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Thought for the Lord’s Day

Worship is not for the strong!We humans often think we can take care of ourselves. We like to appear as if we have it all together. We don’t want to appear as if we are in need. We like to think that if we work hard we will be fine. We don’t want to be vulnerable in our relationships. However, the truth is that these attitudes will keep us from the worship of our God! When Jesus calls for the weary and burdened to come to him, we tend to think that he is speaking to the poor and disadvantaged of the world. That would be accurate as long as we include ourselves among the poor and disadvantaged. You see, […]

You were created for relationships

God designed us to be social creatures. The only thing that was said to be “not good” before the Fall was the fact that Adam was alone. In making this statement, the Holy Spirit tells us just how important human relationships are.  God made Adam. God gave Adam the responsibility of caring for the garden. Then God had Adam name all of the animals. So we know that God communicated with Adam and gave him specific tasks to accomplish. Yet, God makes the observation that there was still no suitable helper for Adam. Remember that the Holy Spirit is recounting these events for our benefit. Don’t think that God is sort of making things up as he goes. We do […]

Are you more mature than your two-year-old?

Children naturally determine goodness by their circumstances, the things that they can see. Your mission as a parent is to help your child expand his natural understanding of goodness.  As your child grows your goal is to help him become more influenced by the unseen realities of life.   The Bible teaches what is unseen is more real than what is seen. This is the important transition that your children must make. The most effective way to help them do this is for your life to be dominated by what is unseen.    Faith means that your life must not be governed by how you perceive your circumstances. This is natural for children: Am I warm?  Am I hungry?  Do […]

The End of Fossil Fuels

Little is certain in this life.  But there is one fact, one rock that is solid, certain and secure.   Christ will return and make all things new.   There will be no need for fossil fuels or alternative energy sources as the radiant glory of Christ will supply all the power that we will need. Tears will be wiped away. All the inequities of life will be wonderfully and finally resolved.  Our broken bodies will be made whole. We will be with the Lord as we step into eternity!   With this great truth in hand do not be dismayed at the mess man has made of this world. Things like food prices, miles per gallon ratings, energy supply […]

Dads – to control or to serve, you can’t do both.

Attempting to control the lives of other people is to live the life of a fool. Only God is in control. Humans who ignore this truth are in deep trouble. Dictators may look like they have control, but then it is lost in a heartbeat. Others try to control by kindness or deference, these leaders too, can be overcome with swiftness.  Simply put, control doesn’t work. Controlling people is not an effective form of leadership. Sadly, too many fathers believe that being in authority means being in control. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As in all things, Jesus Christ is the perfect example.  Jesus was totally aware and reliant upon his Father’s control. In the desert, Satan tried […]

What about Ebola?

Can the people of the earth, of a particular country, ignore the person and rule of God without fear of consequence? In America it is permissible to speak of any god as long as that god is not the God of the Bible. We can pray in any name as long as it is not the name of Jesus Christ. We claim to be a spiritual people, but we refuse to be illumined by the words and laws of the Holy Spirit. In the name of sexual freedom God’s instruction of what constitutes a family has been savaged. Let me ask again, can God be ignored without fear of consequence? The answer is no!  God will not be ignored. His […]

Obedience – an act of love

In Ephesians 6:1, Paul tells children to obey their parents. To rightly understand Paul’s admonition to children, we must remember how Paul previously describes obedient living to the Ephesians. Here are two examples: …For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10  Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2  The truths of these two verses must not be separated from what Paul writes in Ephesians 6:3. Otherwise, obedience becomes about performance and earning approval. Obedience is […]

Getting to the Heart of Behavior

Getting to the Heart of Behavior 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 going […]

Parenting and Faith

Biblical parenting is first of all an exercise in biblical faith. This fact makes biblical parenting different from every other parenting methodology. A journey of faith cannot always be accurately measured by visible markers. Other forms of parenting are measured by evaluating immediate responses–if behavior doesn’t change quickly, then the methods must not be correct. Thankfully, God calls us to trust him in faith. In biblical parenting, the primary objective is not to make the child happy, but to bring him to the cross of Christ. This, of course, will result in happiness for your child. But this happiness cannot be the primary goal. Deuteronomy commands that children be taught about the things of God at all times during the […]