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Hi!
I'm
Bruce Collins. I am an evangelist and teacher of the Bible. I
became a child of God by faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus
Christ on November 24, 1963 and have tried to serve the Lord in various
capacities since then. I am presently an itinerant minister of
the Gospel. I do not work for an organization but I try to
serve the Lord in the best way that I can wherever He leads. That
means that my wife and I have our financial needs met by the Lord as we do
not have a salary from any church or organization. We believe
that the Gospel is free so we have never made a charge for our services.
I
am available for Bible studies, conferences, Gospel meetings, children's meetings
and camp work. I have traveled throughout much of the United States
and Canada in my service for the Lord. My wife helps me, and
we attend the Bethany Bible Chapel in Cedar Falls, Iowa. They have encouraged us
by commending us for this work.
My
wife, Geneva and I live in Waterloo, Iowa. We have four children.
One of them is married and has provided us with two grandchildren.
This
web site has a weekly meditation that I hope will encourage you. It
has links to literature and organizations that I think are helpful.
You can also listen to my weekly radio program here.
Yours
because of Calvary,
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Meditation--updated
weekly
If
you would like to comment go to
http://bdcministries.com/
Mother's
Day for the Hurting!
To
the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your
conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be
for your husband, And he shall rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)
A
Different Perspective
Mother's
day is a big deal for most people. It
is one day when mothers are shown that they are valued and loved.
We know that the world would not exist without them.
Normally we think of a mother as nurturing.
However, not all mothers are good and not all mothers are
nurturing. While it is nice
to be able to have a day to recognize mothers, it is a day that reminds
us there is a lot of sorrow in this world.
The
First Mother
Eve
of course was the first mother. Because
she "messed up" in her desire to be "as gods" she
brought sin into the world. Her
husband loved her and went along with her rebellion.
He was not deceived according to 1 Timothy 2:14 which meant that
he knowingly went along with Eve in order to keep from being separated
from her. By being deceived
by Satan, she lost the blessings of paradise in the Garden of Eden, she
produced children in pain and sorrow, and her first born son turned out
to be a murderer. I am sure
that with hindsight she would loved to have had a "do-over."
Mothers
for whom Mother's day may not be a Blessing
Some
mothers can't have children for one reason or another.
Others have tragically lost children.
That happened in my own family.
Others have children that have pursued lifestyles that are not a
credit to them or their moms. Some
moms never hear from their children, even on Mother's day.
Mother's day makes those situations very painful particularly
when others are rejoicing in their children and in their own mothers on
that day. When we go to
church services where the moms are given roses or carnations by their
children, how must that affect those whose children have died and those
whose children have rebelled and those who can't have children?
Mother's
day has to be hard as well for those who have lost their moms,
especially if they have lost them recently.
If the mothers were true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, of
course, there is joy in KNOWING that the mothers are enjoying the
presence of the Lord in heaven. But
that doesn't make the grieving on earth any less severe.
Biblical
Mothers
Mary
must have been a good mother to the Lord yet she was told that a sword
would pierce her own soul also by a spirit-filled man called Simeon
(Luke 2:35). She was at the
cross when the Lord was crucified. She
likely understood that this was necessary for God's plan of salvation to
be just and at the same time merciful, but I am sure that her heart was
broken by what was so cruelly done to her Son.
Timothy
had a good mother and a good grandmother. They
laid the foundation for his own faith in the Lord and for his faithful
service to Paul and to the Lord. We
thank God for mothers like this because most of us are predisposed to
believe what we have been taught as children.
I believe our view of God is often settled long before we reach
the "rebellious teens." Fathers
tend to develop our concept of God; mothers tend to develop our
relationship to that God. If
a father is a disciplinarian, if he is mostly absent, our God who is
also a father will likely seem to be like that.
But whatever concept of God we have, reverence for that God will
often be taught by mothers. Of
course I am generalizing, but I believe that what I am saying is often
true.
Mother's
Day
Sometimes I think Mother's
day does more harm than good. Many
women pretend to be happy when they are really hurting as they see what
they perceive to be other happy families.
Most of us probably failed in trying to seek out and encourage
those who were hurting this Mother's day.
Many mothers are doted on on
Mother's day and forgotten the rest of the year.
I am glad for those who have living mothers and who make every
day Mother's day.
I am also glad that where
the family relationships are broken or where there has been a loss that
causes sorrow the Lord tells us that He can turn sorrow to joy.
He did it for the disciples when they saw the resurrected Lord
after His crucifixion. And
He can do it for any who find this world to be a place of sorrow.
The Lord says, "
Weeping may endure for a night (we are in the night season), but joy comes
in the morning (Psalm 30:5)." The
night has grown dark, sorrow is everywhere.
Evil is everywhere. But
joy will come when the Lord comes for those of us who have our
confidence in Him.
Meditation
for the week of May 13, 2018
Archived
Meditations
If
you would like to be on the email address list for these meditations
write to me at
mail@bdcministries.faithweb.com
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