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Turning from conflict

Parents are to build relationships that honor God. James 3:17 is a remarkable summary of what biblical wisdom looks like in the face of conflict. This verse provides what you need to build relationships that bless your family and honor God. Below this verse is broken-down in bullet-point fashion. There is a personal question for you after each point. Compare this with how you interact with your family. There are six qualities illustrated in this verse of what wisdom from above looks like. Ask your children, your teenagers, your husband or wife how you are doing in these six areas of displaying wisdom. Don’t be defensive – listen and ask God for the power to show his wisdom, wisdom from […]

Christianity is not a spectator sport – it is war!

Christianity is not like being a fan of your local sports team. But, too often I fear we act that way. You follow your sports team, wear the appropriate team jersey to the game, buy a ticket to get in and then cheer for your team with all the other spectators in the stadium. Ah, you see what I mean. Joe Christian signs up at his local church. He puts on his Sunday clothing (he either dresses up or dresses down) puts some money in the plate and then watches the worship leader, musicians and pastors play the game, while he cheers or says Amen! This is not what being a Christian is all about. The main event in Christianity […]

Satisfaction Is Found Only In God

One of life’s hardest lessons is to realize that true satisfaction is found only in God. There are many pretenders but only God is sufficient to give meaning and purpose to your life. Apart from God every single relationship and endeavor you pursue carries the reality of disappointment. One of the cruelest things you can to do is to expect others to provide for you what can only be found in God. No human can bear the weight of being God for you. Practically, what does this mean? No child can bear the weight of being your satisfaction in life. This will cause you to either ask too much from them or to ignore the weaknesses. In either case you […]

Thought for the Lord’s Day

The commanding greatness of Christ! The Apostle John saw reality as it truly is. He saw Jesus Christ honored for who he is. The person and presence of Christ is so commanding the creatures of heaven are blown away by him! They cannot help but respond to him in worship. May God so increase our awareness of Christ that every moment of our lives is impacted by his greatness, glory and power. May our lives show his greatness with every action we take. Will you join me as I seek forgiveness for thinking of life in terms of what I want and what makes me happy? Every moment of my life is an opportunity to respond to his greatness. I […]

Why do you get angry?

Anger is most often a response to a perceived injustice. In other words, all that has to happen to become angry is to think an injustice has been committed, even if the wrong never occurred. For example: You come home and your other car is not in the driveway. You become angry because you automatically assume your son has taken it without permission. Then you find out he is doing errand for your wife. Your angry subsides. You were angry at a perceived injustice. This is one reason Paul commands that you not let the sun go down on your anger. You could be angry about something that never really happened. So, Paul says, “in your anger do not sin.” […]

God Created Man: He Created Them Male and Female

God created man: he created them male and female. This truth is the foundation for understanding what it means to be human. This is seen in at least three ways: First: Man is a created being. Humans did not emerge or evolve. Humans were created. At one moment we were not and then we were. Second: God created man for his own purpose, plan and pleasure. Third: Man was created, in the image of God, male and female, as a morally responsible creature under God. Any attempt to understand who man is without acknowledging these three foundational truths will lead to chaos and horrific human suffering. The secular vanguards of our culture have rejected all three of these foundational realities. […]

A Conversation With a Young Teenager

“Stop bothering your sister.” “Why?” “Because it is not nice to do that to her.” “Well, she is not nice to me. Why should I be nice to her?” “God says you should be nice to her.” “Well, then, you should tell her that. If she starts being nice to me, I’ll be nice to her. Its not like I am hurting her or anything.” “But that is not how it works. You should do what God wants no matter how your sister responds.” “So, what do I do when you get mad and yell at me?” “You shouldn’t talk to me like that!” “Why? I am not being disrespectful or mad, I just asked you a question.” “You just […]

Oscar and Baal

Sometimes the obvious is so clear that its meaning is obscured. We live in a world that worships statues! There is an irony in the attitudes of Hollywood and the entertainment media about the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. Bible morality is viewed with scorn and hatred. Both on the screen and in daily life, biblical purity is something to be mocked as a personality disorder. Here is the irony. Over 2,800 years ago, the Prophet Isaiah described the idol worshippers of his day with language that also perfectly describes the moral mess of Hollywood. People today also worship elaborate statues. Those in the film industry live and die for a statue, an idol called Oscar. The name on the […]

Tedd Tripp on Getting to the Heart of Behavior

Getting to the Heart of Behavior By Tedd Tripp Ask good questions to help your children understand their attitudes of heart. Think, for example, of the young man who has humiliated his younger brother in the presence of his older friends. You must correct his rude and hurtful behavior, but the wise parent will also help him understand what motivated him. You might have a conversation like this: “Do you think your brother was embarrassed by the ways you spoke to him?” “Yeah, I guess.” “Why do you think he felt so hurt?” “I guess he thought I was making fun of him.” “I think you’re right, he did. This is a hard question, but what do you think was […]