As parents we rightly focus on teaching our children to obey God. But, we must be more focused on teaching our children to love God first. This is where it is easy to turn away from the gospel in parenting. Whether you read Deuteronomy, Matthew or Colossians, the first thing that God desires is that he is to be loved. Too often, when it comes to raising children, loving God is tacked on as an after thought to obedience. The thought process may run like this: “I can’t force my children to love God, so I will teach them to obey, because I can require that.” Teaching obedience appears to be a more doable task than teaching the love of […]
Monthly Archives: April 2016
20 posts
I didn’t mean that! How many times have those words raced out of your mouth? Your heart vainly hopes to intercept the deadly verbal missiles launched from that same mouth only moments before. Despite your desperate attempt to stop the flight of those missiles, it is too late. They have found their targets. Devastating damage has been done. In shame, you realize you can’t undo your careless words. In James 3, the Holy Spirit reminds you just how ugly and devastating careless words can be. These words are like the tiny floating spark that leaps from an unguarded fire and ignites a whole forest. This spark is from the fires of hell! So, if you can’t get back your destructive […]
This is tax week. Monday, April 18th is tax day, the day most Americans love to hate. The tax burden appears to be too high. The government often wastes taxpayer dollars. Sometimes those dollars are spent on unspeakable acts of immorality and injustice. Some governmental leaders and agencies are corrupt. Often the “will of the people” is ignored or even despised. Protests seem useless. All of these things appear to be a good reason not to pay taxes or at least, be disdainful of the process. But God has a different perspective. At the time Paul wrote to the Romans about paying taxes Nero was the Emperor. Nero set the standard for corruption and immortality in government. He targeted Christians […]
Luke’s Gospel, written to gentiles, tells us why Jesus came to earth. His words are a mixture of joy and sobriety. Joy, because Jesus is my only hope. Sobriety, 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 these verses from Luke 4:16-21, Christ tells us why he came. Praise be to the glorious grace of God! He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of […]
It’s campaign season. Which means it’s promise-breaking season. But politicians aren’t the only ones who make promises that can’t or won’t be kept. The pursuit of pleasure promises freedom but leads to slavery. Hard work promises fulfillment but often leads to hard times and broken relationships. Possessions promise contentment, but often result in disappointment and envy. Education promises answers, but leaves us with more questions. King David believed the promise offered by his lustful glance at Bathsheba would bring him satisfaction. How did that work out for him? The modern world is not so different than the ancient world. This is the message that you are to tell your children. You must prepare your children for a world which […]
Lightning rips through the air followed by the violent crash of thunder. At that moment everything stops. Your heart pounds. Whatever you were thinking about is gone, replaced by fear, awe, terror, and a sense of smallness. The sound is of unrestrained energy. Or perhaps you are fortunate enough to hear the rolling thunder as a storm approaches through a mountain valley. Deep rumbles echo back and forth between the mountains. Astounding power, muted, yet ominous. There is the fascination of watching a storm drift out to sea. As the thunder becomes distant, lightning criss-crosses the evening sky in a brilliant light show. Only now does the thunder appear safe as the sounds and lights fade into darkness. What about […]
Joy is an elusive reality to grasp. Happiness is obvious. Fun is contagious. Delight is infectious. Momentary pleasure is fleeting. All of these qualities are seen in one’s countenance, composure and body language. They tend not to coexist with their polar opposites. However, joy is different. Joy and sorrow intermingle. Joy thrives in a hostile environment. Joy isn’t always recognizable in physical appearance. Tears do not rob joy of it’s vision. Joy endures, it sustains, it gives purpose. Joy leads you by the hand to the glory of God. Pure joy is unique to the Christian because it is the Spirit’s fruit. Joy transcends the moment and extends into eternity. Joy rescues us from sadness, even when the sadness remains. […]
Encouragement is not primarily about solving problems. Encouragement builds relationships. It is primarily about engaging in thoughts and activities that bring honor to God. In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul urges you to focus on things that are excellent and praiseworthy. Here are two practical examples of doing this: Two young children are fussing and complaining. Negative response: “Why can’t you two just be quiet! Being noisy and fussy is a distraction to everybody in this house. I don’t want to hear any more unpleasantness, and I mean it! Do you understand?!?” Response that encourages: “God’s Word says that we should be thankful for each other. Do you remember how we talked about things we can be thankful for about each other? […]
Are you all in for God? Proverbs 2 provides a window of understanding for one reason why you have periods of spiritual apathy. If you ever have a question about why God seems distant at times, here is an explanation. Solomon says to find the knowledge of God, you must be passionately committed to your search, you must be all in. Suppose I told you that you could find millions of dollars in your back yard, all you have to do is go find it. Would your response be passive? Would you start your search after you have had a nap or watched your favorite TV program? Would you put your search off until a more convenient time? Would you […]
People often experience near misses and close calls, for example – narrowly avoiding a traffic accident. In response some will often say something like, “thank God!’ These moments provide an opportunity to speak of Christ. Caring, concerned questions may lead to an opportunity for the gospel. When someone says, “thank the good Lord, that was close!” Look for an opportunity to talk about what was said. Perhaps something like this: Your friend, Joe, called you to pick him up after he was in a minor accident. Joe says it could have been much worse. “Hey Joe, that really was a close call.” “Yep, the man upstairs was looking after me.” “Well, no doubt about that. Joe, we are friends, right? […]