Biblical instruction is at once kind, gracious, sensitive, gentle, and authoritative. It encourages questions from the earliest days that a child can talk. Questions are good and must be welcomed and answered with care and concern. Biblical instruction avoids clichés, harsh quips, anger and frustration. It is patient and does not keep a running tally of wrongs. Biblical instruction requires humility on the part of parents. It refuses to pre-judge or jump to conclusions. Biblical instruction equips. Biblical instruction cannot be taught by rote or adherence to blind allegiance. It is fueled by hope, not fear. It does not shut down opposing points of view, but engages them. Biblical Instruction requires parents to be sensitive, compassionate listeners. Biblical instruction […]
Monthly Archives: January 2014
This post was excerpted from Chapter One of Instructing a Child’s Heart, by Tedd and Margy Tripp. This section provides you with keen insight on the importance of formative instruction. We must actively teach our children, and live the reality, that God defines life. He tells and shows us the truth about what is valuable, what is worth living and dying for, what is worth doing and being, and what gives our lives significance. Rather than simply fixing short-term problems, we parents must have a vision for formative instruction from infancy to adulthood. These realities are summed up in Matthew 22:37–39: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. […]
A good friend asks you what is your goal for raising your children. You reply, “I want to raise children that are holy.” Your friend looks at you sadly and says, “how boring is that!” Boring. This is the way the enemy of your soul wants holiness to be understood – as drab, boring, and uneventful. Our culture has bought into this lie as well. However, being holy is anything but uneventful. Being holy means to actively pursue a relationship with the most powerful being in the universe. Being holy requires boldness, courage, and a sense of adventure. Being holy means to be love power over weakness. Being holy means to be live in a way that changes lives and […]
It has been five years since January of 2009 when US Air Flight 1549 collided with a flock of geese over the Hudson River and lost power to its engines. The event is worth remembering. Here is the post I wrote at the time. Like most of you, I was amazed at the skill and split-second judgment of Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger of US Air Flight 1549, as he put the plane down in the Hudson River with no loss of life. I watched one video clip in astonishment that showed passengers climbing out onto the wings of the plane within 25 seconds after the plane settled down after the splash. One of the ferries arrived on the scene three […]
Several news sources report that during a radio interview last Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said there is no place in New York State for extreme conservatives who are “right-to-life.” The reason: “that’s not who New Yorkers are.” Depending in which poll you follow, the governor is saying there is no place for 55% to 40% of the people who currently live in his state. That is a significant number of people to tell that they are not welcome anymore! I realize no state law has been passed banning “pro-life” people from New York. But what is important is to see the attitude of a public official who was elected to serve all the people of his […]
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. These words echo 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? The answer is no! To understand Paul’s admonition to children, we must remember how Paul previously describes obedient living to the Ephesians. Here are two examples: …For we are his workmanship, […]
In the context of our various trials we need wisdom to know how to function in those trials and circumstances; it is available from a giving God, and we are to ask for it (James 1:5). Our need is no different from Israel’s. We need not only the power of God to overwhelm our obvious enemies but also the wisdom of God to detect our subtle enemies. Unfortunately, the church too often craves God’s power while it ignores God’s wisdom. Dale Ralph Davis
The state of California is experiencing its worst drought in 100 years. According the NBC Channel 4 in Los Angeles, Governor Jerry Brown has declared a drought emergency. The station also reports that the governor has identified Mother Nature as the state’s adversary. Note this quote from Channel 4’s website: “I’ve called for a collaborative effort to restrain our water use,” Brown said. “This is a call to arms. This is not a partisan adversary, this is Mother Nature.” Doing battle with “Mother Nature” will lead to frustration. “Mother Nature” is not the adversary, God is. Rain falls at the pleasure of God and God alone. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that God sends rain upon the just and […]
The major investment firms are frequent visitors in your home. No, they aren’t invited guests. They attach themselves to the popular television shows and sporting events. So, just after your team scores, the President of one of these companies shows up on the screen encouraging you to make wise investments using his brokerage firm. Just after he says goodbye, the owner of another firm flies by in his helicopter to let you know how his firm makes investing affordable. These visits are then followed by a commercial for a luxury sports sedan. The message is clear: security and peace of mind come from making wise investments and making your money grow. These things provide access to comfort and stability. While […]
Explanation as a method of training is tied to the belief that teaching children is based on information transfer. The idea is that if I explain to my kids how they should behave, what they did wrong and how to change, then they will behave differently and for the better. The problem with this method is that it misses the reality that behavior flows from the heart, not just from a correct understanding of the situation. Explanation must transcend information transfer and become instruction that reaches the heart. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 forms the paradigm for how this is done. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that […]