Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Genesis 37:3&4 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. Hebrews 11:24&25 There was a popular song in the ‘80s which offered this line as part of its refrain: […]
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When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as […]
Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." The Olympics are winding down this weekend. There have been many successes and many disappointments. Michael Phelps grabbed the attention of the world by winning 8 gold medals and setting 7 world records. Usain Bolt was equally impressive, setting three world records by winning the […]
Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies. Psalm 58:3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience —among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Ephesians 2:1-3 Don Fields’ comment and questions about lying have been on my heart during these posts on lying. Children’s lies are a harsh reminder of […]
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." Acts 5:1-4 In one sense […]
This weekend the Beijing Olympics reach the half-way mark. I continue to be amazed at the skill, determination and stamina of those winning Gold. Whether the sport is Fencing, Swimming, Gymnastics or one of the many others, the Olympic champions are just that – Olympic in stature. As we admire these superb athletes there is even the place for the accurate use of an over-used word – unique. There is only one Michael Phelps. Have we found the modern definition of greatness in this young man? Perhaps, from the perspective of swimming. But the things that make Michael Phelps special are things that the rest of us can only admire from a distance. Here is another name for your consideration […]
Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. He asked Amnon, "Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister." "Go to bed and pretend to be ill," Jonadab said. "When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’ " So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king […]
Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time […]
When parents see their children lie, the immediate response is something like, how can I stop this! In these situations it is easy to lose sight of the biblical model of shepherding your children and resort to the world’s methodology of control. I have included the following excerpt from Instructing a Child’s Heart which addresses this very issue. Take a look at what Tedd says. It will be helpful to you as we continue this series on lying.
In his blog, Justin Taylor has posted a timely article by David Powlison & Tim Keller on blogging and passing on bad reports. The biblical principles in the article are valuable for all conversation but they are especially appropriate for internet communications. Parents, this would be a great article to discuss with your children about their internet communication. It applies directly to blogging, instant messaging, chats, and forums as well as to community sites such as MySpace and Facebook. You can find the article here. Thanks to David Powlison and Tim Keller for writing the article and to Justin Taylor for posting it. Justin’s blog, Between Two Worlds, is loaded with valuable information and links.