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"?
Sunday, January 26, 2014
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."
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."
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."
Saturday, January 25, 2014
What Daughters to their Moms
What's the old saying?
"What goes around comes around."
What children do to their Moms, grandchildren are watching
and learning how to do it to theirs.
Food for thought! LOL
What Will Your Old Age Look Like?
I see clearly that our old age drops all it's guard to appear good, when we get too old to control all those inner feelings, the real us emerges in all its fullness, for everyone to see.
If we were crabby inside, but calm on the outside, our crabby will emerge in our old age. People do not become something they are not, all their lives, they just stop trying to impress others and the real self comes out.
Whatever you have developed in your inner being all your life, that is what others will see when we become too weary to keep up pretenses any more.
Take care to inventory your inner attitude, because one day it will expose you, not only in this life but in eternity.
If we think we can get away with pretending, remember that one day when we are too old and tired to care if anyone likes us, then we will be utterly exposed.
And, remember that God already knows, there is no fooling Him.
If we were crabby inside, but calm on the outside, our crabby will emerge in our old age. People do not become something they are not, all their lives, they just stop trying to impress others and the real self comes out.
Whatever you have developed in your inner being all your life, that is what others will see when we become too weary to keep up pretenses any more.
Take care to inventory your inner attitude, because one day it will expose you, not only in this life but in eternity.
If we think we can get away with pretending, remember that one day when we are too old and tired to care if anyone likes us, then we will be utterly exposed.
And, remember that God already knows, there is no fooling Him.
Our Speech Matter a Little But ONLY IF
Our speech matters only in so much as it reflects our lifestyle.
I found just recently that the word "conversation" in the old English meant your life example through attitudes and actions.
This is why I like to go back to the original text. If we are to read only the English translation we might think that it is our speech that needs to "becometh the gospel of Christ", but the actual meaning is that our entire life must reflect the gospel of Christ.
That is huge, if we speak only, but our lifestyle and attitude does not match our speech, then we are in disobedience and a reproach to the gospel of Christ.
I found just recently that the word "conversation" in the old English meant your life example through attitudes and actions.
This is why I like to go back to the original text. If we are to read only the English translation we might think that it is our speech that needs to "becometh the gospel of Christ", but the actual meaning is that our entire life must reflect the gospel of Christ.
That is huge, if we speak only, but our lifestyle and attitude does not match our speech, then we are in disobedience and a reproach to the gospel of Christ.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
America Has Lost the Battle
What had been the pattern with God, in the disciplining of the nation of Israel, when she would not obey Him?
2 Chronicles 12 tells us that God allowed wicked nations to conquer those who would not bow the knee to Him.
In the case of the United States, I can see the Lord destroying our country from within rather than from without. We have no enemies with twelve hundred chariots coming against our armies.
What we have are wicked men taking over the government making unjust laws that oppress the people, through excessive taxes and laws that attempt to force us to accept evil.
We are punished through our taxes to accept the actions of those who take our personal funds to live in a slothful and sinful manner.
We are punished through our taxes to accept the murdering of millions of unborn babies.
We are now being told that we must accept same sex marriage, that any expression against this act is hate speech and punishable.
For those of you who think we are still free, to a great extent we are, but we are slowly and methodically losing that freedom through the mismanagement of our monies, the weakening of our armies and most of all the ruination of our families through public education and apostate churches.
We don't need armies to infiltrate and conquer us. The enemy of our soul has captured the hearts of the Americans and we are falling of our own doing.
Unless we repent, and I don't think we will, we will see a dictatorship in our lifetime. When we abandon all sense of righteousness to be accepted by our culture, then we have lost the battle, and every future battle.
2 Chronicles 12 tells us that God allowed wicked nations to conquer those who would not bow the knee to Him.
In the case of the United States, I can see the Lord destroying our country from within rather than from without. We have no enemies with twelve hundred chariots coming against our armies.
What we have are wicked men taking over the government making unjust laws that oppress the people, through excessive taxes and laws that attempt to force us to accept evil.
We are punished through our taxes to accept the actions of those who take our personal funds to live in a slothful and sinful manner.
We are punished through our taxes to accept the murdering of millions of unborn babies.
We are now being told that we must accept same sex marriage, that any expression against this act is hate speech and punishable.
For those of you who think we are still free, to a great extent we are, but we are slowly and methodically losing that freedom through the mismanagement of our monies, the weakening of our armies and most of all the ruination of our families through public education and apostate churches.
We don't need armies to infiltrate and conquer us. The enemy of our soul has captured the hearts of the Americans and we are falling of our own doing.
Unless we repent, and I don't think we will, we will see a dictatorship in our lifetime. When we abandon all sense of righteousness to be accepted by our culture, then we have lost the battle, and every future battle.
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