Proverbs 16 offers key, comprehensive insights about establishing authority on the basis of righteousness; this kind of authority encourages. Here are five selected Proverbs from this chapter: Proverbs 16:3 – You must be sold out to God! Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Your commitment to God must be total. You are committing all of your life to honor God. In parenting this means a commitment to use God’s methods to accomplish God’s purpose. Authority without this commitment is destructive and frustrating! Proverbs 16:11 – Your word as a parent must be consistent and trustworthy. Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are of his making. This couplet stresses […]
Blog
2441 posts
Only the unique work of the Holy Spirit can bring the wonder and endurance of joy to human experience. Take a moment and consider how special true joy is. This is the joy you want your children to learn and live. Don’t settle for momentary pleasure. Cry out to God for joy that is everlasting! Joy has to do with the reality of God. Joy transcends the moment and extends into eternity. Joy does not fade but endures. In our deepest sadness we are rescued by joy. Joy alone makes sense of the pain of life. Joy is the certain knowledge that what is unseen is more than what is seen. Joy is the fuel of hope. Joy means your […]
Obedience is not something to use to gain a reward. Rather, obedience itself is a reward, a great privilege, honor and joy. Just as I cannot make myself more acceptable to God by my obedience, neither do I want my children to think that I will be more accepting of them because of their obedience. “Excuse me! Would you mind saying that again?” Sure. Your children must not think that you will be more accepting of them if they obey you. I know, saying it like this seems awkward. So much of your life is about training and teaching God’s truth. But the truth is that one’s own obedience does not make him acceptable to God. The last thing that […]
Jesus told his disciples to remember him. We must remember there is nothing that we enjoy in this life that did not cost the life of someone else. Whether it is connected to those who have made their sacrifice in the military or in law enforcement, or to Jesus Christ, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for you and me. This much is true: none of us has anything of value that did not in someway cost the life of someone else. So, enjoy your burgers, enjoy the time out doors, enjoy the time off. Just remember this: your joy was paid for in some way by the death of others. Enjoy because someone did die so that you could take […]
A judgmental spirit towards people is a dangerous thing. It leads to doubt, mistrust and broken relationships. But there is another form of judgment that is far more destructive: the practice of judging God. When you begin to question God’s faithfulness, when circumstances are not what you wanted, you are actually judging God. When your general response to life is that life is a bummer or that life stinks, you are judging God. Why? Because the Holy Spirit says that God is causing all the events in your life to be a good thing for you. So, when you look at life and fail to see God’s goodness, even in the painful things, you are judging God. You are critiquing […]
Young children ask their parents questions. Be thankful. As a parent, you want to keep the questions coming. No doubt someone is saying, are you crazy, all I do is answer questions. However, if you become exasperated with these questions, eventually they will diminish. While this may bring short-term relief, it will also result in a diminished relationship with your children as they become move towards the teenage years. Why is this true? Being annoyed with or detached from the questions of younger children will result in only hearing logistical questions from your teenagers. If your teenagers are primarily asking logistical questions, such as can I have the car, or when is dinner, this should alert you that the important questions […]
Is it to give him information? The problem here is that God already knows everything about you that could be known. Is it because he tells us to talk with him and tell him about our cares and concerns? This is headed in the right direction! But even here, we may be tempted to let God know how we think things should work out. The best reason to talk with God is because he wants us to! He desires our friendship, it is what you and I are created for – to bring honor to his name in all that we do. Ephesians 2:10 So, if we talk with God to let him know about our problems and to encourage […]
Here is a brief application from Romans 8 that teaches Christians do not have to be controlled by fear. Christians need not fear condemnation. verse 1 Christians are not controlled by the flesh but by the Holy Spirit. verse 9 Christians are not slaves to fear, but to the Holy Spirit. verse 15 If you rely only on what is seen you will be controlled by fear. verse 24 If you rely on what is unseen, you have hope. verse 24 Even in your weak moments of worry and fear, the Spirit intercedes for you. verse 26 Your deepest fears have been searched out by God and are known to him. verse 27 The Holy Spirit, intimately aware of your […]
You should not be surprised when people are irritating. Actually, you should expect them to be. It is time to stop being shocked that people sin. Isn’t that negative thinking? No, this is realistic thinking that is in line with God’s commands. Here are a few examples: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 Do not be overcome by evil, but evil with good. Romans 12:21 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 These are four of many commands about how to address irritating behavior. […]
Flowers and gifts on Mother’s Day are good things. But there is more. When we read the exhortation of Proverbs 31:31 to honor mothers and wives for all that they have done, we are not rating their performance, but instead, we are honor them with gratitude simply for who they are. Motherhood is part of the plan of God to bring glory to himself. For Christians, we have the additional blessing of honoring our mothers for who they are in Christ. Your mother, like any other mother, has not been a perfect mom. However, she is living out her role in bringing new life to the earth and nurturing it. She provides warmth and encouragement to her family when no one […]