Struggles in relationships just don’t happen, they come from somewhere. If you think the cause of relational problems lies primarily in other people, think again. James 3 talks about 2 kinds of wisdom: wisdom from below and wisdom from above. One leads to discord, jealousy, fights, etc. The other leads to peace. James urges you and me to desire and practice wisdom that comes from above. Look at verse 17: But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. Let’s break this down. Wisdom from above is: Pure Here pure means a single minded purpose. Wisdom from above wants what God wants. This means motives are […]
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I don’t like correction. There I said it. I like to be right. More importantly, I like it even more when you think I am right. By openly admitting these things I have also shown a propensity for stupidity. This is but another reminder of the danger of being wise in my own eyes. If I care most about being right, I care most about myself. This is not wisdom but stupidity. If I am to learn, I must first love discipline and rebuke. When I recoil at the correction and rebuke of those closest to me, I make myself weak. Instead of trying to find a way to challenge a rebuke, God wants me to first learn from that […]
It is important to educate and train your children. The question, of course, is what do you teach them and when. Here is one truth that is seldom taught because it something that people don’t like to talk about, especially with children: We live and die at God’s pleasure. It is good and necessary to teach children skills that will last a lifetime. It is also good to teach children that life is unpredictable for humans. As the Psalmist says our days are like grass and wildflowers. There is a burst of beauty and then the flower is gone. This truth must not be avoided. Children must be taught that we are not to live for ourselves, we live for […]
What Your Children Need Most by Tedd Tripp If you want your children to have a reason to sing on Sunday, give them a glorious God. If you want your children to have a reason not to sin on Monday, give them a glorious God. If you want them to think of nobler things than the latest, mind-numbing video fantasy game, give them a glorious God. If you want them to dream grander dreams than illicit sex or more money or more stuff, give them a glorious God. If you want them to have a reason for confidence when life seems to spin out of control, give them a glorious God. When friends are offering the pleasures of sin for […]
Worry or Wait What is the opposite of worry? Simply answering not to worry is empty. People tend to worry about what is uncertain. But being certain about what will come is also not helpful. Because once we figure out what will happen then we worry about that. The opposite of worry is waiting. If you learn anything in the Bible it is that tomorrow is uncertain. No one knows what tomorrow will bring in terms of events and circumstances. But what God’s people do know is that God will be faithful to do what he has planned promised. So while I do not know the particulars about tomorrow, I can wait in eager expectation that God will be faithful […]
Being in middle school is like being in a tug-of-war with both sides evenly matched. On the one hand there is the pull of the teenage years. On the other hand are the benefits of being a young child. Or a middle schooler could dread the coming of youth while wanting desperately to be done with being a child. It is important not to miss the particular struggles your middle schooler might have. He is beginning to function without the immediate and constant supervision of his parents. He does this even though new and sometimes dangerous influences enter his life. Should he listen to Mom and Dad or to the kids that are telling him that there is more to […]
Helping Children Evaluate Themselves by Tedd & Margy Tripp Proverbs 9 will help our children evaluate themselves, “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning” (Prov. 9:7–9). We used this passage to help our children evaluate their responses to parental authority. I would draw a stick figure of myself. I would ask, “What four words in this passage describe the communication of the parent?” They would search the passage and discover these four words, “Correct, […]
Parents, it is your choice. You can be your child’s adversary or you can be his refuge. Someone might be thinking, “Wait a minute, my teenager is the adversary, not me. And if he wants refuge, then he needs to start acting like he wants that!” As a father of five children, I hear you. But stay with me. Teenage life can be challenging. The impact of a Godless culture, education that is rooted in pragmatism, sexual immorality being peddled as tolerance and bodies morphing into young adults is a lot to face. Add to this the struggles of their own sins and the teenage years can be troubling ones. Parents, here is what must not be missed; the Christian […]
Many in western culture are obsessed with tomorrow. People assume that tomorrow will come. There is a comfort that comes from thinking that tomorrow is another day. The problem is that there is no guarantee that tomorrow will come for you, for your children, for your country, for your planet. Your well-being for today and the arrival of tomorrow is connected to the purpose and plan of God. Here is what Jesus says: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:25-26) Notice Jesus says we are unable to do a very little thing like adding an hour to […]
Don’t lose perspective! There is only one source of good. There is only One who is worthy of praise! Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen! Psalm 72:18-19