Authority

163 posts

Authority And the Gospel

Parents, your authority is established by what you honor. What you honor, what you value is a window into who you are. And the people who are looking the most closely through that window are your children. What you value the most is shown most clearly by your actions and not your words. The thoughts of what you value most are more transparent than you realize. These hidden thoughts are a huge factor in establishing your authority as a parent. Why? Because being driven by what God says is good and righteous centers your thoughts and brings honor to God! But, if honoring God is not uppermost in your thoughts something else will be. It is this replacement that will […]

Trust

The world is a scary place. Life is full of things that you and I cannot control. You cannot will your children to safety. You cannot wish cancer away. You cannot remove the drunk driver from the road. You cannot force world leaders to be wise and responsible. You cannot stop dangers on the playground or even in your backyard. You cannot stop the hurricane or earthquake. In short, you cannot eliminate the things that bring fear to you and your family. In these difficult times, God calls you to trust him. Here is what the Holy Spirit says to you from Psalm 56:3-4: When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in […]

Realities Unseen

The most significant parts of life are those that are unseen. If your view of reality is limited to what you can see, your understanding of life will be ill-informed. The culture tells us that life can be measured by what is seen: how much money do you have, stock market reports, opinion polls, how healthy we are. Thus, our assessment of these measurable things becomes the basis of our security, and more importantly, the basis of our fears. However, such thinking is unsound. As Elisha said over 2,500 years ago, Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Elisha’s young servant was afraid. He saw a large army of […]

Meek And Powerful

These are troubling days. The wicked appear to have the upper hand. But the word of God assures us that things are not as they seem. King David wrote a song that was used in worship to remind God’s people that the wicked have limits. David says that the meek shall inherit the land. Some 1,000 years later Jesus quotes these very words as he begins the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was letting his followers know that even though they would face persecution God would not abandon them or his covenant commitment to do what is right. Christians are to use the weapons of the Spirit and not of the flesh. Here the weapon of the Spirit is meekness. […]

Authentic Biblical Shepherding

Here is an excerpt from Discipling the Flock, by Paul Tautges. This book lays a solid, biblical foundation for understanding the unique role of shepherds as they care for the people of God.  Shepherd Press is thankful to offer this excellent resource to the church.  “Authentic biblical shepherding requires a personal commitment to do all that is superhumanly possible to help fellow believers grow to maturity in Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by means of instruction and correction according to His power, which mightily works within the shepherd and his sheep by the Holy Spirit sent from God. God’s vision of discipleship, therefore, requires that we recognize this process as a stewardship from Him entailing intensive labor on behalf of […]

Thoughts On Being a Father — Tedd Tripp

As Father’s Day approaches, families prepare to honor their fathers. For me, as a father, it is a time to reflect on the meaning of fatherhood. The Apostle Paul’s observation about fathering in 1 Thessalonians 2 is a good place to start. Paul observes that he had been like a father both by example and his instruction. As for his example, both the Thessalonians and God were witnesses of how holy, righteous and blameless he had been toward them. Holy refers to him in relationship to God; he was a devout, pious man, intent on pleasing God. Our families must see the integrity of walking with God. We will sin, but they must see a Dad who walks with integrity […]

What Is Obedience?

Obedience is a great privilege, honor and joy. Obedience is not something to use to gain a reward. Obedience is the reward!  No one can make himself more acceptable to God by obedience. This means that your children must not think that you will be more accepting of them if they obey you. I know this seems awkward. So much of your life is about training and teaching God’s truth. But the truth is that one’s own obedience does not make him acceptable to God. The last thing that I want is to stand before God at the end of the day and ask God to accept me based on how well I obeyed! My only hope for acceptance is […]

Peaceful Planning

Plans that honor God must be done with the awareness that your plans do not determine your future or bind God. It is possible, even probable, that God has a different outcome than what you planned for tomorrow, even if your planning is impeccable! Proverbs 16:3 is familiar passage regarding planning: Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. It would be easy to take these words as a formula that says: 1) Make your plans; 2) Commit them to God; 3) Therefore you will succeed. But this kind of thinking is a miscalculation of what is being taught.  To understand this verse you have to take into account the lines immediately above it: All the […]

Enough Is Enough!

Ephesians 4:31 & 32 are seldom used as parenting directives. This is unfortunate. There is a powerful dynamic of grace here to help shepherd your children towards Christ. Read these words slowly: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Because of the gospel grace shown to you, Paul is directing you to rid your thoughts and your speech of the angry words of relational combat. The deceitfulness of our flesh entices us to justify our anger. So when a child, a teenager, a spouse, or a friend wrongs or hurts you, you feel […]

Protect Your Children

Will my child honor God when I am not with him? This one question is the weighty challenge that every parent faces. It is unsettling because you won’t know until the moment comes. This is humbling, you are confronted with your limitations as a parent and as a Christian. When the moment comes it will be between your child and God. You won’t be there, you won’t be in control. Scary. How can you protect your children in these critical moments? The answer is: you can’t! But God’s truth can. In Proverbs 6:20-22 Solomon tells children that God’s instruction given through their parents will guard their lives. This truth is priceless; it is to be regarded as if it were […]