“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” Hebrew 13:4 In the last post we looked at a USA Today article regarding the way that Americans view sin. The article contained a survey listing various activities and the percentage of Americans who thought these activities were sin. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed thought that adultery was a sin. However, only 45% of this same group thought that having sex before marriage was a sin. This difference says much about how our culture uses the Bible to determine what is sin. The actual title of the article in USA Today is “Has the notion of sin […]
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The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble. —Proverbs 19:23 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." —Psalm 14:1 Note: a number of blogs and web sites have commented on this study. It is important for parents to understand the movement of our culture towards a relativistic view of sin. USA Today, on March 19th, reported on the state of sin in America. In an article titled “Has the notion of sin been lost?” the Nations’ Newspaper explores what people think about sin. The article highlights a study done by Ellison Research about sin. For purposes of the study, sin is defined as “something that is almost […]
He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame. Proverbs 18:13 This post is directed to husbands and fathers. However, wives and moms are free to read as well. You may even want to forward this post to your husbands. Men, God has charged us with leading our families. The biblical basis for our leadership is found in such passages as Eph. 5:25-33 and Eph. 6:4. This leadership is an awesome responsibility. We are to represent Christ to our wives and children. In 2 Cor. 13:10 we learn that biblical leadership is to have the focus of building others up and not tearing them down. Paul says in Ephesians 4:29 that our words are […]
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 The cornerstone of a biblical worldview must be the fear of the Lord. Understanding how this world really works is impossible without the fear of the Lord. Recall the definition of worldview from the last post: the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. If your children interpret their world without the fear of the Lord they will never be wise. Practically speaking, this means that the observations and conclusions that they draw from their experiences will be flawed. If the fear of the Lord is absent, love of self will dominate a child’s life. His choices will […]
Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. (Psalm 4:6-7) Several recent posts addressed the concept of worldview and children. The American Heritage Dictionary defines worldview this way: The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. Do you see why teaching about worldview is an important part of parenting? Your children are born interpreting their world from a fatally flawed perspective (Eph.2:1-3). Your job is to teach them a worldview that sees reality from God’s perspective. One way to build this biblical worldview is to use the Psalms creatively […]
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. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:8-10 The obvious answer to this question is “to become a better parent.” But will the book you are reading really help you? Processing the information that you read is a challenge. Do you come away from the book with questions about application? Do you wonder if it is really biblical and helpful? Sometimes you may be more […]
11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:11-12 Criticism would make few top 10 lists of favorite gifts. While the Proverbs don’t use the term criticism, there are many passages that talk about receiving a rebuke. Almost surprisingly, the Proverbs teach that receiving a rebuke is often a good thing. Chapter 9 goes so far as to say that a wise man will love you if you rebuke him (9:8). Since the Garden, our natural tendency is to avoid blame and shift responsibility to others when our actions are challenged. It is easy […]
Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart. Proverbs 6:23 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin. Proverbs 6:28 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:6 The section of Proverbs from 6:23 – 27:6 has some profound things to say about receiving criticism. One theme of this passage is to warn against living for the praise of others. The wise man (including the wise child) is motivated by the fear of […]
When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Proverbs 4:3-6 The past three blogs have looked at the issue of worldview and young children. In chapter 4 of Proverbs, Solomon gives a compelling worldview—the ultimate reality check. Two powerful directives frame his worldview. The first directive, in verse 4, says, “…with all of your […]
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. Eph. 4:17 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. Proverbs 4:19 Another consequence of children’s natural worldview is futile thinking. Often parents say things like, why can’t children just do what the Bible says, can’t they see it is for their own good? The answer is – no they can’t see that. Ephesians describes the thinking of those who don’t know God as futile. This fits closely with the description of the wicked in Proverbs 4:19. Those without […]