Authority

163 posts

Who Is the King Of Your Heart?

It was about mid-day on a Friday. An anxious Roman governor named Pilate plead with the Jews for the life of Jesus. Pilate knew that this Jesus was innocent and though he claimed to be a king, he was not worthy of capital punishment.  But the Jews responded harshly to Pilate’s attempt to spare Christ. They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Blinded by rage and anger at Jesus, the Jewish leaders spoke from their darkened hearts. The long-awaited Messiah, Jesus, was not their king! Imagine the people of God shouting, “We have no King but Caesar!” It was a […]

Angry Children and Fearful Fathers

It is a challenge to patiently, lovingly, firmly confront a child who chooses to go his own way. For some fathers, it is easier to just ignore their children’s need for care and discipline. Other fathers also take an easy path by becoming angry and threaten severe consequences or engage in physical intimidation. These approaches do not honor God. They do not bless the child. These two damaging responses, indifference and anger, stem front the same root cause – fear. Fathers, are you listening? God created men to be confident, compassionate, caring leaders. But then, there was the fall. While Eve chose to verbally engage the serpent, Adam, who was with her, chose not to protect his wife. Instead, in fearful […]

Discipline: Investing in Your Children’s Future

The full value of your instruction to your children will not be seen immediately. If you invest in changing your children’s behavior your investment is only for the moment. Results will often be quick and impressive, but they will also be temporary. When behavior is the goal, how well your children perform is the main indicator of success. Investing in behavior brings immediate dividends such as anger, frustration, and manipulation. In contrast, investing in heart change is investing in your children’s future. Heart change is for life. Pleasant words, consistent loving discipline, taking the time necessary to really know your children, loving God’s word for yourself, humility—these are indications of investment in heart change. Investing in heart change may not […]

The Heart: Impossible to Control

It may be possible to control behavior.  However, control of the heart is another matter.  As Tedd Tripp teaches, you can shepherd your child’s heart. But you cannot control his heart. So the purpose of your authority as a parent is to shepherd your children, to build them up, to strengthen them.  But attempts as controlling children without shepherding them will lead to frustration. Over time attempts at control through rules will lead your children away from Christ (Colossians 2:23).  Controlling your children in this way will weaken them and tear them down. Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:10 says that God gave him authority for building up and not for tearing down. This is important. As a parent, you want […]

A Conversation With a Teenager

Mom: “Stop bothering your sister.” Josh: “Why?” Mom: “Because it upsets her.” Josh: “Good, she needs to be upset. It’s what she does to me!” Mom: “God says you should be nice to her.” Josh: “Well, then, you should tell her to try being nice. It’s not like I am hurting her or anything.” Mom: “But that is not how it works. You should do what God wants no matter how your sister responds.”  Josh: “So, what do I do when you get mad and yell at me?” Josh: “You shouldn’t talk to me like that!” Josh: “Why? I am not being disrespectful or mad, I just asked you a question.” Mom: “You just shouldn’t. Look I have to take […]

Does Your Pastor Know You?

Does your pastor know you? It’s an important question! You are struggling with financial issues and are battling fear and worry — does your pastor know you? You are feeling overwhelmed with your obligations as a parent — does your pastor know you? You feel the weight of anxiety and depression — does your pastor know you? Your teenagers have questions about their faith — does your pastor know you? Tensions in your marriage are rising — does your pastor know you? You are burdened about the political and social unrest in your country — does your pastor know you? You often question how can God be good when there is so much evil — does your pastor know you? […]

God’s Answer To Conflict

Gentleness is God’s answer to conflict. Gentleness is the quality you need to present God’s truth fairly, accurately and effectively to your children. Gentleness is part of the Holy Spirit’s fruit which stands in direct contrast to the works of the flesh. In Proverbs, we learn that gentleness turns aside wrath. Paul tells Timothy to instruct his opponents with gentleness. James describes gentleness as displaying wisdom from above. Jesus describes himself as gentle and humble of heart. These are five robust examples of the power of gentleness: Gentleness stands against the deeds of the flesh. Gentleness turns aside wrath. Gentleness instructs those who oppose you. Gentleness demonstrates wisdom from above. Gentleness describes the heart of Christ. Gentleness is the forgotten […]

Help Your Teenagers Know the Bible is True

You tell your teenagers that they should live as the Bible says they should. The problem is that from almost any other source that they hear, the Bible is antiquated, exclusive and factually not true.  Here are some truths that speak to this challenge: God gave man his words through the direction, inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Man then expressed these words accurately, in his own voice, under the supervision of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit directed the collection of these inspired writings so that they became the Bible we have now. This, in short form, is what the Bible teaches about how it was inspired, written, and complied. However, this makes no sense if your teenager doesn’t believe […]

The Performance Trap

The gospel is about grace; School is about performance. The gospel is about receiving compassion; School is about earning grades. The gospel is about resting in the power of Christ in failure; School is about trying to avoid the shame of failure. The gospel is about acceptance in Christ regardless of performance; School is about gaining acceptance because of performance. Skilled and caring teachers and parents will work hard to bridge the gap illustrated by these contrasts. However, it is important to grasp that children can easily think that performance is more important than the gospel. There is a biblical balance to be deployed when considering the tension between the gospel and performance. The balance is found in believing that […]

The Blessing Of Parental Authority

Parental authority is often seen as a curse rather than a blessing. This is a sad reality. Authority is a gift of God to his people and especially to families. Authority is often abused on the one hand or grossly neglected on the other. However, it is important not to frame your view of biblical authority based on abuses or personal experience. Parental authority is a daily object lesson that all of creation is under the authority and rule of the Lord of the Universe. However, viewing authority as a gift requires an attitude adjustment. Authority is said to curtail imagination, stunt creativity, restrict freedom, and diminish individual worth. These misconceptions have filtered into families. In contrast, how does the Bible speak […]