The modern drift away from authority has had a negative impact on Christian families. Scripture says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Our culture is suspicious of this truth. If man is only the result of a random series of bio-chemical events, then the idea of being responsible to a divine authority has no validity–in fact, it is absurd. This is the mindset that today’s parents have been raised with. Here are some questions that are a reality check to see if your parenting reflects the culture’s view of authority or God’s. How many times do you have to ask your children to obey before they do so? Do your children respond pleasantly when you […]
Monthly Archives: October 2016
16 posts
What does Monday mean to you? Do you look forward to this new week? Or, perhaps, are you wondering if this week will be as overwhelming as last week? Or maybe you think this will be just another week—nothing special or worrisome to look forward to—just another week. God has given you this new week to do things for him. First and foremost it is God’s week, not your week. Acts 17:26-28 tells you that God has determined that where you are now, on this Monday, is exactly where he wants you to be. He has placed you where you are so that you would reach out and seek him. In addition to having you right where he wants you, […]
If you are interested in your children living a life of faith, you need to tell stories! The Psalmist wants God’s people to vividly remember the great deeds of God in redemptive history. Then, he pledges that his children will hear these stories: We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. (Psalm 78) “We will not hide these truths from our children.” This is an important step towards raising children who will live for God. You do this by intimately knowing the rich biblical narratives that tell of the faithfulness of God to his people. Learn the context of […]
One day a man returned home exhausted and famished from a hunting trip. As he neared the camp he caught the smell of a meal that his younger brother was preparing. Convinced he was about to die, he pleaded with his brother for some food. His brother was an enterprising sort, so he offered to exchange the food for the birthright, the blessing which belonged to the first born. Driven by hunger, the older brother greedily accepted the offer. It was a decision he lived to regret. Esau, the older brother was filled with regret, but there was no hint of repentance. He regretted losing his inheritance in exchange for filling his empty stomach. We are told he wept bitter […]
Every day is an opportunity to be invested in something more than what our five senses tell us. More to the point, our senses fail to tell us what makes life worth living. Life lived for sensory input alone cannot deliver the spectacular promises that each sense evokes. Our eyes show beauty, our ears hear music, our tongues tempt of delicacies, aromas bring memories, our bodies long for warm embrace. With each sensual encounter we long for more, but satisfaction is only for the moment. Our senses lead us to wonder or fear, but can do no more. Praise God that there is more to life than our senses offer. As wonderful as our senses are, they are not enough. […]
“Love is giving willingly of whatever I have to meet someone’s need.” I can almost hear someone reacting, “Wait a minute! That might be a partial definition of love. But what about the deep feelings, the driving emotional mood that is also supposed to accompany love. This definition leaves that part out.” There is an unspoken expectation that is associated with love. This human assumption is that when you love there are huge emotional benefits that make love something good for you. When you say you love someone, your natural self is expecting good things to happen to you because of your “love”. Imagine Christmases, anniversaries, Valentine’s Days where you were the only one doing the sacrificial giving . You […]
People were designed by God to worship. At the fall man lost his ability to know whom to worship. So, we worship counterfeit gods. This is the worship we were born to as fallen creatures. It is the enemy’s scheme that when we participate in corporate worship we do so to earn God’s favor. But our God is a jealous God. He will not share his glory with counterfeit pretenders. May we see God for who he is, not for what we want him to be. May we say with the Psalmist: But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Life is about control. Specifically, who is in control. It starts at birth. Babies naturally want to be fed, dry and know comfort. When one of these conditions is not met, who is in control becomes an issue. Later on there is a toy that is appealing, someone’s attention that is desired, and yes, feelings of hunger still matter. Teenagers want control of their time, of how they are perceived, and the lives of those they may be attracted to. Adults want control of outcomes: things like income, relationships, personal appearance, political elections. And as age moves on the focus shifts to more immediate issues — how much longer will I live. In the end, it comes full circle; once […]
“Hey mom, Jeremy is upset.” “Okay Sarah, I’ll be right there.” The real story here is what mom is saying to herself. “Here we go again. Sarah is always making Jeremy upset. I can’t finish anything without somebody having an issue.” “Dad, I’m really sorry I messed up and forgot to cut the grass. I’ll get to it right after lunch. Sorry dad.” “Aaron, when is this pattern going to change? You need to start being responsible. Don’t make promises you can’t keep!” What dad is thinking: “I can’t believe this kid. Always an excuse. At least I didn’t yell at him. I just hope he gets his act together before its too late. I’m getting really tired of this.” […]
Parenting is a challenging task — at times even overwhelming. There are countless remedies offered from every corner to make parenting easier and less stressful. Yet despite all the advice and devices, at the end of the day, parents are tired and weary. Weary not only because of the trials of the day just finished, but also weary because tomorrow is just a few hours away. In this in-between time, the tiredness often reaches its peak. The free advice and stress-reducing gadgets offer little consolation. Even Bible verses may seem disconnected from the pressures of getting ready for tomorrow. Perhaps the most discouraging realization is knowing that in the morning you will wake up as weary as you are now. […]