Are You Going To Obey God

For those Christian parents who have been accused by their children of bad parenting, even though they provided all of their children's needs and did the best they thought they could, as they grew in wisdom, I offer this;

Also for the adult children who want to use their parents as an excuse for bitter attitudes and sinful behavior, I offer this;

One day when I was reflecting on my parenting skills or lack of them in raising our children, the Lord spoke loudly and clearly to me that I suffered from parental pride.

He told me that I was prideful because I thought that I could do an excellent job raising the children because of what I know. My focus was what I could do.

After that I prayed that the Lord would work in my children in spite of me.

The Lord once showed me that there is no perfect parent because we are all fallen human beings who need a Savior.

While we can take responsibility for our own wrong attitudes and actions at times, we cannot take responsibility for the choices our children make, those belong to them alone.

Any adult child that blames their parent for their own sins, is arrogant and self willed, because we know the they would not be the perfect parent any more than we can.

God the Father was a perfect God to Adam and Eve, who had no earthly parents, and look what they did.

They walked with God in the Garden every day, they began perfect and ended badly.

They had the perfect influence, God Himself, and still chose to sin.

Ultimately our choices to obey or disobey God are ours alone, they belong to no one else. Nothing anyone else does can make us sin.

We always have the option to turn to God for our instruction and lessons for the answers to all of the issues of life.

Every thing we need to know to obey God and keep from sin is in God's Word, no other book is needed.

And, the answers to all we need to know dwell in us in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ who can teach us all things.

Next time your child accuses you of failing in your parenting, agree with them, and then ask them one question...."are you going to obey God now"?

Godly Unity Vs Man Made Unity

Godly unity is not a man made unity concocted to make everyone happy and avoiding arguments, but a Holy Spirit unity by seeking the Word of God for the truth.

God's unity comes by pouring over the Word for His answers to come to an agreement on what God is saying and what He means.

Philippians 2:2 "make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose."

1 Peter 3:8
"8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:"

1 Corinthians 1:10 "10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Romans 15:6 "6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 15:6 "6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Pride and Arrogance Has No Place in the Believers Life

Often, especially on facebook we meet those who are comfortable with bullying because they can "hit and run" without any consequences.

Proverbs 14:7 "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge."

Proverbs 22:24 "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:"

Titus 3:10 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;"

Often the rantings of a manipulator can deter others from the Word of God causing great distraction.

The devil sends argumentative people to frustrate those who are truly seeking.

When someone has an honest disagreement, for purposes of growing and blessing others, then that is welcomed. After all, isn't that what the Christian life is about, challenging oneWhen we perceive that someone is fighting to win an argument rather than honestly humble in discerning truth, then it is time to make our departure.
another to greater holiness and sharing truth with non-believers?

Proverbs 27:17
"17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Romans 15:13
"13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

We are also challenged to desire humility. Pride has to go and one way that happens is to be shown we are wrong from time to time and being able to admit it. There cannot be arrogance when we know Who God is and what we are.

Job 10:9
"9 Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again?"

Isaiah 64:8 "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

We are nothing more than clay and God is our potter, we have nothing to offer, but Christ is everything. When we remember this, we have no reason to feel pride or generate arrogance.

Proverbs 8:13 "13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

Proverbs 11:2 " When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom."

Proverbs 13:10 "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."