What is love? Valentine’s Day is almost here. It is time to show your love, at least that is what the ads are proclaiming with seemingly every billboard, TV commercial, radio spot or magazine cover you see. Flowers, chocolates, jewelry, teddy bears and related items are the order of the day. But do these things really show what love means? The Holy Spirit’s gift of love will cost much more than any of the items listed above. The Holy Spirit’s idea of love will cost you your life. Here are just a few examples of what loving God’s way looks like from I Corinthians 13: Love is patient Do you listen before you speak? Are you eager to give your […]
Monthly Archives: February 2016
18 posts
A husband says to his wife that he is sorry for being insensitive. He says he has been under a lot of pressure lately. A mom says tells her kids she shouldn’t have yelled at them, but she is just very tired. These “little” sins are justified because of some extenuating circumstance or unfair treatment by someone else. After a while these sins aren’t even seen as sins. They are conveniently placed in the category of being human. Well, that is true as far as it goes. Being human means many things: A person who is made in the image of God. A person who has great value because he is an image-bearer of God. A person who, with Adam, […]
Wisdom teaches your child that telling the truth is more than just saying things that are true. Being truthful means speaking accurately, without exaggerating or being misleading. Your child needs wisdom to be truthful. Truth telling is a conscious effort to supply accurate information that honors God and not self. It is possible to say things that are accurate and still hide the truth. This is the distinction that you must teach to your children. No child is born wise. Wisdom is a skill that must be acquired. If you are waiting for your child to grow up and begin to make wise choices, you will be waiting a long time. In order to be truthful, wisdom is required. This […]
You just confirmed that your fifteen-year-old son, Justin, has been looking at pornography. Following is an example of a conversation that demonstrates what I Corinthians 13:4-7 looks like in action. See how many positive attributes of love you can find in Dad’s conversation. “Justin, we have to talk about the images you were viewing on the computer.” “Dad, I really don’t want to and I am not going to – it is really none of your business.” “I think I understand why you would say that. I didn’t want to talk to my dad about this stuff either. He caught me looking at a magazine once. He screamed at me and told me never to do it again. He grabbed […]
God’s message to the nations in Psalm 33 is a simple one: all of the earth is to fear the Lord. He is to be honored and revered because he spoke the world into existence. There was nothing and then there was the universe! That is awesome power! So, as the psalmist looks at the activities and plans of men and nations, he knows that they are subject to God’s plan and purpose. No nation can deter the plan of God. No leader can succeed against the purpose of God. As this election season enters it final phase, this is the one reality that must not be missed. God’s plans will go forward as he has purposed and man’s plans […]
A gentle response to an angry or defiant act seems weak and out of place. The Holy Spirit has a different perspective: A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1) The Hebrew word for gentle here means the quality of being tender, soft, delicate in substance. This is not exactly the first response that comes to mind when someone you know or your teenager opposes you. There are two natural responses when this happens. Both are equally wrong and destructive. The first is to fight fire with fire, to let others know you won’t stand for their behavior. The second is to be hurt and withdraw either in fear or humiliation. But the […]
Dr. Paul Tautges has written a book for every believer. Preorder it for great savings. Order now Here is an excerpt from the book: Believers in Jesus Christ must be taught and trained to be richly indwelt with the Word of God, to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to be driven by the gospel, to express dependence on God through prayer, to be motivated by love for God and neighbor, and to be moved with compassion to help one another make progress in the ongoing work of sanctification. This is authentic biblical counseling. Therefore, in this book, counseling will be presented as a targeted form of discipleship , an intensely focused and personal “one-another” ministry aimed at […]
Psalm 73 tells you that the nearness of God is your good, or how good it is to be near God! These are familiar words. No doubt, they often bring an “amen” when they are read or spoken. However, how deeply do these words take root in your heart? How often do difficult circumstances and events drive these words far away from your mind? Do these familiar words bring joy to your soul or do you wait to use them as platitudes when times are rough? What the psalmist describes in this Psalm is the conflict of faith and experience that is common to all of us as God’s people. You believe in God’s goodness, but your experience is marinated […]