Imagine a television commercial that featured Jesus Christ as the most important person in a romantic Valentine’s Day advertisement. That seems out of place, doesn’t it? Culturally, this day is about romance, not religion. But there is an important point to be made here. The Ten Commandments teach that God is to be first in all of life. The first two commandments establish that only God is to be at the center of your life. When Jesus proclaims the he is the Way, the Truth and the Life, he is claiming the same territory. All of Scripture develops this theme. No one else may be first but God.
Yearly Archives: 2011
83 posts
Children tend to lie in two types of circumstances. We looked at the first reason in the last post. The response of immediately trying to deny responsibility comes naturally to us and to our children. Children are fearful of the consequences of their sin and lie to avoid them. Christ must be shown as the one who can bring peace to a fearful heart. It is vital that this pattern be addressed quickly and thoroughly. If it is not, then the habit lying will take root and become a means to other ends.
When children lie it is often tempting to see the reason for the lie as a mystery. For example; “Why would my child lie about taking that toy from his brother, when it is so obvious that he did do just that?” Then, deepening the mystery, parents often ask, “Why would he make up such a far-fetched story to cover up his actions? The lie and cover up seem so illogical and unnecessary.” Thus, parents sometimes tend to treat the problem as one of logic and intelligence; they puzzle over why their children would lie. Scripture solves the mystery. Children are born liars. When we sin, we lose the ability to be logical. We are blinded by self-interest (Proverbs 4:19).
The next few posts will be taken from a series on lying that I did over 2 years ago. Lying in children is an important issue to understand and address, so these posts are offered to help. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. Proverbs 12:19 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. Proverbs 12:22 We are all born liars. Not a pleasant thought, but true. Like you, your children were born with the capacity and proclivity to lie. Psalm 58:3 says that we come from the womb speaking lies. While we know the Bible teaches this, we are often shocked by our children’s lies.
Loving the Church, by John Crotts, continues to receive attention and praise in the Christian community. Below is a link to a post at Christianity. com. Loving the Church link. The church is not just an optional social opportunity. It is a vital component of living a life that will bring glory and honor to God. You can purchase the book at our online store. Just click on this link below. Purchase Loving the Church
Paul encourages children to obey their parents so that it will go well with them and that they will live a long life on the earth. Paul is quoting from the fifth commandment, found in Deuteronomy 5:16. We know that the gospel is all about grace and receiving things we do not deserve. Yet in Ephesians 6:3, Paul appears to add a caveat to grace—if children obey their parents, they will enjoy a long and favorable life on earth. Is this a formula for works being woven into the gospel???
Power struggles are a common theme among parents of teenagers. 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. We see this dynamic in the life of Absalom. It is abundantly clear from his narrative that Absalom did not seek God in his distress and troubles. He took matters into his own hands. His outrage over Tamar turned into vengeance towards Amnon. His bitterness at his father’s failure to deal with Amnon’s sin yielded a life devoted to the overthrow of David’s kingship. We see Absalom’s anger, his planning, his obsession […]
I have posted about John Crotts’ Loving the Church previously on the blog. It is a much needed encouragement about the value of the church. Well, Thabiti Anyabwile, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman in the Grand Cayman Islands and a Council member with The Gospel Coalition, has just written about this book on his blog. Here is a brief excerpt from the post: If you’re looking for a book that helps people see the importance of the local church family, understand whey being a member of a church is for their spiritual good, shows them how they may serve in the church, and does all that in plain, accessible, engaging style without being preachy or too […]
Absalom was a troubled young man. He certainly did not present himself as troubled, but he was. He projected power; he manipulated his father, the king. He was arrogant; when his father’s chief general failed to heed his request, Absalom set his field on fire. He was vengeful, taking the life of his brother in payment for the honor of his sister. He had a flare for the dramatic. He had 50 men who ran ahead of him to announce his going and coming. He publically challenged his father’s leadership by standing in pronouncing that life would be better for all if only he were in charge. Yet, he did not appear to be a rebel, but a champion—winning over […]
For those of you not able to attend the Shepherd Press Authors’ Conference the complete conference is now available for audio download. The conference featured Tedd Tripp and Dave Harvey as keynote speakers. Ed Welch, Tedd Tripp, Margy Tripp, John Crotts, Rick Horn, and Jay Younts had individual breakout sessions. This conference was very well received. You can purchase the downloads here. Topics ranged from issues regarding ADHD to struggles with teenagers to renewing your marriage with the power of the gospel. You can buy individual sessions or purchase the entire conference. This material will strengthen your family’s walk with Christ.