Category: children

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Responses…

Acts 28 Responses 

Paul and the people abandoned the ship due to torrential rains and winds. The people on Malta are skeptical, but then see the power of God and bless Him. Later, the shipwrecked people go on another ship which takes them to Italy. Paul goes on to Rome and there he meets with the Jews who do not believe what he is saying about Jesus. Two responses of two different people. Today, we meet those who scoff but then turn to belief and those who scoff and go on their way. 

Last night as I sat watching the SOTU, I was amazed to see these same two responses. There was a lot of scoffing both during and after the speech. I choose not to say here where I was in that “audience,” but I was amazed at how God reveals people’s hearts by their words and actions. People do not change; only God can change a heart. 

Today listen to the words of God and choose ye this day whom you will serve, were the words of Joshua and they ring true today. Where are you my friend? 

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Children are our gift!

Luke 18. But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them. 

In today’s world children are seen as a problem to be cast aside. We have many who support abortion rather than carrying a child to term. If it breaks your heart imagine how it breaks God’s heart!  Psalm 139 reminds us that we are fashioned by the Creator God from the first two cells that join. “Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them.”[Ps 139:16]

Today stop and give God praise for the work that He has done and for the gift of children. They are the next generation. We must protect them at all costs and we must raise them up to honor God. 

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What do you celebrate?

Luke 15 The story of the prodigal son is very familiar but lest we only read that part of this chapter we are most negilgent to the truth Jesus is teaching. He wants the audience to see what brings God glory and what causes men to celebrate. So what do you celebrate?  Do you celebrate the salvation of one God calls wicked and unrepentant who comes back to the fold?

The first part of this chapter is teaching that which is lost and then found we are to celebrate. The lost son is the capstone of all of this chapter. Yet, again we see two sons, one is obviously uncaring and unrepentant at the first. It took a major event to bring him to his knees. The father watches lovingly for his unrepentant son to return to the fold. Because he was faithful in the little, that is his prayer,  the son did indeed repent and the father called for a celebration. But what about the other son who had stayed home, was faithful to do what was commanded? Had he been praying for his brother? How did he respond to the arrival of his “wicked” brother? Did he celebrate? We see he did not so what is the lesson we can glean from him? You may have all the blessings God pours out but if you do not celebrate the unrepentant who comes to the Lord and is saved, you are worse for you had the blessings but only cared about yourself not  your brother. 

What about the father? How does he fit in this story? His life is one of celebration for both boys but was blindsided by the elder son’s response. How often is that us as well. Pray that God open your eyes to see the truth of those who are closest to you. 

How often does one celebrate our own life but we fail to honor that celebration of another family member who returns? 

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Lifestyle Application

Telling about what God has done

1 Cor 9-11 Paul’s counsel applies to us today. Some will always scrutinize our walk and work, but we choose to live by the higher law. Why might we choose this when Jesus proclaimed that those who proclaim the gospel should be paid for that work? Just as Paul chose to live and work as a volunteer, so do those who offer their services as a free ministry such as Bible.org’s all volunteer staff. He was unashamed of the gospel message, for it is God’s power to save. Paul asked how he could charge for this miraculous power that God unleashes when one comes to the Savior. Paul saw himself in the role of a servant and steward so that he could offer the gospel free of charge. Is this how we see ourselves? God has given us a gift, and it is this: we are His servants fitted with the gospel of peace to be proclaimed freely.

Paul is teaching some life principles here that come directly out of Psalm 78. “We will tell the next generation about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts so that the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them. They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.” As we receive the gospel freely, we are to offer it freely.” 

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Childlike character

Matthew 18 Little Children

The disciples were trying to ascertain if they had the qualities to be the greatest in the kingdom. So, Jesus told them that they had to love as a child, and at the end of this dialog, he reminded them how one must forgive repeatedly. These are the qualities of humility.

He specifically called out the disciples when they argued about the greatest in the kingdom of God. With such bravado, they were like many who seek to humiliate another to make themselves seem greater. In doing so, they were seeking to turn the children away. He reminded them that it was a child’s humility that God was seeking, and the children were an example to them of this character quality.

God so disliked the way the disciples were acting that he said to them: unless you become like one of them, and if they caused one of them who believed in Him to sin, it would be better to have a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the sea. These are weighty words!

So what is God saying to us by this dialog? He is saying that God observes our character. What does He see in us?

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Children’s Decisions and God’s Protection

Daniel 1-3 Today, our children are bombarded with the enormity of decisions. As it is true today, it was in Daniel’s time. Our arch-enemy seeks their souls, but God’s ways are not our ways, they are higher and superior. [Is 55:8-9]

Century after century, God has sent His prophets and men to speak to His children about being obedient to Him and the Law. Yet, the Jews have continued to be disobedient to the Lord, and thus He has brought out what the prophets have said, You will go into exile. God raised up King Nebuchadnezzar, who, like many despots, wanted the riches his men had been shown by King Hezekiah, and he also wanted the brightest and most easy to sway intellectually and spiritually. What he was not aware of was the impact that the word of God had had on the minds and actions of four young men, as we shall see. We have no idea the teaching or examples they had had in Israel, but we do know this principle: We are to raise our children so that if confronted with the ways of our arch-enemy, they will choose God’s way. Prov 22:6 tells us to train our children in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not turn from it. Daniel and his three friends proved this principle when confronted with choosing the royal delicacies and wine.

Will our children make the right choices or not? Will we train our children for such a time as this? Will we pray for God to place a hedge of protection over them for when we are not with them?

Over and over, I pray Zechariah 2:5 over my grandchild: ‘I will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem and the source of glory in her midst.’” If God can do that for his most precious city, can He not do that for our children? 

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Choose Life

Jeremiah 23 Sodom and Gomorrah

When God says you are no better than these horrid cities that God destroyed, then you know something is really very wrong. What did God see that caused him to say that about His people? They were worshiping idols, in particular idols of death. The people were offering their sweet babies to those idol gods which God never called for. In fact, they “have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind;” [Jer 19:5]

Today we offer our babies to the Baal of abortion and it tears the heart of God. Does He see the USA as the Sodom and Gomorrah of today? Pray as you have never prayed before for these people who are blinded to the love of God. God hates abortion just as He hates divorce and murder. Remember these words as you pray as this is really what is happening: “the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” [2Cor 4:4]

Today choose life so that you and your descendants may live!

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Like Father, Like Son

Fathers take heed

1 Kings 15 As the father Jeroboam lived and reigned, so his son Nadab did. Thus the prophecy came true regarding Jeroboam given by Ahijah the Shilonite. Jeroboam had been given a promise from God that his reign would prosper and his sons and the nation of Israel would be honored IF he obeyed God and worshiped God.  But, again, as before, the fear of man was his downfall. [Prov 29:25] Jeroboam feared the people would return to Rehoboam and Judah, so he compromised with two golden calves he erected. Secondly, he chose many to be priests that were not Levites.

Compromise is the downfall of righteousness. This is not new. It began in the Garden, and today, we see this fruit in our own country’s leadership. God allows the downfall to happen as a lesson for those who are alive to learn from their mistakes. But we are slow learners and one generation away from purity and holiness. “For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.” [Rom 15:4] 

Remember, God allowed all of this “because they did not have faith in God and did not trust his ability to deliver them.” [Ps 78:22] Where is your faith today?

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Honoring a Parent’s Legacy

2 Chron 2-3, 1 Kings 5-6  Solomon has been anointed king over Israel, and just as we might do, he began to plan how to honor his father’s wishes to build a magnificent temple. His father had planned and organized the materials and now Solomon just had to execute the plan. Solomon calls on his father’s dear friend, Hiram to help with the execution of the building. We all need a true friend who will stand in the gap for us and guide us in our endeavors. Hiram knew David well and he now gets to meet and help David’s son. He gave God praise for David for raising a wise son who has a discerning and keen heart to accomplish the task. Do others see that our parents have raised us to have these characteristics?  

 The temple was to be out of the ordinary; in fact, it was to be spectacular. All was to be covered in gold and the inner court would hold the cherubim images, not to be worshiped, but to be a reminder of God’s glory. Humbly Solomon knew that nothing in the heavens or earth would come close to who God is yet as part of David’s legacy he would fulfill that vision of a temple where people could come to worship. In the NT Paul reminds us that a physical temple is not what God requires, but a temple of a person and their heart; therefore be ye holy as God is holy.

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Parenting is 24/7

Prov 22-24 The Proverbs author continues to instruct his children in wisdom and discernment. In the middle of this dialog, he focuses on parents by saying: Train up a child in the way he should go; even when old, he will not depart from it.[Prov 22:6] By that, the Proverbs author reminds parents that they must study their children as to how they learn best and their interests. Through all twenty-one chapters, He has reminded us of the importance of knowing who we are and our destiny, all with the “fear of the Lord” as the primary objective.

How does your child learn best? Is he/she one who learns best by hearing or one who learns best using his eyes and hands? Just as we often take spiritual gifts tests to determine the best way we learn, you can do the same by studying your child by observing, interpreting, and then teaching the truth to them. It is what we call discipleship, and it begins early so that when you stand before the Lord, you hear well done!

Just as we study the scriptures to know truth from error, we are to study our children’s ways so they become wise. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, and we reap benefits when we and they know what is best.

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