Our world is changing. The gospel is our only hope! From Peter Jones: From its founding until the 1960’s American culture was defined by patriarchal, heterosexual and Judeo-Christian presuppositions. In one generation, this worldview has been largely replaced by a radically egalitarian, omnigendered, pansexual, multi-religious and One-ist, (i.e. eastern thought) belief system that has turned our contemporary world upside down. “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8
Jay Younts
2262 posts
Paul said that he had learned to be content in all circumstances. Paul knew that he could always do whatever it was that God wanted him to do. Because of this reality he was able to be content. Discontent comes when you believe things are out control, when you believe that either you can’t do what God wants or you believe doing what God wants doesn’t matter. We become discontent when things don’t go the way we believe they should. The truth is that even when your children do crazy things, you can know contentment. Nothing ever gets by God. He is never stressed. His ability to care for you is never in doubt. There is no circumstance in your […]
Proverbs 16 offers key, comprehensive insights about establishing authority on the basis of righteousness; this kind of authority encourages. Here are five selected Proverbs from this chapter: Proverbs 16:3 – You must be sold out to God! Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Your commitment to God must be total. You are committing all of your life to honor God. In parenting this means a commitment to use God’s methods to accomplish God’s purpose. Authority without this commitment is destructive and frustrating! Proverbs 16:11 – Your word as a parent must be consistent and trustworthy. Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are of his making. This couplet stresses […]
Only the unique work of the Holy Spirit can bring the wonder and endurance of joy to human experience. Take a moment and consider how special true joy is. This is the joy you want your children to learn and live. Don’t settle for momentary pleasure. Cry out to God for joy that is everlasting! Joy has to do with the reality of God. Joy transcends the moment and extends into eternity. Joy does not fade but endures. In our deepest sadness we are rescued by joy. Joy alone makes sense of the pain of life. Joy is the certain knowledge that what is unseen is more than what is seen. Joy is the fuel of hope. Joy means your […]
Obedience is not something to use to gain a reward. Rather, obedience itself is a reward, a great privilege, honor and joy. Just as I cannot make myself more acceptable to God by my obedience, neither do I want my children to think that I will be more accepting of them because of their obedience. “Excuse me! Would you mind saying that again?” Sure. Your children must not think that you will be more accepting of them if they obey you. I know, saying it like this seems awkward. So much of your life is about training and teaching God’s truth. But the truth is that one’s own obedience does not make him acceptable to God. The last thing that […]
Jesus told his disciples to remember him. We must remember there is nothing that we enjoy in this life that did not cost the life of someone else. Whether it is connected to those who have made their sacrifice in the military or in law enforcement, or to Jesus Christ, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for you and me. This much is true: none of us has anything of value that did not in someway cost the life of someone else. So, enjoy your burgers, enjoy the time out doors, enjoy the time off. Just remember this: your joy was paid for in some way by the death of others. Enjoy because someone did die so that you could take […]
A judgmental spirit towards people is a dangerous thing. It leads to doubt, mistrust and broken relationships. But there is another form of judgment that is far more destructive: the practice of judging God. When you begin to question God’s faithfulness, when circumstances are not what you wanted, you are actually judging God. When your general response to life is that life is a bummer or that life stinks, you are judging God. Why? Because the Holy Spirit says that God is causing all the events in your life to be a good thing for you. So, when you look at life and fail to see God’s goodness, even in the painful things, you are judging God. You are critiquing […]
Young children ask their parents questions. Be thankful. As a parent, you want to keep the questions coming. No doubt someone is saying, are you crazy, all I do is answer questions. However, if you become exasperated with these questions, eventually they will diminish. While this may bring short-term relief, it will also result in a diminished relationship with your children as they become move towards the teenage years. Why is this true? Being annoyed with or detached from the questions of younger children will result in only hearing logistical questions from your teenagers. If your teenagers are primarily asking logistical questions, such as can I have the car, or when is dinner, this should alert you that the important questions […]
Is it to give him information? The problem here is that God already knows everything about you that could be known. Is it because he tells us to talk with him and tell him about our cares and concerns? This is headed in the right direction! But even here, we may be tempted to let God know how we think things should work out. The best reason to talk with God is because he wants us to! He desires our friendship, it is what you and I are created for – to bring honor to his name in all that we do. Ephesians 2:10 So, if we talk with God to let him know about our problems and to encourage […]
Here is a brief application from Romans 8 that teaches Christians do not have to be controlled by fear. Christians need not fear condemnation. verse 1 Christians are not controlled by the flesh but by the Holy Spirit. verse 9 Christians are not slaves to fear, but to the Holy Spirit. verse 15 If you rely only on what is seen you will be controlled by fear. verse 24 If you rely on what is unseen, you have hope. verse 24 Even in your weak moments of worry and fear, the Spirit intercedes for you. verse 26 Your deepest fears have been searched out by God and are known to him. verse 27 The Holy Spirit, intimately aware of your […]