Americans are fascinated by fame. This attraction is fatal. Romans teaches that the pursuit of fame leads to a great exchange. God’s truth is exchanged for a lie. Man worships and serves things which are created instead of the One who creates: They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator… Romans 1:25 By making this exchange man becomes less of what he could be, not more. If we chose to ignore God, then all that is left is the praise of men. In this setting, man becomes self-absorbed like the inhabitants of Babel: Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a […]
Yearly Archives: 2014
347 posts
Why Christ came to earth, in his own words Luke’s Gospel, written to gentiles, tells us why Jesus came to earth. His words are a mixture of joy and fear. Joy, because Jesus is my only hope. Fear, because Jesus describes exactly who I am without his mercy. If you do not think of yourself as a poor, blind slave apart from the grace of Christ, you think too much of yourself and too little of Christ. In the passage below Christ tells us why he came. Praise God for his glorious grace! He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his […]
Here is a brief application from Romans 8 that teaches Christians do not have to be controlled by fear. Christians need not fear condemnation. verse 1 Christians are not controlled by the flesh but by the Holy Spirit. verse 9 Christians are not slaves to fear, but to the Holy Spirit. verse 15 If you rely only on what is seen you will be controlled by fear. verse 24 If you rely on what is unseen, you have hope. verse 24 Even in your weak moments of worry and fear, the Spirit intercedes for you. verse 26 Your deepest fears have been searched out by God and are known to him. verse 27 […]
In all of the ease and comfort of modern life it is easy to forget what the world is truly like. It is easy to lose sight of the need to prepare your children for a world which is not their friend. It is easy to love the world. It is so easy that God has given you a clear and dramatic command not to love it. The world has only the appearance of beauty, not the reality. But the appearance of beauty is alluring and powerful, even though it is false. Satan is hard at work putting an appealing, beautiful veneer over the horrible world that he rules. Never underestimate the danger of false beauty! Paul describes the […]
Solomon describes the importance of the heart in Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The heart is like an artesian spring. All our hopes, dreams, and desires gush from the heart. Every drive for meaning and significance originates in the heart. Our behavior flows from the heart—it isn’t caused by circumstances or other people. The heart, with its passions and desires, is the wellspring of life. Recently, Radio Shack had a sale on little matchbox-size remote control cars. “What a fun thing for the grandchildren to play with at grandpa’s house,” I thought. The next week they were all at our house for a family meal. I got the […]
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 […]
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 […]