Have you ever said something like this to your kids? “Sorry I was upset. You know that I love you, but I am just so frustrated right now!” The words, “I love you,” are buried in the middle of this defense of an angry outburst. They are familiar words. But familiar words often lose their impact and may become background noise to your children. More is needed than just words, than saying “I love you.” Real, tangible actions must accompany the words of love. I Corinthians 13 says that love is patient. A working definition of patience is living in the expectation of God’s care. Patience and frustration are polar opposites. If love is patient, then frustration is not an […]
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It seems like such a simple thing. You ask your child to do something and in response, he quietly keeps playing with his toy. If the day is laid back and the request seems inconsequential, the negative response might be ignored. But, you decide to press on, so you ask again, this time a little more firmly, and then one more time. Your four-year-old grudgingly, slowly does as he was told. You breathe a sigh of relief, no harm done, at least he obeyed. But actually this little boy has taken a step down the road to self-hatred. Solomon warns that those who disregard discipline despise themselves. What appears to be just an inconsequential delay is actually helping a child […]
The human mind is not compatible with worry! Worry is anxiety about things that you cannot control. Jesus tells you not to worry about even the most basic needs of life. He even tells you how to pray so that you will not worry. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus instructs you to ask God for your daily bread. By reading the verses that come after the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6, we see that Christ was talking about more than just asking God for bread. Three times, (in verses 25, 28, and 31), Jesus commands that you not worry about your life, clothes or food. That is amazing! Worry messes with your mind. When you worry, you can’t think well! […]
What causes stress with your teenager? The easy answer is that if your teenager was more respectful, if he would just do half of the things you asked, if she would actually listen, if you mattered half as much as the phone, things would not be so stressful. Of course there are some things that you need to work on, but the bottom line is your teenager specializes in making life difficult. The problem here is the assumption that the teenager is in control. Everything is dependent upon the teenager doing what is wanted or expected. The parent’s action is controlled by what the teenager does instead of what God commands. Really? Yes, really. James says that fights and quarrels […]
The Christmas clean up is about done. But this does not mark the end of gift giving. Each morning the gift of Christ awaits you. Even more, this gift is one that God opens for you. God is relentless in his pursuit to bring joy to your needy soul. He cannot be out given. No matter what circumstance you face, the unfailing love of God is constant. This love transcends the difficulties of daily life. Each morning the wonder of Christmas is yours again. This is not a gift that you have earned. So, don’t require others to earn your love and your favor before you love them. Give this gift that is freely given to you to your spouse, […]
An old man who believed God that he would see the Messiah before he died was rewarded by the Spirit of God when he encountered Mary and Joseph in the temple with their young son. Recalling the words of Isaiah he said this baby was: “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” There is no authentic light in this world but the light of Christ. Anything else that appears to be light is but a reflection of the light of Christ, much in the same way that the moon or the planets have no light of their own – they only reflect the light of the sun. When you look for light look […]
As I write this post the winter and summer solstice is occurring. At 5:44 a.m. EST the sun will shine directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. Summer officially begins for the Southern Hemisphere and Winter begins for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. December 21st, marks both the longest and shortest day of the year. The reverse will happen on June 21st. Why is this important? Because God made a promise to Noah that the seasons will continue on our planet for as long as it exists. And, this exact moment is proof that God keeps his word. By the time this post is finished the Sun will have ceased it southward journey and begun […]
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Joy is a response to the reign of King Jesus. It is the rule of Christ and not your circumstances that is your reason for joy. This is the theme of the second verse of Joy to the World: Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy. God has done marvelous things. It is true that there is much darkness and sadness in our world, but because of the Lordship of Christ, you have hope. Things are not as they appear to be. Regardless of what the circumstances appear to declare, this one fact remains – the Savior reigns! There is more to life […]
Being a parent is a consuming job. The unexpected and unplanned for circumstances just keep on coming. In the mess, Christ can become distant. In Psalm 73, the psalmist had become overwhelmed with the seeming futility of following God. Survival mode had become the norm. He was thinking, “I just can’t do this anymore.” But here is the reality that the crush of daily life can obscure—Jesus is right there with you in the middle of the mess of your life! Trusting Christ in the mess of life is what gives stability to your soul. He has brought together all of the events, frustrations and demands of your life to point you to him. Jesus is not some distant bystander. […]