Biblical discipline has to do with love and delight, not primarily accountability and control. Biblical discipline is not about fairness, it is about mercy. Biblical discipline is not about treating children as their sins deserve. Would you really ask God to treat you as your sins deserve? If you don’t want God to treat you with fairness, then don’t make fairness the standard of your parenting. How much of the wonder and mercy of biblical discipline do you communicate to your children? Stay with me here! I am not advocating laissez faire parenting or child centered discipline. The truth is you only have hope because God does not treat you as your sins deserve. This is the gospel message of […]
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You give your wife flowers and say you love her, but she remains distant. You apologize to your teenager for being angry and tell him you love him, but the barriers are still up. You give your middle-schooler an expensive birthday present with a note that says “I love you”, yet her smile is only half-hearted. Is the answer more flowers, a bigger and better present, a more sincere apology? Probably not. However, there is one thing you can do that will demonstrate the genuineness of your love. You can listen well. When there is an argument it is all too easy to think you know what the other person is thinking even before the first word is spoken. The […]
Oppressive. Harsh. Violently Anti-Christian. Tyrannical. All of these terms could be used to describe the Roman government at the time Paul wrote his letter to the Christians in Rome. Emperors singled out Christians for unspeakable persecution and torture. Against this background Paul’s words about authority are stunning. Given our modern attitude towards authority, one might expect Paul to be calling for non-violent, civil disobedience because of the often severe and unfair use of authority by the Roman government and her officials. But such thoughts would be wrong and offensive to God. Paul commands Christians to be subject to the ruling authorities. Look at what he says in Romans 13:1: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is […]
Toddlers are people. They may be small. They may have a limited vocabulary. They may be immature. But the bottom line is – they are people. This means they make decisions about what is important to them, just like you do. And just like you, their interpretation of their circumstances determines how they respond to problems they face. Let’s put this in perspective. Your toddler thinks he has lost his prized possession. This may be likened to the concern you have when you can’t find your debit card. Was it lost or stolen? Is your bank balance secure? Whatever the case may be, getting that card back is now the highest priority. But, suppose your helpful neighbor is visiting and […]
Much of life is hard. But as you think about the wonder of the Lord’s salvation there are times when pure joy should erupt in your soul. Psalm 126, one of the psalms that records the journey of Israel going up to Jerusalem to worship, captures this joy. Laughter and praise flow freely in the psalm. This psalm is one that brings perspective. God has indeed rescued you from the pit. You are not treated as your sins deserve. You will know the joy of eternity with your Savior. Your tears of sorrow will turn into tears of joy. As son or daughter of the King of Kings you do have reason to laugh and know joy, even in life’s […]
Even teens who appear to be mild and compliant to others can engage in hard-fought battles at home. At the root of many of these battles is a deep-seated perception that they, the teens, are being treated unfairly. When a teenager, or anyone else, focuses only on the injustice that has been done (either real or perceived), his ability to trust God is blocked. Struggling with unjust treatment leaves anyone weary and burdened. The weight of injustice is more than we can bear in our own strength. For example, Absalom bore this weight alone and it eventually destroyed him. Teenagers who bear this burden by themselves may appear intimidating, even menacing. Or, they may be sullen and withdrawn. Christ appeals […]
Suppose you stood face-to-face before God and in his hand he held a record of every sin you that you committed? Not a pleasant thought! If this did happen, you would be immediately condemned by the holiness of God. All of your sinful thoughts, actions, and intentions would scream your guilt across the universe. This is something so awful that no one would survive the encounter. We cannot truly contemplate what it means to worship God unless we can first grasp what it means to be guilty before him. The Psalmist had exactly these feelings as he approached Jerusalem for worship. Here are his thoughts from one of the Psalms of Ascent. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O […]
Two thousand years ago Jesus had important counsel about your savings. He challenged a rich, successful farmer not to think that earthly savings provided security. He went on to say that there is treasure that will never fail, that cannot be stolen or destroyed. Jesus did not condemn the acquiring of physical wealth, but he did say that there is treasure that is superior to what can gained by earthly means. He urged his followers to have purses that will never wear out. The Apostle Paul echoed Christ’s words when he warned in I Timothy 6 that wealth is uncertain, so don’t place your hopes on earthly treasure. Global markets are losing billions of dollars in value. Perhaps the markets […]
There plenty of things in life that are scary. For a moment, imagine that you traveling on foot at twilight on your way to Jerusalem almost 3,000 year ago. The last part of your journey is a climb through steep hills. There are long, dark shadows as sunset approaches. On each side of you there are countless places where robbers and wild animals may be waiting to attack. This is the scene Israelites faced as they went up to Jerusalem to worship on one of the appointed feast days. The Psalmist, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, wrote the 121st Psalm to address this very situation! Actually, there are 15 Psalms that are called Psalms of Ascent which were […]