If you hear your child frequently complain or grumble, you are hearing a child who is becoming a slave to his own desires. This means trouble. Sin feeds on the desire for immediate happiness. That is why a child can go from seeming bliss to outrage in an eye blink. One moment everything is fine. Then he sees his brother with a toy that he wants and he immediately erupts with a howl that sounds like he is being tortured. Why? Because he doesn’t have what he wants, what he thinks he deserves. God wants his people to live a life of praise. Complaining and grumbling are not compatible with praise. The Bible teaches that God is a faithful God […]
Blog
2441 posts
Anger: sometimes it just feels right. When your husband is insensitive, when the kids are selfish and squabble constantly, when your wife is disrespectful, anger stands ready to come to your defense. When others are not helpful anger is there to encourage you. When your pride is wounded, anger offers its healing power of retribution. But when anger is embraced, God is cast aside. But what about righteous anger? That’s always the trap. Paul says in Ephesians 4:26 that in your anger you should not sin. So, since it is possible to be angry and not sin, it easy to welcome anger like a friendly ally when others sin against us. But Ephesians 4:26 is not all that Paul has […]
When you are sick you want relief. When you are angry you seek justice. When you are hurt you want comfort. For all of these things, we as Christians are told to cry out to God. This is good! But from this point things can get a little uncertain. Should you pray for an immediate response? Has God turned away from you if there does not appear to be one? There is some clear guidance for us in the Lord’s prayer. Christ instructs his disciples to pray: “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” These directions put everything in perspective! Yes, you want immediate relief. I can relate to this, having just undergone 7 weeks of […]
by Tedd Tripp As Father’s Day approaches, families prepare to honor their fathers. For me, as a father, it is a time to reflect on the meaning of fatherhood. The Apostle Paul’s observation about fathering in 1 Thessalonians 2 is a good place to start. Paul observes that he had been like a father both by example and his instruction. As for his example, both the Thessalonians and God were witnesses of how holy, righteous and blameless he had been toward them. Holy refers to him in relationship to God; he was a devout, pious man, intent on pleasing God. Our families must see the integrity of walking with God. We will sin, but they must see a Dad who […]
As you prepare to go to church each week, do you consider this to be an act of courage? Well, if you go to a church that believes that God is holy, that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, that the Bible is the inspired word of God and must be obeyed, then going to church is a an act of courage! When you go to church and you affirm your belief with other Christians in these core doctrines of historic Christianity, you put yourself at odds with those who view such beliefs as a threat to personal freedom and choice. Serving and following the Lord of Scripture used to be fashionable. No longer. Our communities are being pulled apart […]
Each year I repost the prayer President Franklin Roosevelt made for the success of the D Day invasion on June 6, 1944. What is striking about this prayer is that FDR did not speak of many Gods or many faiths or many religions. He asked that the will of Almighty God be done. Today, we seek protection from a moment of silence offered to a god of our own choosing. Today, we are too proud to seek protection of the one true God. Also, this prayer speaks of good and evil in terms of absolutes. Absolutes, in terms of morality, are something that is no longer viewed as positive. Franklin Roosevelt’s D-Day Prayer June 6, 1944 My fellow Americans: Last night, […]
Biblical wisdom is designed to transform lives. As the Proverbs teach, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom. Wisdom is not neutral or passive. Wisdom thrives on passion and love for God. Take this example from Joseph’s life. The woman provocatively grabbed Joseph’s clothing with such force it was clear that only one thing was on her mind. Joseph’s response was also swift and passionate. He tore himself away, leaving her holding on to his cloak. Such a passionate response is not simply an academic decision. Joseph’s response was like Job’s. Job feared God and shunned evil. Wisdom driven by passion protected Joseph. This same dynamic is true for your children. If there is […]
The Christian life is so much more than avoiding negative things. It is primarily about engaging in thoughts and activities that bring honor to God. In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul urges Christians to focus on things that are excellent and praiseworthy. Here are two practical examples of doing this: Two young children are fussing and complaining. Negative response: “Why can’t you two just be quiet! Being noisy and fussy is a distraction to everybody in this house. I don’t want to hear any more unpleasantness, and I mean it! Do you understand?!?” Response that encourages excellence: “God’s Word says that we should be thankful for each other. Sarah, Ethan, remember that we talked about things we can be thankful for about […]
Our world is changing. The gospel is our only hope! From Peter Jones: From its founding until the 1960’s American culture was defined by patriarchal, heterosexual and Judeo-Christian presuppositions. In one generation, this worldview has been largely replaced by a radically egalitarian, omnigendered, pansexual, multi-religious and One-ist, (i.e. eastern thought) belief system that has turned our contemporary world upside down. “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8
Paul said that he had learned to be content in all circumstances. Paul knew that he could always do whatever it was that God wanted him to do. Because of this reality he was able to be content. Discontent comes when you believe things are out control, when you believe that either you can’t do what God wants or you believe doing what God wants doesn’t matter. We become discontent when things don’t go the way we believe they should. The truth is that even when your children do crazy things, you can know contentment. Nothing ever gets by God. He is never stressed. His ability to care for you is never in doubt. There is no circumstance in your […]