The Holy Spirit has guaranteed you an inheritance, which includes your place in heaven. What a huge blessing this is! The most wonderful and spectacular destination any human can have has been secured for you by God’s Holy Spirit. If you were going to take the vacation of a life time would you be silent about your upcoming journey? Would you plan for it? Would you think of all the great things you would do on this once-in-a- lifetime trip? I think the answer to these questions is obvious. Now let’s compare this grand earthly journey with the one you will take one day. Actually, the two are not worth comparing as the trip that says destination: Heaven – is […]
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“Mommy, Heather was really mean to me today at school. I thought she was my best friend! I am really, really sad. I just want to stay home and not go back, ever.” Your daughter has just experienced how cruel and sad life can be. Yet through all of this she can know and experience joy. To do this she needs the Holy Spirit’s fruit. What brings joy to you profoundly impacts your children’s understanding of joy. Biblical joy is unique. It is the Spirit’s fruit. It cannot be reproduced apart from his work. There is, of course, joy that manifests itself in the human spirit. It comes from being encouraged by positive, happy circumstances. That is good, but there […]
Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. In other words it is the evidence, the legacy of the Spirit’s work in the life of God’s people. This means we are talking about more than just physical or mental discipline. Any human can show control over these things. But only someone who is born of the Spirit of God can practice biblical self-control. This is why the biblical definition that Ruth Younts gives for self-control is vital for your children. Self-control is the ability to say no to my wrong desires and yes to what God wants me to do.” This is why the gospel must be the center-piece of your parenting. As a parent you are to constantly teach your […]
Why Easter? is 40% Off Easter comes early this year — March 27th. If you’re planning to use Why Easter? with your family, order now so that you’ll have it in time to begin using it on Sunday, February 28th. This illustrated devotional contains 28 lessons—one for each day of the four weeks leading up to Easter—in a short, focused format designed to help parents show the Christ of Easter to their children. Check out Why Easter? and the other products on special this week at Shepherd Press by clicking on the image below. Current Sales
Sin entangles in despair and hopelessness. Repentance brings freedom. Here is how it happens. Sin is breaking the law of God. Repentance is seeing the rejection of the his law in relational terms and seeking obedience as a response to his goodness So, you don’t just acknowledge that you were angry, but you also repent of the lack of love that produced the anger. Sin is hating what is good and loving what is evil. Repentance is examining the root of the things you are passionate about. What are sometimes known as besetting sins, sins like anger or lust or self-pity that you cling to, are in reality a love of evil and a hatred for what honors God. Repentance […]
What is love? Valentine’s Day is almost here. It is time to show your love, at least that is what the ads are proclaiming with seemingly every billboard, TV commercial, radio spot or magazine cover you see. Flowers, chocolates, jewelry, teddy bears and related items are the order of the day. But do these things really show what love means? The Holy Spirit’s gift of love will cost much more than any of the items listed above. The Holy Spirit’s idea of love will cost you your life. Here are just a few examples of what loving God’s way looks like from I Corinthians 13: Love is patient Do you listen before you speak? Are you eager to give your […]
A husband says to his wife that he is sorry for being insensitive. He says he has been under a lot of pressure lately. A mom says tells her kids she shouldn’t have yelled at them, but she is just very tired. These “little” sins are justified because of some extenuating circumstance or unfair treatment by someone else. After a while these sins aren’t even seen as sins. They are conveniently placed in the category of being human. Well, that is true as far as it goes. Being human means many things: A person who is made in the image of God. A person who has great value because he is an image-bearer of God. A person who, with Adam, […]
Wisdom teaches your child that telling the truth is more than just saying things that are true. Being truthful means speaking accurately, without exaggerating or being misleading. Your child needs wisdom to be truthful. Truth telling is a conscious effort to supply accurate information that honors God and not self. It is possible to say things that are accurate and still hide the truth. This is the distinction that you must teach to your children. No child is born wise. Wisdom is a skill that must be acquired. If you are waiting for your child to grow up and begin to make wise choices, you will be waiting a long time. In order to be truthful, wisdom is required. This […]
You just confirmed that your fifteen-year-old son, Justin, has been looking at pornography. Following is an example of a conversation that demonstrates what I Corinthians 13:4-7 looks like in action. See how many positive attributes of love you can find in Dad’s conversation. “Justin, we have to talk about the images you were viewing on the computer.” “Dad, I really don’t want to and I am not going to – it is really none of your business.” “I think I understand why you would say that. I didn’t want to talk to my dad about this stuff either. He caught me looking at a magazine once. He screamed at me and told me never to do it again. He grabbed […]
God’s message to the nations in Psalm 33 is a simple one: all of the earth is to fear the Lord. He is to be honored and revered because he spoke the world into existence. There was nothing and then there was the universe! That is awesome power! So, as the psalmist looks at the activities and plans of men and nations, he knows that they are subject to God’s plan and purpose. No nation can deter the plan of God. No leader can succeed against the purpose of God. As this election season enters it final phase, this is the one reality that must not be missed. God’s plans will go forward as he has purposed and man’s plans […]