2018-11-14
Psalm 139:15 TM
The Psalmist wrote: “You know me inside and out…you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit…Like an open book…all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day” (vv. 14-16 TM). God has already determined your child’s potential; now it’s up to you to help him or her discover and develop it. You’ll see it in their temperament, their gifts, and their interests. Resist the temptation to treat all your children the same way; they’re different! Cain was a farmer and his brother Abel was a shepherd. Jacob and Esau were twins, yet they couldn’t have been more different. And how about the Prodigal Son who left home and became a “party animal,” while his older brother stayed home and became self-righteous and judgmental? You must love each of your children unconditionally, but develop them individually. Who are they? What do they like? What do they succeed at? How do they handle change? How do they behave when they’re alone? Start listening to what your children value, what they fear, and what they need. Make sure they’re anchored spiritually in God’s Word. Don’t force them to go the way you wish you’d gone. Help them discover their own identity, and become their biggest backer. If that means putting your own dreams on hold for a while, do it. You’ll never regret it. Your children are your future; your very essence will live on in them. And one more thing: The trees we grow today produce the fruit we eat tomorrow. So pray and ask God to help you understand your child.
Soul food: Rom 7:1-9:16; John 10:11-21; Ps 83:1-8; Prov 29:19-22
2018-10-29
1 Thessalonians 2:7 NIV
Commanders: Commanders were created to understand power and leadership, to know how it works, and feel a natural pull toward it. If this describes you, an image of strength is important to you. You have a need to lead. Opposition actually energizes you. Winston Churchill was a commander easily bored by agreement, and whose greatest moments were inspired by opposition. He had a running battle with Lady Nancy Astor, who once said to him, “Winston, if you were my husband, I’d poison your tea.” To which Churchill famously replied, “Nancy, if I were your husband, I’d drink it!” When Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany, Churchill found the formidable enemy he’d been waiting for his whole life. And he rose to the challenge. Without good leadership nothing gets accomplished. But power can become an end in itself, and you can become frustrated when you’re not getting your own way. Indeed, other people may feel intimidated about speaking up when they don’t agree with you. And when that happens you may have compliance, but you don’t have love, loyalty, or respect. God help a leader who has no leader, and those who follow him or her! Responsibility without accountability produces instability. Only when you surround yourself with people who have 20/20 vision to compensate for your blind spots, can you see your tendency to use people and employ fear and intimidation to get your own way. Paul, a great leader, wrote, “We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her children.” When it comes to great leadership, there are two words that go hand in hand – “gentleness” and “greatness.”
Soul food: Isa 22-25; John 6:52-71; Ps 127; Prov 27:25-27
2018-10-06
Hebrews 11:20 KJV
Every child needs their father’s blessing, and every father should speak words of blessing to them. When Isaac blessed his sons he was speaking with divinely given authority, not out of sentiment or favoritism. By Hebrew custom a father’s blessing had these ingredients: (1) A meaningful touch. “Jacob went close to his father…who touched him…Then his father Isaac said to him, ‘Come here, my son, and kiss me'” (Genesis 27:22, 26 NIV). A father’s blessing included the laying on of hands, a kiss, and an embrace of love and acceptance. Jesus also knew the importance of this: “He took [the children] up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16). And such expressions of love still bless your children’s hearts when they get them from you, Dad. (2) Words of affection. Before blessing Jacob his father Isaac said to him, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed” (Genesis 27:27 NIV). To a city dweller these words might bring a puzzled look, but not to Isaac’s boys. Isaac, who loved nature, was saying, “That’s my boy – a country boy, a hunter, a man’s man like his dad!” He couldn’t have spoken more affirming words to his sons. Dad, make sure your words aren’t demeaning or insensitive; speak words that say, “I love you, I believe in you, I’m proud of you, and I’ll always be here for you.”
Soul food: Exo 1-3; Luke 24:45-53; Ps 51; Prov 25:23-25
2018-09-14
Romans 12:18 NIV
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9 NKJV). Notice, God promised to bless peacemakers, not peace lovers. There’s a difference. Peacemakers pay the price; peace lovers enjoy the benefits. Sometimes you’ve got to confront people before you can comfort them. Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple because they were charging unfair exchange rates to those who bought lambs and turtledoves to offer as sacrifices to God. In most cases these were people who could least afford it, so Jesus decided to get involved. One of the names given to God is Jehovah-Shalom, “The Lord is our peace” (See Judges 6:24). “Shalom” doesn’t denote the absence of trouble, but the peace of God in the midst of it. When we have an issue with someone, Jesus said we should take certain steps. First, go and try to resolve it privately. If that doesn’t work, take someone with you who can help. If that fails, take it to the church leadership. And if the person still refuses to be reconciled, then love them and leave them in God’s hands (See Matthew 18:15-17). It may not be a How-to-Win-Friends-and-Influence-People approach to conflict resolution, but it’s God’s way. Paul said, “If…possible…live at peace with everyone.” For example, Paul was willing to forgo eating certain foods that were offensive to others (See 1 Corinthians 8:13), but he wasn’t willing to tolerate troublemakers in the church (See Romans 16:17). So you must know when to make waves, and when to make peace.
Soul food: Neh 1-4; Luke 21:12-24; Ps 78:17-31; Prov 23:26-28
2018-09-07
Jeremiah 23:6 NLT
The name Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord our righteousness, was given by God through Jeremiah, announcing the coming of Jesus the redeemer: “I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line…And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness'” (vv. 5-6 NLT). Before Jesus came, our righteousness lay in our own efforts. “We will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands…God has given us” (Deuteronomy 6:25 NLT). We absolutely failed that righteousness test! But “The Lord our righteousness” became our solution. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). Notice: It’s only “in Jesus” that we “become the righteousness of God”! You’re not to try to do right so you can feel righteous before God, or to generate a supply of good works to draw from when needed. You’re to draw continually from the “righteousness” deposited in your account by Christ. It’s useless to look within yourself for humility, patience, kindness, love, etc. They’re not there! You must take them by faith from the supply stored up for you in Jesus. Guilty hearts can draw forgiveness, anxious spirits can draw peace, and weary souls can draw strength from Jehovah-Tsidkenu. You received salvation by faith alone. And in the same way you must draw righteousness, and everything else you need, by faith in what God has accomplished and stored up for your use in Jesus, The Lord our righteousness!
Soul food: Josh 16:1-19:23; Luke 20:9-19; Ps 20; Prov 23:10-12
