest of it…but I'm afraid some of my lunch is in it…"

Sure enough, I could see bits of bread and other unidentified floating objects in his water! But I was so thirsty, I didn't even care. I drank every last drop from his water bottle, backwash and all. To think about it now, well…I'm amazed I even did that.

But that's what happens when we are truly thirsty.

Our family members thirst for attention. If they remain thirsty at home, there's a big possibility that they will go elsewhere to quench their thirst. After all, a deep thirst gives a burning, empty feeling that longs to be satisfied. They may be tempted to settle for "second best" in their longing to have their thirst satisfied…

But sometimes I feel too tired to minister to my family in this way.

That's when I pray and ask for the Living Water to wash over me, to flow through me, and to quench the very souls of my family.

And I pray that they would learn to drink from the Living Water, themselves.

"When did we see you a stranger and invite you in…?"

Right before we moved to St. Louis, our beautiful white cat, Vanilla Latte, had kittens -- 4 black kittens. We were so surprised! We expected some variety, at least -- maybe a little white mixed in with the black…but they were all black.

Father, that's so strange! Why 4 black kittens?!

Then, it occurred to me.

I had been praying for a closer bond with Josiah. Of our 3 little African blessings, he has been the hardest to get to know. I grabbed the opportunity, knowing it was from the Lord. After all, Josiah, kneeling beside me in that moment, was fascinated with the kittens.

"Josiah! Look! This is just like me and you! A white mama, and black babies!

I pointed to Latte, and then to myself. Then, I pointed at the kittens, and playfully poked him in the tummy.

He looked serious for a moment, then his face split into a wide smile. He laughed out loud.

He understood, and somehow, watching those kittens together, we became a little less "strangers."

Because you see, there are times when even those closest to us can seem like strangers. And there are just some family members that are harder to relate to than others.

But why not invite them in? So, they are different -- praise God for differences! So, they rub you the wrong way -- perhaps it is a chance to grow! Invite them in, to the quiet places of your heart. Welcome these strangers with unconditional love.

It's not necessarily the easy way, but it IS Jesus' way.

"When did we see you needing clothes, and clothe you?"

As families, we see each other's exposed weaknesses and warts, wouldn't you agree? I want to clothe my loved ones with the reassurance that they are treasured and special. I want to delight in them!

One way that I can do that is to inspire.

When Grayson plays a violin piece for me that she's been working on, I can say, "Oh, Grayson, you have such a gift…I can see that God is going to use you to comfort people with your music!"

When Jonah builds something with his tools, I can encourage him by saying, "I believe you will grow to be a great carpenter some day!"

If I am faithful to verbally treasure my children, then I often hear their own words of inspiration to each other. At times I even hear the twins praising each other for a job well done.

But I must be faithful to set the example.

And…what about my spouse? Am I willing to work towards making him feel treasured? Ken is the most important person on earth to me -- and he is second only to my Heavenly Father. I want to clothe him with the reassurance of my faithfulness and unconditional love in all areas of our married life! That's God's will for our marriage. His Word is full of verses telling me how to have a healthy, inspiring marriage:

"Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Colossians 3:18

"…a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping…" Proverbs 19:13

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." Proverbs 14:1

"Wives…be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." I Peter 3:1

And we must NOT forget the 7th Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14

While I am on the subject of marriage, did you know that R.A. Torrey addresses the marriage relationship in his booklet, Power and Peace in Prayer? In the past few articles, I have been listing some of Torrey's hindrances to prayer. Here's what he says about the 6th hindrance:

"A wrong relation between husband and wife is a hindrance to prayer.

In many and many a case the prayers of husbands are hindered because of their failure of duty toward their wives. On the other hand it is also doubtless true that the prayers of wives are hindered because of their failure in duty toward their husbands. If husbands and wives should seek diligently to find the cause of their unanswered prayers they would often find it in their relations to one another."

Torrey continues, about the wife's responsibility…

"Many a woman who is very devoted to the church, and very faithful in attendance upon all services treats her husband with the most unpardonable neglect, is cross and peevish toward him, wounds him by the sharpness of her speech and by her ungovernable temper; then wonders why it is that she has no power in prayer.

Any man or woman whose prayers seem to bring no answer should spread their whole married life out before God and ask Him to put His finger upon anything in it that is displeasing in His sight."

Above all, pray for your family members to feel treasured in Christ, that they would find their identity and worth in Him.

"When did we see you sick, and visit you?"

I want to be a cool cloth upon my family's doubts, fears, and sicknesses. I want to nurse them, comfort them, and pray for them…

…that their spiritual blindness would be healed, and they would see the Truth…

…that they might not be lame in their walk with Christ…

…that any leprosy of sin would be completely washed away…

When we brought Chase home from the mission field after the attack (See article A Son for a Son), he was seemingly unreachable. He wouldn't look anyone in the eye -- not even me! He didn't want others to touch him or focus on him. He would often become frightened, and would scream and thrash around. The only way that I could calm him was to hold him down and rub his back. I would talk softly to him, and gradually, through a gentle touch and voice, he would relax and become quiet. Though I didn't know it at the time, this loving touch was healing for him.

Oh, how I long to be that loving, healing comfort to my family. Oh, Father, may You touch them through me.

"When did we see you in prison and visit you?"

With so many people in our home, there are a lot of moods flying around! Sometimes, a family member will become imprisoned by his or her own anger, or depression, rebellion, or emotions. Often, when this happens, I am tempted to just leave them alone until the mood is past -- to isolate them, or to just walk away.

But that is not Jesus' way. Jesus confronted the sick, and the troubled. He reached out to the prisoner, and pursued the outcast.

It's amazing what a smile, a touch, an understanding ear, or a special treat from Sonic will do!

I'm not always very good at ministering to my family -- sometimes I don't feel good at it at all, but I want to be, and I will continue to pray for God's strength and grace as I seek to do those "spontaneous acts of righteousness".

I want to "Matthew 25" my family. Do you?

In so doing, we are ministering to our Lord and Savior.

And that, my friend, is a privilege.

Then the King will say to those on His right,
"Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world…
…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for even the least of these brothers of Mine,
you did for Me."

Copyright © 2009. Lygia Lovelace. All rights reserved. Ken Lovelace Ministries.