Friday, December 19, 2014

Happy 18th Birthday, Aidan!


It is a great joy and privilege to have recently celebrated Aidan's 18th birthday!  We are very blessed to have Aidan as a part of our family and we would like to honor him with this belated birthday post.

Aidan,

Happy birthday to you!  It is a blessing to have you as our son and we were very grateful to have recently celebrated your 18th birthday.  We have been very thankful to the Lord for the growth that you have shown over the past year and we look forward to seeing the plans that God has for you in the future.

Aidan, we see a number of interesting skills and talents developing within you that we see could provide many potential options for the future path that the Lord will lead you.  Wherever God will direct you, remember that your duty and privilege is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  We see in you a sensitivity to right and wrong which will serve you well for a lifetime provided that you continue to be consistently obedient to all that the Lord reveals to you.  We have observed a great eye for artistic and graphic design, which you have already used to create some absolutely top-notch things (such as numerous fantastic drawings and the very well designed web-site for Through All Ages).  Your biblical knowledge and theological insights have added a great deal to our family Bible time and our nightly dinner conversations.  Your musical talent and your dedication to developing that talent over such a short time has been a great blessing to us.  In looking at these specific strengths, we look forward with great hope to see God's direction for you and the good works that God has prepared for you in advance to accomplish.

As you go through the following year, focus your mind on these items to spur you on to great growth and Christian maturity:
  • Live in the fear of the Lord - The Bible teaches us that "blessed is the man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his commandments." (Psalm 112:1)
  • Live with a heart of gratitude - One of the marks of a disciple of the Lord is living a life that is filled with thankfulness, as we are taught in Psalm 100: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." (v. 4)
  • Live in a holy manner - As a believer in God, you are called to live holy and righteous each day in every task that is before you.  "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
  • Live with great hope knowing that the Lord is sovereign - We serve a God of hope Who is in control of all things and has promised that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Romans 15:13)
  • Live joyfully - One of the greatest testimonies to the world around you, where there are so many that are filled with bitterness, wrath, and unending anger is to manifest the fruit of joy.  "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:9)
  • Live victoriously - Know that you have the power of the Holy Spirit living within you and that as a result of this third person of the Trinity, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
We are indeed very grateful and blessed to have you as our son!  May you be encouraged and spurred on as we honor you this day and may you always know that you are very dearly loved!

Happy Birthday, Aidan!

Love Always,

Dad and Mom