Relationship not Rules!

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 NKJ

Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost. Proverbs 22:6 MGS

As a Christian parent, my biggest concern was that my two children would grow up to be mature disciples of Jesus Christ. My heart has been broken many times to see children that have been raised in Christian homes and have attended Bible-teaching churches only to forsake the faith and desert the church.

Many have interpreted the above verse as a promise to parents that if they do their job right their children will never abandon the faith. However, this has resulted in many parents feeling as if God has broken His promise to them when their child turns from the faith.

This verse is a proverb and not a promise. Proverbs are sayings about how life normally works. But, there are plenty of exceptions to proverbs, because life is complicated by many factors. Proverbs are principles, not promises.

Bible teacher, Peter Goeman has an interesting insight into this verse. "In addition to the fact that a proverb is a principle, not a promise, Proverbs 22:6 is likely a negative warning rather than a positive promise. If we break down the verse we see some interesting details which support the view this is not a promise...The context in Proverbs speaks very negatively about the way of the youth. Thus, “his way” likely refers to the sinful disposition of the youth. If true, this particular proverb functions as a warning, not a promise. If parents affirm a child in his or her own way, that child will embrace that lifestyle throughout life..."

"By way of application, the main point of the proverb is clear. Whether it is positive or negative, Proverbs 22:6 cannot be viewed as a promise. Rather, it is a principle that highlights the importance of parenting. Further, it also highlights the tendency of the child to hold to the patterns of his youth. However, we should avoid using such a proverb as a promise that has no exceptions.

Parents often think that if they have a set of rules for their child to follow, they won't stray from the faithh. Keeping a set of rules will never lead a child into saving faith in Jesus Christ. But if a parent lives a consistent Christ-like life where they exhibit a rewarding relationship with Christ, their is a good chance they will follow in their steps.

RULES WITHOUT A RELATIONSHIP LEADS TO REBELLION. (Josh McDowell)

The God Hunt

 

"Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." Genesis 28:16 

 

The context for the above verse is found in the Old Testament Book of Genesis when Jacob is fleeing his vengeful brother. He stops for the night and while sleeping, God reveals Himself to Jacob in a dream.  Jacob awakes and it dawns on him that God was in the place that he stopped for the night, and he was totally unaware of it.  

The thought occurred to me; how many times is God is present in OUR lives and we are totally unaware of it. We mark it up as being “lucky” or just a favorable circumstance, but Psalms 37:23 says A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. Personally, I do not believe in ‘coincidences’ in a Christ-followers' life. There may be events where we are totally unaware of God’s Presence, but He is there all the same.  

This week let’s go on a God Hunt. Let’s look for God as He intersects on lives. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” If you are consciously, actively looking for Him, you will find Him.   Look for Him in... 

• An unexpected phone call 

• An opportunity that presents itself 

• A prayer that is answered in a way that was unexpected 

• A monetary gift or job advancement 

• 
  

God is predictable in His unpredictability. God delights in surprising us, in revealing the ways in which he is not like us. One of the most common deceptions of humanity is to believe God acts, thinks, and believes exactly like us. Rarely does God do what we expect. If humanity should be certain of anything it is that we never know what God might do next. The Bible is full of God’s unpredictability: 

• David kills Goliath. 

• When choosing disciples, He came to the least qualified. 

• When choosing a people, He came to the smallest. 

• When choosing a king, He came to the youngest. 

• People were expecting a military Messiah, God sent a baby.

•  

God shows up in unexpected places. It’s the pattern of God to shock and surprise in the place that we least expect. 

 

 

  

Free Your Life

Recently I borrowed a book from a friend that we share a common interest. The book is entitled Freedom from Tyranny of the Urgent, by Charles E. Hummel. I want to recommend this book to all true Christ-followers as it has the potential of changing your life. The basic premise is that not all things in our lives that are urgent are important. This book will help you discover the difference. 

If you want to live a life of meaning and purpose, this book is for you.

Jesus: Our Blood Donor

 "The Life is in the blood."  Leviticus 17:11

Most people, when they retire, get a gold watch. James Harrison deserves so much more than that.

Harrison, known as the “Man With the Golden Arm,” has donated blood nearly every week for 60 years. After all those donations, the 81-year-old Australian man “retired” Friday. The occasion marked the end of a monumental chapter.

According to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, he has helped saved the lives of more than 2.4 million Australian babies. Harrison’s blood has unique, disease-fighting antibodies that have been used to develop an injection called Anti-D, which helps fight against rhesus disease.

Harrison’s remarkable gift of giving started when he had major chest surgery when he was just 14, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service said. Blood donations saved his life, so he pledged to become a blood donor. A few years later, doctors discovered his blood contained the antibody which could be used to create Anti-D injections, so he switched over to making blood plasma donations to help as many people as possible.

As great as Mr. Harrison’s dedication was there is someone else whose blood donation was even greater, Jesus Christ. Jesus is a blood-donor not a blood-shedder. “The life is in the blood,” as the Scripture says. The New Testament doesn’t so much teach “forgiveness OF sin” as it does “freedom FROM sin.” Jesus’ blood is not just about paying for our past transgressions but rather providing for our future transfusion. He wants to infusion us with His life.  

Why I Turned My Back on Religion

 

“...That day of the Lord will not come until the turning away from God ...” 

2 Thessalonians 2:3

One-fifth of Americans are religiously unaffiliated — higher than at any time in recent U.S. history — and those younger than 30 especially seem to be drifting from organized religion. A third of young Americans say they don't belong to any religion.

Voltaire, the 18th Century French cynic, wrote: “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” This quip is often quoted cynically. But in fact, he was being perfectly sincere. He was arguing that belief in God is necessary for society to function, even if he didn’t approve of the monopoly the church held over that belief. From the earliest civilization, man has always been religious. He found the need to worship someone or something.

There are many reasons people are leaving organized religions. Here are some of the reasons young people gave:

• Hypocritical behavior in the lives of professing believers

• The problem of suffering in the world

• Mega churches have millions of dollars but they are not actively reaching the needy

• Probably the biggest reason is they do not believe religion is relevant today.

If the church is going to reach this generation, they must be willing to change. For change to occur, we must listen to this younger generation. We need to include them in making decisions to make decisions. One of the main reasons the church is unable to see any positive change is that they don’t allow room for younger members to have a part in the changes being made.

The biggest group that has faced holy discrimination is the LGBTQ community. The traditional church is totally against homosexuality. The church cannot expect the gay person to change BEFORE they are accepted into the church. We can love/accept the person without condemning them. Somehow the church is more willing to forgive the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, the greedy, drunkards and swindlers before they would even consider forgiving the LGBTQ community even if they are not practicing homosexuality.

The church must teach/preach a message that is relevant. What millennials need are teachings that closely align with what they are experiencing. What millennials need are teachings that resonate with a young 35-year-old single mother. What millennials need are teachings that could be useful for a 20-year-old college student dealing with financial and personal stress.

The only way to stop the exodus from our churches is to be willing to change. Like how badly does the church want to attract a younger audience? What measures is the church willing to take to capture the millennial generation? What is the church willing to give up bringing more souls to Christ?

More Than a Little Piece

 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Matthew 16.24

We all leave a piece of ourselves behind when we move to a new place. But to become a long-term resident of Villas Las Estrellas, Antarctica. Leaving a piece of yourself behind is a literal thing. With the nearest hospital 625 miles away, a person will be in serious trouble if their appendix bursts. So every citizen is required to undergo an appendectomy before moving there.

Sounds drastic right? But it's not as drastic as becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Because people want to follow Jesus on their own terms and not His. (Matthew 16:25-27) He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” This includes being prepared to let go of everything that competes with Him and His Kingdom.

As we take up our cross, we also take on a willingness to truly follow Him. This means following His lead as He guides us into service and sacrifice. Following Jesus means so much more than leaving a little piece of ourselves of ourselves behind. With His help, it's about submitting and surrendering our whole lives, including our bodies, to Him alone.

What Did You Say?

 “Use different messaging for different groups to ensure your communications are relevant.” – Andrea Plos

There is an old adage that says, “I know what I said but I'm not sure what you heard.” That is so true when we speak of communication. You cannot have a proper, healthy relationship without good communication. It affects every area of life: Husband/wife. Parents/children. Boss/employee. I cannot speak to another person from a different country unless I speak their language.

In 1990, Dr. Gary Chapman wrote the best seller The Five Love Languages. In his book, he describes the basic ways to show love to other people. Everyone has a desire to be loved but everyone is so different there are different ways to show that love. He gives us five different ways to communicate love.

1. Words of Affirmation: This love language consists of encouraging, positive words and verbal

2. Acts of Service: Doing things that express your love

3. Receiving Gifts: Showing your love through gift giving

4. Quality Time: Giving quality time to another

5. Physical Touch: Hugs, holding hands, etc.

I thought my wife's love language was receiving gifts but it wasn't until we sat down to discuss these “languages” did in discover she wanted quality time from me. Now instead of giving her gifts, I often sit on our couch and listen/talk with her and I found out that my “language” was words of affirmation.

If you want to have better relationships, take the time to discover that person's love language.