In Psalm 73 the psalmist proclaims that “the nearness of God is my good”. He comes to this realization after he has considered what the world has to offer. He realizes the foolishness of looking at life and valuing it the way the world does. He even goes so far as to say that he was a senseless and ignorant beast to be attracted by the world’s treasures. This Lord’s Day, what is your good? Would your children say that you live as if the nearness of God is your good? May you and I repent and weep and then seek the mercy and grace of God so that he alone is our good and our refuge.
Yearly Archives: 2012
144 posts
What to about lying – age specific Following the model in Shepherding a Child’s Heart about the way to engage children at various age levels is important. With young children you want to firmly establish the authority of God and his directives not to lie. This is the time to establish that lying is wrong because God says it is. Lying is not serving God, and life will not go well for the liar. This is not a time for extensive reasoning and deep introspection. God hates lying, and it must be rejected. Swift, direct and loving discipline is appropriate. Lying is not a stage that will be naturally left behind. If not biblically addressed, lying will become a way […]
Children’s lies are a harsh reminder of the nature of sin. To fully appreciate the immense power and value of the cross in our lives, we must have a profound sense of the ugliness of sin. This awareness must extend to your children as well. My children and your children come into this world as natural enemies of God. Telling the truth and avoiding deceit is not natural for them. They seek first and foremost to gratify their own passions and desires, even if it means that others will be harmed. They are by nature children of wrath. As the Psalmist & Paul say: Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward […]
In one sense all lies are lies to God. However, as the passage below shows, there is a particular type of lie that qualifies specifically as lying to God. This is “lying on steroids.” Often, this lie is not only about hiding things that are wicked, but about misrepresenting things that appear to be good, even righteous. This is where the greatest danger lies for children raised in Christian homes. That is why your parenting must go beyond addressing behavior. “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the […]
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. The next progression in lying is to lie when there is something to be acquired. This type of lie can range from trying to make someone else […]
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). […]
Psalm 72 proclaims that it is God alone who does wondrous things. If there is anything good and wonderful in this world, it comes from God and none other. The holiday season can obscure this truth in at least two ways. The first way is to attribute the gift of good things to someone other than God. Even when you receive a wonderful gift from someone it is important to realize that the mercy of God is ultimately behind this blessing. For example, the bounty under the tree should not be seen as gifts from mythical characters. Good fortune, fate, karma, or Santa all can masquerade as the reason for good things. If something is truly good, it comes from […]
What we live for can be measured by what we are thankful for. Jesus said that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If your treasure can be measured by what you see, then what you see is what you live for. There is real danger in living for what can be seen. Paul urges that we fix our eyes on what cannot be seen. Today, Thanksgiving Day, amidst the blessings of physical bounty, ask yourself where is your treasure – is it seen or unseen? What is of real value cannot be seen. May God grant that we would be thankful for unseen treasure.
Parents have no problem commanding their children to obey quickly or to be kind to others. There is no dispute about teaching children that they should not hit each other or that they should respect authority. But what about commanding your children to praise God? Does that seem a bit unusual? Let’s explore this for a moment. The statement praise God is not just about saying the words praise God. Psalm 78 exhorts Israel not to hide the praiseworthy deeds of God from their children. As you read the psalm, you see that this is exactly what occurs. God’s deeds are listed so that he can be praised! So, when the scriptures state “Praise God”, it is […]
When the people of God come to worship, our vision and our trust must be singular. God and God alone is to be the object of our trust. Too often we live and worship with other options on the table. We say, sing, and pray that God is all that matters, but in the hidden corners of our heart we value, trust, hope in something other than God. We trust in God to make our circumstances what we want them to be. But this is not trust, it is doubt. We trust in God to make other people appreciate us. But this is not trust, it is idolatry. Jesus knew that the heart of man is not to be trusted. […]