His love cannot be eaten, will not wilt, cannot be bought, cannot be lost or stolen. It is yours to give as it has been given to you. There is no better gift! Give this gift to your spouse and then to your children. When others ask why you love this way, tell them that Someone loved you first. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not boast. Love is not proud. Love is not rude. Love is not self-seeking. Love is not easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects. Love always trusts. Love always hopes. Love always perseveres. […]
Fear of the Lord
61 posts
I watched Nik Wallenda walk 1,400 feet across the Grand Canyon on television tonight. Wallenda had cameras attached to his body so viewers could see what he was seeing. As one who is not a big fan of heights, looking straight down at the river bed 1,500 feet below, brought new meaning to reality TV. I really had no idea what to expect from this telecast. I cannot comprehend why someone would exchange solid ground for a 2” cable and a 1,500 drop. In any event, I was more than a little surprised to hear Nik Wallenda immediately begin to praise God and ask him to protect him during his walk. But he didn’t stop there. He asked God to […]
Are fear and forgiveness opposing concepts? Forgiveness includes acceptance, freedom, love, and understanding. Fear involves dread, terror, and rejection; so how can fear and forgiveness be connected? There is another meaning associated with fear. The American Heritage Dictionary’s third listing for fear is this: “Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.” The third sense of the word is one of being overwhelmed by greatness. In the Bible, God is described as so good, so great, and so powerful that fear of Him is an automatic response. Isaiah experiences this when he encounters the living God: “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of […]
What do your children fear? This is a question that every parent must be able to answer. If you don’t know what fears your children have, you won’t be able to adequately address the concerns of their hearts. Thus, the question is not whether your children will fear, but what do they fear. This requires that you have an intimate understanding of the way your child views his world. This is why listening well to your children is essential. Each child is different. It doesn’t matter how old your children are. They all have fears that must be understood. Each is in need of the same renewal and victory over sin that is found in Christ alone. Psalm 62 says this: Yes, […]
The Christian life is not for spectators. The Christian life is for combatants. Christian combat is not like the combat of the world; our weapons are spiritual. What do your children see – spectators or combatants? If they see combatants, do they see the Spirit’s weapons deployed? As parents, we must be skilled at wisely and lovingly using the sword of the Spirit in the battles of life. We must depend wholly on the power of Christ. Human sarcasm, manipulation, anger, hurt feelings, and pride have no place in Christian combat. What do your children see? Where is your strength?
The words “we don’t know what to do” sound like words of defeat and confusion. But, like most things, context is important. These words in context are words of faith and trust. They are words that reflect humility and reality. You see, almost 3,000 years ago, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah was faced with annihilation by a strong enemy coming up from the south. The intent of this enemy was the destruction of his kingdom. Jehoshaphat knew that there was no way the army of Judah would defeat this enemy. He knew that he had only one option, God. So he gathered the people together and then prayed for God’s help. He didn’t have a plan, because there […]
We don’t worship God to appease him. We don’t give to God to impress him. We don’t love God to flatter him. We don’t obey God to make him like us. We don’t pray to God to show our piety. We don’t praise God because he needs us to. We worship, give, love, obey, pray, and praise God simply because he is who he is!
Clint Eastwood may not be your first choice for understanding truth. But there is one quote of his that does resonate with biblical truth. Eastwood says “a man has got to understand his limitations.” Proverbs 3:7 says “don’t be wise in your own eyes.” In other words if you think your own understanding is something you can rely on, you are headed for trouble. The structure of Hebrew wisdom literature, of which Proverbs is a part, uses a literary device called parallelism to highlight important truths. In this case, being wise in your own eyes is contrasted exercising the fear of the Lord and turning from evil. If you think you can trust yourself, you will not exhibit a healthy […]
This week’s revelations about the football program at Penn State are beyond troubling. Joe Paterno was an icon of virtue in college football. He and his program did things the right way—that is, until he looked the other way. The devastating, horrific story has been chronicled in the national media. Paterno testified before a grand jury that he had heard of a sexual assault by Jerry Sandusky, one of his assistant coaches, on a young boy. He then reported that incident to other leaders in the university, as required by law, but he told no one else and did not talk with his assistant about the alleged incident. He now says he wishes he had done more. Paterno’s actions, or […]
The Holy Spirit makes bold challenges in verses 12 and 16 of Proverbs 2. The Spirit claims that through the pursuit of wisdom, a follower of God can be saved from the power of bad, corrupting company and from sexual sin. Really? How?