Monthly Archives: November 2013

25 posts

Gratitude

Gratitude is being thankful to God and to others for the good things I have been given. Prayer for gratitude: O Lord, I ask that you would give me a grateful heart. Too often i accept your blessings as if I deserve them, and complain about what I don’t have. You have given the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ. Please help me to be truly grateful. In Jesus name, Amen. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  I Thessalonians 5:18 From Get Wisdom! by Ruth Younts. Before teaching these things to your children it would be good to consider if you can pray the prayer above with a sincere heart. […]

Why should you be thankful?

Thanksgiving is the one day in the holiday season about which there is no ambiguity. Store clerks, news anchors, strangers, teachers, pastors, flight attendants, TV commercials, sales people, even government employees can say Happy Thanksgiving without fear of offending anyone. Most everyone can offer some reason to give thanks. For the moment, at least, thanksgiving is not offensive in our culture.   Christians especially have reason for thanksgiving. Our sins have been placed on another so that we can know the Lord of the Universe. There is much to be thankful for. But the most basic reason for Thanksgiving is the goodness and mercy of God.   The simple truth is that if we were not commanded to give thanks […]

How many times have I told you..

The Bible says love does not keep a record of wrongs.  Yet, a parent cannot deny the reality that her child failed to come when called 6 times in an afternoon. Does this mean the mother was wrong to keep count?    Yes and no.    Yes, if all she does is repeat to her daughter the number of times she disobeyed. No, if she realizes that the significance of repeated sins is that her child should be repeatedly confronted with her need of the gospel. When sin happens, the commendation of the gospel is always appropriate. The gospel is not so much the repetition of the four spiritual laws, as it is the constant reminder that Jesus Christ died […]

Don’t invest in counterfeit gifts on Black Friday

Something is counterfeit if it appears to be genuine but is not. The problem with counterfeit money is that you can use and spend it and often the recipient will not recognize it for what it is. Then one day you attempt to use what is counterfeit with someone who knows what is genuine. Not only do you not get what you wanted but the fake money you have is forfeit as well.   Gift giving can be counterfeit or it can be genuine. Giving gifts to others can be a very good thing. But to be good, the gift must first be genuine. Just as we can’t earn our acceptance with God, neither can we fully earn the acceptance […]

Iran, a plan for peace and the need for a biblical worldview

“Peace for our time” was the declaration of the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, in 1938. He believed that by giving the forces of Germany what they wanted peace could be assured for Europe. The devastation of World War II proved that assumption to be wrong. By choosing to ignore a basic biblical truth Chamberlain set the stage for war. Christ’s teaching regarding human nature was ignored. In Matthew 7:16 Jesus said: By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A country that has a track record of war and terrorism should not be expected to change its ways by agreeing to what that country wishes. This was the case in […]

Thought for the Lord’s Day

Worship the God who holds your life in his hands.   There is perhaps no better reason to be in awe of God than to realize that he alone numbers the days of your life. Our lives are too often based on the premise that tomorrow will come. But tomorrow comes only if God has determined that it will. I have no guarantee or entitlement regarding tomorrow. Yet I find that I live as if I do. If I have a problem with someone I think if can fix it tomorrow. If my relationship with God is not what it should be, I think I can make it better tomorrow. If I need to change my priorities I can do […]

A moment of silence and JFK

Earlier today various ceremonies took place across the United States to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  These ceremonies culminated in a moment of silence to a god of the people’s choosing. If a participant in these ceremonies didn’t believe in God or in a god, that was okay too. For them, silence is only a gateway to oblivion and the politically correct ceremony would not offend their belief in nothingness. As a matter of fact, the moment of silence means that no one should be offended. Rather than acknowledge the existence of God, we just pretend he does not exist, or if he does exist,  that he won’t be bothered that we just choose […]

Moses’ Challenge – Choose Life!

Some 3,600 years ago, Moses delivered his final thoughts to the people of Israel. Among them were these words: “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Each day you have a choice, you can follow the path of death or follow the path of life. Sound dramatic? […]

How could he do that!?!

There are times when our children’s sin really catches us by surprise. In our shock we ask how could he to do that; where did that come from? The hard truth is that your child began life as an enemy of God. He (or she) was an unregenerate, sinful, rebellious enemy of God. Do you believe this?   If you do, you can have great hope and peace about your child and his relationship to God. If you don’t believe this, then you will have no reason to tell your child what he needs to know to become God’s friend.    Paul teaches in Romans that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and  that there […]

The Heart’s Need for Grace

By Tedd & Margy Tripp   Because the problem of sin is deeper than the wrong things we do and say, sin problems can only be solved by grace. Since our problem is internal, sin cannot be remedied by “getting one’s act together.” Only grace can bring radical heart transformation. When the heart receives appropriate attention, children will not be able to escape how profoundly they need grace. If they see that their problem is bigger than behavior, they are delivered from superficial views of the Christian life. Our children’s needs are the same as our needs. We need the heart transplant surgery that is promised in the grace of the new covenant, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, […]