The Bible is the story of the gospel. The Lord made the first promise of the gospel to Eve. Abraham’s faith, not his performance, is the model for our faith And like us, he looked forward to the reality of the city whose builder was God. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Psalm 130 anticipates the heart of the gospel message: Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you. Like the Psalmist, when you and I come to fully realize that not one of our sins can condemn us, the power of the gospel is unleashed so that we may view […]
Monthly Archives: March 2016
16 posts
From God’s perspective, to love is to identify with Christ. In I John 3 we learn what love really means: to love is to follow Christ’s example and lay down our lives for others. Thus to love like Jesus did means at least these things: True love is selfless love. True love means a commitment to die to yourself. True love takes great personal courage. True love is dangerous. It is dangerous to follow Christ in love. Yet, it is even more dangerous to attempt to love without knowing and loving Christ. When you love someone, you become vulnerable to that person. The person you love is in a position to hurt you. The only way to truly love is to […]
Your ten-year-old son picks up the daily newspaper left laying on the kitchen table. No one has had an opportunity to actually read the paper yet. Your son finds a front page article on sex and TV, complete with enticing photos, and reads about new shows with group sex and nudity. Try to put yourself in his place. Your son needs a game plan about how to handle this information in a way that pleases God and protects him. This situation is exactly what Proverbs 6:20-24 envisions when it describes what godly parental instruction should accomplish for your children. Here is what verse 22 says: When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. […]
There are times when everything goes wrong all at once. The kids are out of control. There are problems with the car or the house. You are tired to the bone. There are far too few hours in a day. There are times life hurts. You try to pray but it is like God is on coffee break. There was a king who had a moment like this. There was a vast army that was coming to attack him. Why? Simply because they wanted to. They were strong and unjust. He knew that he had no ability to defeat the bad guys, they were simply too strong. Our king had no idea what to do. But then, in humility, King […]
Parents, you know the day will come when your children will face a situation where they will have to decide in an instant whether or not to give into temptation. How attractive has your instruction been to your children? Do they perceive your words as precious gifts which adorn their life (Proverbs 1:8-9)? Or has your instruction been dominated by anger, frustration and disappointment with their performance? Proverbs 6:20-24, has valuable insight. Solomon says that sons, (children) are to cling tightly to their parents instruction. He says in verse 22 this instruction is to become an intimate part of their lives, so much so, that it speaks to their heart 24/7: When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When […]
There is a difference between having control and building up. Parental authority based on control leads to manipulation, domination, and failed relationships. Parental authority that is based on building up takes time, requires dependence on God’s power and leads to lasting, deepening relationships. Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:10 says that God gave him authority for building up and not for tearing down. This is important. As a parent you want to do far more than simply control your children. Control can be achieved in many ways. Here are just a few examples: Manipulation. Do what I ask and you can have a special dessert or your can go to the big game next week. Intimidation. “Do what I want if […]