Perfect Children

 

As a parent, we dream of well-behaved children, who share our goals and dreams for their life, listen to our Godly wisdom and live according to Biblical principles. This is rarely the case, however, except in a few situations. Most of the time there are no perfect children, just like there are no perfect parents. We all require discipline.

Since God cares enough about us to discipline us, we need to care enough about our children to discipline them (Hebrews 12:5-6). This discipline is only for direct disobedience, not for childish behavior, which gets on our nerves. Children need to be children and to run, jump and play. If we do not give them opportunities to expend their energy at the park or outside in the yard, they will do it in the house at the least appropriate times!

God challenges us to encourage our children's individuality, which He creates in them. We pay attention to God's will for their life and we do not push them in the direction of our own aspirations for them. We discover the areas where our children excel and discover what their passion is. God places a call on each life and He has His plans for us before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10).

Discipline allows children to feel safe and proves that we care about them and love them (Psalm 3:11-18). Consistency is the main ingredient whether we use a few swats on their rear, time out or the loss of some cherished item for a short period of time. God's discipline is for our good, not His own; and we discipline our children for their good, not our own. This helps them to grow up as self-disciplined individuals.

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for Your Word, both Old and New Testament, in order to make us wise in this secular world and to use to raise our children according to Your nurture and admonition (Ephesians 6:4). Help us to proclaim Your Word to our children and to the world around us, through Your Spirit, bringing healing and salvation to them all because of Christ who abides within us (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:14-21).

Thought for the Day:

God's Word, taught from infancy, makes us wise individuals.

- 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Beyond the Cross

At Salvation, God offers us an intimate relationship with Himself. He wants to work in and through us to affect the world around us. It is God’s consistency, the fact that He never changes, which makes Him extremely trustworthy (Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6). He never fails to be and to perform everything according to His Word. We can trust in His faithfulness. Our soul waits expectantly on the Lord (Psalm 62:5). No trial or circumstance can ever separate us from God’s presence.

Many people come to salvation through belief in Jesus, and then they camp around that fact for the rest of their life. They miss out on so much that is available to the child of God. They tend to live primarily through their body and soul - the mind, will and emotions. Yet, God is a Spirit (1 Samuel 16:7), and His Spirit dwells in us. We are thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice for us, but He also wants us to walk in the victory His death affords us, and to press on to the high calling of God in Christ (Philippians 3:14).

At our salvation, God converted our nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is now filled with His righteous and is truly holy (Ephesians 4:24). He fills our Born Again spirit with the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ (1 John 4:17; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6). As we walk in the Spirit, we no longer fulfill the desires of our fleshly, carnal nature (Galatians 5:16-25). Recognizing who we are in Christ causes us to stand apart from unbelievers.

Our Born Again spirit is totally sanctified. We are a prisoner of no one, but Christ (Romans 6:18). We realize that He will work everything out for the good of those who love Him and who are called into His purposeful service (Romans 8:28). His divine peace and joy give us victory over every adversary and circumstance, and this allows us to reflect the image of God to the world around us. We live for His glory and honor, out of the abundance of His power within us.

Prayer:

Father God, under the encouragement of Your promises, we exhibit Your divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). We see the calm in the coming storm (Psalm 107:29), and focus on Your purpose for us in it, rather than the stress of the situation itself. We view every situation as coming from You, and we know that Christ in us can do all things through us (1 Corinthians 3:6; Philippians 4:13). Your peace, which resides within us (Philippians 4:7), influences our actions and is displayed in our face and body language. We thank You for all You do for us each and every day.

Thought for the Day:

To know God more intimately, we wait on Him; we are still and listen; then we wait some more, if need be, until we hear His still, small voice. - Psalm 27:14; 1 Kings 19:11-13

Friend or Foe?

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:16-20

"Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." -James 4:4

Paul’s parents educated him so well that he rose in the ranks of Roman society. Once he met Christ, however, he chose to be called a fool in the world’s eyes in order to  "be transformed by the renewing of his mind" (Romans 12:2). This restoration took determination, consistency, persevering prayer and the continual reading in God’s Word. Once Paul made the commitment, God provided abundant resources for him to succeed.

Let us also make this uncompromising pledge to God and rise above the wisdom of the world. We can cast aside the innumerable influences, which compete for our attention, and instead seek to please the One who sacrificed His life for us.

Satan plants mine fields along the road toward freedom to destroy those who do not walk vigilantly (Ephesians 5:15). Do not become a statistic in Satan’s tally. Walk in the Spirit and you will see the world's wisdom for what it truly is... foolishness.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me the faith and courage to stand alone. Though the world may label me a fool, I will "trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Amen.

Thought for the Day:
God's plan always requires us to be "sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).