Are you invested in God? Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart will be also. If God is your treasure your worship will be rich. Christ warned the man who was first concerned about acquiring possessions. He said life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. Too often, our worship is tainted with the desire for more stuff or for things that we do not have. The truth is that no one can ever have enough stuff to be secure. Only in God is there security. The man in Luke 12 thought he had acquired security. The is why he was called a fool. The search for security on earth will keep you from […]
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By Tedd and Margy Tripp There are innumerable spiritual blessings for children who live under God’s structures of authority. They learn that God is good and kind. They learn that creatures find happiness as they know and trust God. They understand that the true nature of freedom is not autonomy (being a law to myself), but joyfully walking in God’s laws. They learn to trust God to work through their parents to bring blessing to their lives. They learn that true joy is not having my own way, but following the will of God. They learn that living as God has ordained is the best life a created being can have. These are rich spiritual blessings. Children will never learn […]
How can you make God real to your toddlers and young children? One way is talk about your awesome God 24/7 as Deuteronomy 6:5-7 commands. These words urge that God is to be loved so passionately that his commands will be on the hearts of his people. Once this heart infusion of the love of God takes place the result will be that the love for God’s commands will overflow from your mouth and into the lives of your children. This is not mere information transfer. This is being so in love with God and his commands that this becomes the focal point of conversations with children. So, what does this have to do with young children, toddlers and infants? […]
Whether you are a toddler, middle schooler, teenager or an adult you know what it means to be afraid. Fear is one of the consequences of the fall. Thus, the question is not if your children will fear, but what do they fear. If you don’t know what fears your children have, you won’t be able to adequately address the concerns of their hearts. This requires that you have an intimate understanding of the way your child views his world. It doesn’t matter how old your children are. They all have fears that must be understood. Psalm 62 says this: Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he […]
Shepherd Press is pleased to announce that eight books in the LifeLine mini-book series are now available for pre-order. They are Help! He’s Struggling with Pornography Help! Someone I Love Has Been Abused Help! My Toddler Rules the House Help! Someone I Love Has Cancer Help! I Want to Change Help! My Spouse Has Been Unfaithful Help! I Have Breast Cancer Help! My Teen Struggles with Same-Sex Attractions The LifeLine mini-books are small books that address the difficult topics that people face every day. They are relevant, easy to read and apply, and affordable. They are rich in biblical content and are gospel-centered.The LifeLine mini-books are a valuable resource for people seeking real help.
The deceitfulness of the world, the flesh, and the devil entices us to feel good about our anger. So when a child, a teenager, a spouse, or a friend crosses an arbitrary line we feel totally justified in letting them “have it.” We cover our sin by saying, “I know I shouldn’t be angry, but sometimes you just have to say enough is enough.” This sort of language and rationalization will receive a hearty Amen from the Satanic cheering section. We think we have been strong, when in fact we have taken the coward’s way out and capitulated. We do what seems right at the moment. Parents, God calls you to be shepherds, not enforcers. You may feel […]
You observe your teenager talking a mile-a-minute with friends. Then you think about the typical conversations that you have had with your son or daughter. Instead of a lively back and forth your attempts at conversation tend to collapse into strained monosyllables.: Did you have a good day? Sort of. How was your test? Okay. Do you have homework? Maybe. Do you have plans this weekend? Not sure. Is anything bothering you? No. Did you clean your room? Not yet. I thought maybe we could talk later on. Why. What did you think of the sermon? It was okay. Why are you so hard to talk to? Aw, mom. You respond […]
True worship must be rooted in humility. Worship must be consumed with whom you worship. If your worship focuses upon your experience then your experience becomes the object of worship. This is not only a bad idea, it is an insult to God. True worship must be rooted in humility. You and I are indeed people with unclean lips. Humility is a response to God’s greatness, power and holiness. Worship is a response to greatness. When you consider who God is, you can not help but bow before him. If you are not blown away by the greatness of God, you are thinking too much of yourself. Worship is a response to power. When you consider […]
Once again we have come face-to-face with the darker side of evil. We face evil in some form everyday. We do live in a dark world. We know there is danger but we have become accustomed to the darkness. We use laws, social norms, military force, education, enlightened media pundits and brave first responders to make everyday evil seem less intimidating. We do this in the same way we use the light switch to make the night to less frightening. Here are some examples of how we attempt to coexist with everyday evil. Sexual immorality is evil. But rather than face this evil directly we use a different strategy. We have made sexual immorality legal and […]
Biblical instruction is not about changing behavior, it is about heart change. Proverbs 6:22 defines the purpose of biblical parental instruction. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. This passage in Proverbs is the goal of what is commanded in Deuteronomy 6:4-7. Truth is to be passed on from one heart to another heart. The goal of biblical instruction is to have your children own the truth of Scripture for themselves! Solomon tells children that this instruction is so precious they must make it part of their inner life. Solomon is saying this truth will adorn those who hear it and live it. The […]