There is a huge difference between punishment and discipline. Since children are born wanting to go their own way, every parent engages in some form of correction. That correction will either take the form of punishment or discipline. Punishment is about retribution, payment for wrong doing. Punishment produces insecurity and fear. Biblical discipline on the other hand produces security and peace. The reason for the difference is that biblical discipline is motivated and controlled by love, the love of Christ. Only the love of Christ can remove punishment. As I John 4:18 says, the perfect love of Christ drives out fear, and replaces it with the blessing of the gospel. Thus, if your correction is not directly connected to the […]
Monthly Archives: February 2018
10 posts
There is an oppressive darkness that hangs over our country. We have our moments of hope but they are quickly extinguished by the darkness of the human heart. The Winter Olympics offered glimpses of hope. On Valentine’s Day love was celebrated. But, then, in an eye blink, evil tore at the heart of Parkland, Florida. High school students were gunned down. Lives were lost and changed forever. Families will never be whole again. There is no ease for the anguish of the parents who sent their children to school not knowing it would be for the last time. Ecclesiastes expresses the trauma of human darkness this way: “Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place […]
Adam was designed by God from the inside out to trust his heavenly Father. That trust was so complete that it defined Adam as a person. He was totally secure in God’s presence even as he stood naked before the holy King of the universe. But the instant Adam gave up that trust, he became a pathetic coward who in shame and fear refused to protect his wife and honor his God. Adam went from security to fear in a heartbeat. He became a creature he was never designed to be. Adam knew fear, doubt, worry, and anger instantly. Instead of being a creature of trust he morphed into a blame shifter. He traded the beauty of innocence for the […]
No one accomplishes anything apart from the express will and plan of God. We seldom think of God with that amount of reach and power into our personal lives. However, James gets it right when he says: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15) This is why humility is not a popular idea […]
Valentine’s Day is here. It is time to show your love, at least that is what the ads are proclaiming with seemingly every web site, TV commercial, 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 costs 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 selfless love looks like from I Corinthians 13: Love is patient Do you listen before you speak? Are you eager to give your time to your wife or husband? Do […]
Your children were designed by God for honor and glory. They were designed for a rich, full, satisfying relationship with God. They were designed for purity and significance. They were to designed to serve and not to be served. They were designed to delight in God and to have all of their deepest needs met in him. They were designed to work hand-in-hand with God to spread his dominion over the planet. They were designed to enjoy the gift of sex in the safety of marriage. They were designed for beauty, joy and wonder. But, then, sin crashed the party. Adam’s sin, your sin and your children’s sin combine to fuel the cravings of the flesh. The beautiful design of […]
Your day is busy, Things are running behind schedule. Amber, your six year old is not responding to your directions. She either responds slowly or not at all. But instead of addressing her disobedience immediately, you have fallen into a pattern of repeating your directions and scolding her for not obeying quickly. You find yourself wishing Amber would just obey so you wouldn’t have to become angry and fuss at her. Then all of a sudden, the light bulb comes on! Amber isn’t the problem, you are. You realize that by scolding and continuously repeating yourself, Amber has learned not to take your direction seriously, at least not for the first five times you ask her to obey. You realize […]
As parents, many of us frequently say, “do this because the Bible says you should.” Then one day, your teenager asks, “why?” How do you respond? Let’s start with what the Bible teaches about how it was written (see 2 Peter 1:3-4; 16-21 Hebrews 4:12-13 John 16:12-15 2 Timothy 3:14-17 Ephesians 2:20): God gave his word through prophets and apostles to mankind through the direction, inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The writers of Scripture then expressed these words accurately and authoritatively, in their own voice, under the supervision of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit oversaw the collection of these inspired writings so that they became the Bible we have now. This, in short form, is what the Bible teaches […]
Kirk Cameron’s latest film, Connect, is about the world your teenagers inhabit. You see your children in the physical world of school, soccer practices, church, meals, homework and the daily rush of life. But, at the same time, you know that your kids are connected to somewhere else, to a world of thoughts and attractions you cannot reach. The reality hits: “my kids are connected, but not to God and not to me!” Connect meets this reality head on. Kirk and his wife Chelsea have 6 teenagers. He knows first-hand the powerful connection of the dark virtual world. So Kirk wanted to know why the virtual, online world has such power over our teenagers. Most importantly Kirk wanted to know […]
Independence is a myth. Dependence is a trap. Can both of these statements be true? Not only are they both true, but failing to acknowledge these truths will result in struggles throughout life. Let’s see why. Independence is a myth. From the beginning people were created to be in a dependent relationship with God. This is part of the DNA of the soul of every human. Adam and Eve were dependent upon God to sustain life. God planted the garden for them. God placed the garden near rivers to allow for rich, fertile soil. God commanded Adam to guard and protect this precious garden. And then, finally, God provided a wife for Adam and gave directions about how families were […]