Are you all in for God? Proverbs 2 provides a window of understanding for one reason why you have periods of spiritual apathy. If you ever have a question about why God seems distant at times, here is an explanation. Solomon says to find the knowledge of God, you must be passionately committed to your search, you must be all in. Suppose I told you that you could find millions of dollars in your back yard, all you have to do is go find it. Would your response be passive? Would you start your search after you have had a nap or watched your favorite TV program? Would you put your search off until a more convenient time? Would you […]
Wisdom
270 posts
Safe sex outside of marriage is a deadly oxymoron. There is nothing safe about any sexual activity outside of marriage! Extramarital sex, portrayed as liberating and full of pleasure is toxic quicksand. Episodes of pleasure and excitement are stupidly exchanged for a life of worry, insecurity and physical danger. Within one generation, the slide into immorality has gone from “Can I get her to kiss me on the first date” to “Can I get her to…” — you can fill in the blank. With one look David plunged his life, his family, his kingdom into sickening darkness. Jesus recalls this dark moment in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27-28): “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not […]
Failure to discern who is a genuine, true friend and who is not, leads to being manipulated and used. This may result in, among many other things, bitterness and a crippling inability to trust others. The Holy Spirit has provided tools in Scripture to help you recognize genuine friendship. This is an essential life skill for you and your children. The Proverbs offer reliable observations about friendship. For example look at Proverbs 12:18: “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” These words provide insight about how to distinguish between the wise and the reckless. The reckless or rash person’s words hurt and bring pain. They cut deeply. When someone claims to […]
In the Lord’s prayer Jesus tells you to pray for God’s will to be done. By asking God for his kingdom to rule and his will to be done, you are making a life-changing request! You are acknowledging that his purpose and plan is better than your own. God’s way is better than your way! It does not work to say or think, “Please do your will and mine.” This is a foolish statement. Are your desires as important as God’s? It is God’s kingdom and will that must desired above all else. This thought ties directly to Christ’s words just a few verses later in the Sermon on the Mount; “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” […]
Adam left you a legacy of hurt. There is joy because the second Adam, Jesus, has rescued you from Adam’s dark web. But while you remain on earth the tentacles of Adam’s choice cling to your flesh. Hardship and pain are punctuated by pangs of failure, betrayal, guilt and jaded visions of what might have been. But here we meet the power of the gospel! God never abandons you, even in times of deep sadness. The Apostle Paul writes eloquently of this mixture of Adam’s legacy and Christ’s redeeming power. His words are printed for you below. Paul knew a mixture of hope and discouragement, joy and sadness, life and death. Jesus has gone before you and he now walks […]
There are times when everything goes wrong all at once. The kids are out of control. There are problems with the car or the house. You are tired to the bone. There are far too few hours in a day. There are times life hurts. You try to pray but it is like God is on coffee break. There was a king who had a moment like this. There was a vast army that was coming to attack him. Why? Simply because they wanted to. They were strong and unjust. He knew that he had no ability to defeat the bad guys, they were simply too strong. Our king had no idea what to do. But then, in humility, King […]
Five simple words that should dominate your life. People can disappoint and be hurtful. Your God keeps his word. You feel alone and are tempted to think no one understands. Your God keeps his word. You know you need courage to the wife or husband God wants you to be. Your God keeps his word. You need strength to be consistent as a parent. Your God keeps his word. You are treated unfairly at work and no one notices. Your God keeps his word. You are discouraged about the political campaign. Your God keeps his word. You battling sickness or injury. Your God keeps his word. You desire to be more like Christ. Your God keeps his word! Psalm 146 […]
“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 […]
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 […]