The world is a scary place. You don’t know when or where the next terrorist attack will happen. 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 in this life. If this is true, how can you know peace? How can you teach your children to not be dominated by fear? Here is a prayer for trust written by Ruth Younts. Father in heaven, please help me to trust […]
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Ruth Younts received her MA in Religion from Westminister Theological Seminary. She served as the Christian Education Director and Administrative Assistant to the Pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Moore, South Carolina. She and her husband, Jay, have five adult children. Ruth went to be with the Lord in 2013. She is the author of Get Wisdom! 23 Lessons for Children about Living for Jesus
Solomon grew up in a world of sin, family drama, sexual sin, murder and political intrigue. David, his father, wanted Solomon to not be caught in the same web that had entangled him. The Holy Spirit has been gracious to us to record some of the things David said Solomon should value. David wanted Solomon to be consumed with the pursuit of wisdom. He wanted his son to emotionally, passionately embrace wisdom. He even told Solomon even if it costs you all that you have get understanding and wisdom. Would you tell your children to pursue wisdom as their most important task in life? Would you be willing to go so far out on the proverbial limb and say even […]
Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. It is the evidence of the Spirit’s work in the life of God’s people. This means more than just physical or mental discipline. Only someone who is born of the Spirit of God can practice biblical self-control. What this means is that self-control is the way to joy and peace in this life. Here is one biblically based definition of self-control: “Self-control is the ability to say no to my wrong desires and yes to what God wants me to do.” Saying yes to myself looks like freedom, but in reality leads to slavery. Saying yes to God may look like slavery, but it is the only path to freedom. Think about all […]
“Love is giving willingly of whatever I have to meet someone’s need.” I can almost hear someone reacting, “Wait a minute! That might be a partial definition of love. But what about the deep feelings, the driving emotional mood that is also supposed to accompany love. This definition leaves that part out.” There is an unspoken expectation that is associated with love. This human assumption is that when you love there are huge emotional benefits that make love something good for you. When you say you love someone, your natural self is expecting good things to happen to you because of your “love”. Imagine Christmases, anniversaries, Valentine’s Days where you were the only one doing the sacrificial giving . You […]
People want justice. Watch the news, listen to the candidates, listen to your three-year-old — justice matters. But whose justice are we talking about? Does your three-year-old offer an unbiased perspective on justice? Of course, the candidates and the media don’t appear to be any more balanced in their understanding of justice than your unhappy toddler. Like Pilate’s question to Jesus, we ask, “what is justice?” Justice cannot be determined by soundbites or clever ads or by passionate personal pleas. The cry for justice fuels unrest and often ends in violence. In the name of justice much harm occurs — both at home and in the streets. Toddlers, teenagers and spouses all want justice. But whose justice do you want? […]
It is easy to get drawn into the negative side of social media. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some positive guidelines to avoid the negatives and thus benefit from your use of social media. Social media is like the rest of life, exercising wisdom is always essential. When you post: use good judgment, use biblical restraint, do avoid gossip, do speak only what is good and building, do show genuine care for others, remember many people you don’t know may read your words, and do have courage to speak truth. When you view or respond to posts: be patient, show love not irritation, show kindness, don’t bully or mock, determine not to be judgmental, and […]
Courage is doing what must be done, even when I am afraid and I think it is too hard. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9) A Prayer for Courage God, please help me to have courage. It is very hard to do what’s right when people might make fun of me or be angry at me. It’s also hard when I’m afraid I’ll fail. Thank you for Jesus, who had the courage to die on the cross for me. Help me to care about pleasing you more than anything else. In Jesus’ name, Amen. This prayer has rich application for […]
The world is a scary place. You don’t know when or where the next mass killer will strike. 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 in this life. If this is true, how can you know peace? How can you avoid being dominated by fear? Even in scary times, God calls you to trust him. Here is what the Holy Spirit says to you from Psalm 56:3-4: […]
When things are going well, we tend to be okay with God’s control. Being patient is not much of a challenge. But, when life becomes hard it is a different story. Patience is easily lost and frustration sets in. Why? The Holy Spirit says that God is causing all the events in your life to work together for your good. So, when you look at life and fail to see God’s faithfulness, even in the painful things, you are judging God. God says he is always faithful and and gracious to those whom he loves. You are critiquing God based upon your perception of how your life is going. Not a good idea! Patience means living in the expectation of […]