Thought for Meditation

The Lord our God has given us the responsibility, not to raise up socially good children,
but to raise up spiritually godly children. 
Therefore, the standard of success in our parenting is detemined
by whether our children pursue the path of godliness when they enter adulthood.

Thought for Meditation

Whenever a husband treats his wife with selfish interest, selfish insensitivity,
selfish impatience, selfish communication, or selfish anger,
he is not loving his wife.
Rather, he is sinning against the Lord and against his wife.

Thought for Meditation

Parents who lack self-discipline generally do a poor job in the discipline of their children;
for they lack the personal discipline
to observe their children's behavior closely
(because they are too busy with their own things),
to discipline wrong behavior immediately
(because they are too lazy to engage in the work of discipline),
and to engage in discipline consistently
(because they are too governed by personal emotion than by Biblical principle).

Weekly Sermon

Proverbs 31:28-31 – “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.  Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”

Proverbs for Life

This post is a companion to a previous post:  Proverbs & The Sin of Sexual Lust (Part 1)    
                                                                        Proverbs & The Sin of Sexual Lust (Part 2)    

The book of the Proverbs is written from the perspective of a father who is providing spiritual counsel to his young adult son.  With such a perspective, this book of God’s Holy Word presents a significant amount of admonition concerning the sin of sexual lust.  Even so, in the book of the Proverbs we find admonition concerning:

  I.  The Power of Temptation’s Deception
 II.  The Pathway to Utter Destruction
III.  The Protection of Spiritual Discernment
IV.  The Principle of Fleeing Departure
 V.  The Precept for Marital Devotion & Delight

Thought for Meditation

When we discipline our children for wrong behavior,
we must learn not only to discipline the wrong actions of their wrong behavior,
but also to discipline the wrong attitudes that motivated their wrong behavior.

Thought for Meditation

Certainly, we should teach our children to think for themselves.
Yet we should not teach them to think in accord with themselves,
that is - in accord with their own understanding and feeling.
Rather, we should teach our children to think for themselves
in accord with the precepts and principles of God's Holy Word
(to think for themselves, but not according to themselves).

Proverbs for Life

This post is a companion to a previous post:  The Proverbs & Parenting (Part 1)    

The book of the Proverbs presents significant wisdom concerning godly parenting, and especially concerning the responsibility of godly discipline in godly parenting.  Furthermore, the book of the Proverbs clearly indicates that parents will find gladness or grief, rejoicing or regret and reproach, satisfaction or sorrow and shame based upon the manner in which they train up their children.

Proverbs for Life

The book of the Proverbs presents significant wisdom concerning godly parenting, and especially concerning the responsibility of godly discipline in godly parenting.

Proverbs for Life

This is a companion post to a previous post:  The Proverbs & Our Love (Part 1)    

The book of the Proverbs presents a number of truths concerning that upon which we should or should not set our love, and concerning the manner in which we are to love.  In this second part of the study, let us consider the manner in which we should demonstrate our love.

Weekly Sermon

In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 the apostle Paul revealed the foundational principle for stewardship, syaing, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

In its immediate context, the apostle was speaking concerning himself and those who served with him as ministers of God’s truth for Christ’s sake.  He revealed that such ministers are stewards of the truth of God’s Word, responsible to minister gospel truth unto the lost and edification truth unto the saved.  Then the apostle revealed God’s foundational principle for stewardship, saying, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  Brethren, in stewardship from the Lord our God, faithfulness is required.

Now, although the immediate context of this passage concerns ministers of God’s truth, it is important for us to understand that the foundational principle for stewardship in verse 2 has an application to each and every one of us as the servants of the Lord our God.  Whether or not we have been called as minister of God’s truth, as our Lord’s servants we all have been given some stewardship from the Lord.  Therefore, the foundational principle of stewardship stands for us all – Faithfulness is required.

Proverbs for Life

In Proverbs 22:19-21 the man of God gave report to his young-adult son, saying, “That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.  Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?”

This passage reveals three reasons why would should be so diligent in teaching our children the excellent counsels and commands, wisdom and warnings of God’s Holy Word.  “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7)  Why?