Flowers and gifts on Mother’s Day are good things. But there is more. When we read the exhortation of Proverbs 31:31 to honor mothers and wives for all that they have done, we are not rating their performance, but instead, we are honor them with gratitude simply for who they are. Motherhood is part of the plan of God to bring glory to himself. For Christians, we have the additional blessing of honoring our mothers for who they are in Christ. Your mother, like any other mother, has not been a perfect mom. However, she is living out her role in bringing new life to the earth and nurturing it. She provides warmth and encouragement to her family when no one […]
Godward Orientation
188 posts
Scripture is your connection to the wonder of eternity. The Bible is the only source that you can trust about what is to come. The plan of the enemy is for you to think that your life on earth is all that is real. However, life on earth is meaningless if it is not connected to eternity. The freedom of being liberated from the limitations of this life is the hope of eternity. What happens here is not all that there is. The day will come when we are no longer bound by time. The day of eternity leaves the darkness of night behind. We will bask in the literal glory of God. Night and time will be […]
Sometimes there are seasons of long, cold days. Night after night going to sleep is not a relief but a quick entrance into another cold day. Our bodies are weak and our hearts are overcome with struggles that break over us like unending waves. Yes, sometimes there are seasons like this. In these times we long for another reality. And, in God’s mercy, such a reality exists. In an exhausted moment we glance towards heaven and cling to the great truth. God is there in that untainted place lit alone by his glory. In that same moment we know that earth has nothing worthy of our desire except for the God who is there. We are weak, […]
Love anticipates God will always care. Love offers encouragement when none is expected. Love does not regret the success of others. Love does not announce one’s own success. Love takes refuge in humility. Love seeks the honor of others. Love is not interested in self-promotion. Love knows joy before it knows anger. Love does not keep score. Love is thrilled when the truth is known. Love guards others even when it hurts. Love accepts care from others. Love is always certain of God’s promises. Love never caves. This love is the true standard of Valentine’s Day. From I Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It […]
The gift of heaven is a gift anticipated with trembling, but received with peace. It is a gift seldom planned for, but is given according to the most loving of plans. It is a gift that exposes our faith, but is given in faithfulness. It is a gift that we are tempted to exchange for the treasures of this life. It is a gift looked upon with doubt, but, once given, removes all doubt. It is a gift we wanted to avoid, but then embraced with gratitude. It is a gift painful to contemplate, but then radically, wonderfully heals. It is a gift dreaded by the foolish, but longed for by the wise. […]
Parents, if you want to give sound and valued counsel to your children – counsel that they will love and respect – you must first heed this admonition for yourself. If you are going to give biblical care to your children, you must attend to your own heart. Guarding your own heart from evil influences and tendencies is essential. Are you living hypocritically, ignoring some area of sin instead of repenting and changing? If so, your attempts to teach and model Christ to your children will be flawed and warped. No training is more effective than the model of a sincere, godly parent. Conversely, no training is more destructive than a hypocritical parent demanding from his children what he will […]
You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant and give birth to a Son. You will name him Jesus. He will be great and ascend to the throne of David. Mary then asks the obvious question – how can this happen since I am a virgin? Her question is not one of doubt, but of one of facilitation. She accepted the angel at his word. She is simply asking how it will happen, because she has no husband and is a virgin. Her response is of a totally different sort than Zechariah’s when he was told of that he would become a father. Like Mary, Zechariah was troubled and shaken by the sudden appearance of […]
Being a faithful parent is a consuming vocation. Parenting absorbs each part of your day. Even when your children are gone for school or church or to a friend’s house, your mind’s eye pursues them and seeks after them. At night, your ears have an open channel that never turns off, as you listen for signs of sickness or upset, even as you sleep. It is easy to be drawn into a swirling vortex of events. Having a clear, sharp and intimate view of Christ is not only desirable, it is essential. In Psalm 73, the psalmist had become overwhelmed with the seeming futility of following God. Survival mode can become the norm. It is tempting to think, “Right […]
Do you think about giving the gift of heaven to your children? It is impossible, of course, to wrap up even a small piece of heaven in a Christmas gift―but is it possible that our gifts do the opposite? That our gifts say that this life is all that really matters? The gift of heaven is not tangible. We can’t touch it or shake or look at it. But it is, nevertheless a gift that we cannot fail to give. Heaven is a big deal. It is the ultimate reason we train our children not to indulge in the tempting pleasures of a world headed for destruction. Something better waits for them than XBox, Nike, Fisher-Price and Blue-Ray. Heaven is […]
Parents often ask how can they make God real to their toddlers. Living Deuteronomy 6:5-7 is a start. This passage provides a mandate to talk to all of your children about God all the time. The common emphasis given to this passage focuses on the beginning of verse seven: “Impress them on your children.” or “teach them diligently.” But verse seven is the outcome of the directions from verses five and six. These words urge that God is to be loved so passionately that his commands will be on the hearts of his people. Once this heart infusion of the love of God takes place the result will be that the love for God’s commands will overflow from the mouth […]