II Samuel 15:24-26 “24 Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. 25 The king said to Zadok, ‘Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. 26 But if He should say thus, ‘I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.’”

Have you ever wondered why David didn’t deal with Absalom more harshly? Surely David had heard what Absalom had been doing for the past couple of years. I am sure he was aware of Absalom’s motives. But, as any father, he hoped for the best in his son. He was probably praying that the Lord would turn his heart.

But now here David is, fleeing the city. In the above verses we see Zadok bringing the ark of covenant out of the city to follow David. David, however, has too much respect and awe for God’s will to see this done. He has seen how the Lord works and is willing to give up his throne if that is what the Lord wanted. He knew the ark belonged in Jerusalem, not following him who knows where.

Children need to learn to make decisions as they get older, but they also need to learn to accept your decisions without arguing or whining. By teaching them this, we are preparing them to accept the Lord’s decisions for their life. They may never understand this side of eternity why some things happen. But, just like David, they need to learn to trust the hand of God. He’s got this!

Sometimes, your children will have to decide to just “be the wrong one” for the sake of peace and unity. That doesn’t mean they are a doormat or a pushover. It is a sign of humility and grace in their life. We can model that as parents when they see Mom and Dad disagreeing. We should seek to outdo each other in seeking peace. That’s a lesson worth learning. Will you be like David and allow the Lord to redeem you when you’ve been wronged? He knows your heart and your motives.

Luke 23:25 “And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.”

I have often wondered what Barabbas thought of his release. He knew he was guilty of insurrection and murder, but he was released by Pilate. Did he ever realize just Who took his place that day? Did Barabbas ever acknowledge Christ as his Messiah? The Scriptures are silent on this, so we assume he never did. It would seem that if he had, that would have been big news and would have been recorded somewhere in one of the Gospels or another book.

We are just as guilty as Barabbas. We are known sinners. There is nothing we could have done to ever demand our release from the grips of sin. We were doomed for eternal punishment. But…..the One Who is able secured our release from death. We have acknowledged Him as our Messiah. We have accepted Him as our Savior and Lord.

Your children are guilty too! They may not appear as a “Barabbas” but they are sinners from birth. Now, you may think little Gertrude or Elrod are just too precious to be a sinner. Just wait! Their true flesh will reveal itself. But there is hope for the vilest of sinners. Our job is to point them to the One who can free them from the power of sin.

Wow! This is a little heavy, isn’t it? I guess I have just heard too little lately about sin. We can never forget just how powerful the forgiving power of God is in our lives. He didn’t just cover our shame! He covered our sin – with the precious blood of His Son. Jesus died for us! Jesus even died for Barabbas, whether he ever claimed that or not.

Please don’t water down the Gospel to try to make it more palatable for your little ones. They need to know that without Jesus in their lives, they are no better than Barabbas. But through Jesus they are released and are free in Christ. Amen? Amen!!

II Samuel 7:18 “Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?’”

All David wanted to do was build the Lord God a permanent home. He had called Nathan (the prophet) in and said to him that he wanted to build a house for God since He was still in a tent. David recognized that all that had occurred in his life was the direct result of God directing and blessing him. Now here he was living in a beautiful home and reigning as king of Israel. He wanted to give something back to God.

He wasn’t expecting to hear that the Lord was granting his household kingship forever. Even those words prophesized the reign of Jesus, who was of the tribe of Judah. David felt unworthy and undeserving of such an honor. “What is my house?”

Do you ever feel unworthy of God’s blessings? Look around you. Look at all the Lord has blessed you with. When I return home after spending time in other countries, I feel so unworthy of the things the Lord has blessed me with. I do not deserve any of it. I am so blessed.

Our children must be taught, however, to recognize these blessings. They grow up with them and simply take them for granted. They have always had a computer or a cell phone or a television or air conditioning. They just assume those things will always be. We have to teach them that all those things are fine, but they all are a result of a Loving God who has blessed your family.

God doesn’t need anything from us. His existence and glory isn’t dependent on our recognition of Him. But when we acknowledge Him and His goodness in our lives, He is pleased. Don’t you and your children want to please the Father? He desires to bless you. But don’t demand it and don’t even expect it when you think you need it. Simply trust Him, and He will bless you in ways you could never expect.

Luke 22:31-32 “31 ‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.’”

This is one of the most precious things the Lord said to any of His disciples. He knew Satan wanted to bring down, not only Him, but His disciples. You see, Satan knew that those followers of the Son of God might just continue to tell the story after Jesus died. He wanted to “sift” them like wheat. In other words, Satan wanted to tear them apart.

But of all things, Jesus tells Peter that He has prayed for him. Jesus prayed specifically that once he has denied Him he would return and be used to strengthen the other disciples. How would you have felt if Jesus had told you He was praying for you?

Our children are going to disappoint us. They are going to make mistakes. However, they need to know, just like Peter, that we will forgive them and that God has great plans for them. Don’t you think Peter remembered these words of Jesus after he denied him and that rooster crowed?

How can you show your children to trust the Lord, even when they have “denied” Him? When they make those foolish decisions to go against God’s will and your desires for them, they still need to be loved and prayed for. That does not mean that we condone their behaviors that are contrary to God’s Word. But it does mean that, just like Peter, they can still be used to “strengthen” their brothers.

Forgiveness is a hard thing. Our flesh wants to seek revenge, not forgive someone. But we must follow the Lord’s example. In the hour of His greatest need, Peter abandoned Him. But Jesus loved him anyway and prayed for him. Will you pray for your children, knowing that they will disobey and disappoint? Jesus does, for them and for you.

II Samuel 1:16 “David said to him, ‘Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, “I have killed the LORD’S anointed.”’”

Oops! This Amalekite thought he was bringing David good news! Saul, David’s persecutor for so many years, was dead. Now David could be king. He even lied to make himself look better by saying he had killed Saul. Perhaps he was hoping for a reward. He obviously didn’t know that David had spared Saul twice in the past years when God had placed him in his hands.

Children love to tattle, don’t they? They think they may gain some ground on brother or sister by informing you, Mom and Dad, when they have some “news” of their sibling’s activities. Tattling will drive you crazy! It is hard to know what is true or untrue.

We adults tattle too, but we disguise the “news” as prayer requests. Have your children ever overheard you telling “news” about someone else that you were asked to keep to yourself. We just can’t help ourselves, can we? Will you stop and think about the message you are showing your kids? If they hear you doing that, do you think they are ever going to share their deepest thoughts with you? Not hardly.

Your children will probably never come to you with a life threatening decision, but their struggles at school or with friends seem that way to them. They need your counsel and advice. Don’t ruin that opportunity by being a tattle-tail yourself. To put it bluntly – keep your mouth shut. God knows your heart. Tell Him what you want to tell others. One thing’s for sure – He can keep a secret!

Luke 21:29-30 “29 Then He told them a parable: ‘Behold the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.’”

When I was growing up in South Georgia, I used to love to go visit my Grandma Carter’s house in the country. She lived on this farm where we could run around and explore. There was a chicken coop, a couple of barns and cows. But there was also this awesome fig tree.

This fig tree had those large brown figs. I couldn’t wait until it was fig season. I would go to that tree which was right beside the well house and eat those figs right off the tree. I would find the biggest one, split it open and eat it the insides first. Fig season was indeed sweet!

However, in this parable Jesus refers to the fig tree and other trees as a way we know the seasons. He is telling them that just like that, when we see the events He talked about concerning the last days, we will know the “season” has come.

Have you listened to the news lately? We need to be preparing our children for these last days. All around us the events are lining up for His return. But oh Moms and Dads, these are not times to be feared. Just like I eagerly anticipated fig season, we too should be eagerly anticipating His return. It will be sweet for our children and us as believers.

So, may I ask you a question? Are you ready? Have you asked the Lord Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior? Have you prayed for your children to do the same? Have they? Don’t delay. It’s almost fig season!

I Samuel 30:7 “Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, ‘Please bring me the ephod.’ So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.”

Do you remember this ephod? It was probably the same one Ahimelech had at Nob behind which the sword of Goliath was hidden. His son, Abiathar, had brought it with him when he joined David. Why was this ephod used to talk to God? The priest had the ephod in which contained the stones used to cast lots to hear from God. God had initiated that means of communication long ago when Aaron was the priest. David knew that, of course, and wanted to get clear direction from God before proceeding.

Think about it for a second. David and all his men had just returned to find their city destroyed and all their wives and children missing. But he stopped long enough to seek God’s counsel instead of reacting out of the flesh. His men were ready to stone him, but he turned to God for guidance.

We need to help our children learn this lesson. When the world seems to be falling apart all around them, that is the VERY time they need to stop and pray. God is aware of their circumstances. He has the answer, but they must ask Him. He won’t just jump in if they aren’t seeking him.

Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God. If we do that, He promises to add all things to us. If we seek His wisdom and truth, He will guide us in the right path. Now, that path may not be easy. David had to go fight the Amalekites for about two whole days to get his family back, but he did. He and his army followed the Lord’s counsel and attacked.

Will you follow the Lord’s counsel today? Will you show your children that they too must seek the Lord and then do what He says, no matter what He says? If we do that and teach them to do the same, we will find that God is ready to guide and provide.

Luke 19:10 “’For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’”

“Zaccheus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he; He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.” Do you remember that song you learned in Sunday School? I sure do. I always thought it was funny. I have rarely seen a grown man climb a tree (unless he was deer hunting). So, to think about Zaccheus in his New Testament garb climbing a tree in a crowd to see Jesus, well, that just tickles me.

He obviously had thrown all pride and decorum out the window. After all, he was a hated tax collector. He probably carried himself pretty pompously as he walked around town. He may have acted more cocky and proud to try to compensate for his lack of height. But something happened to Zaccheus when Jesus stopped, looked up at him and said, “Hey, you up there! Zaccheus, come down! I’m going to your house to eat.”

Our children need to know that Jesus is waiting for them to look at Him. The moment they decide to look toward Jesus, with eagerness and anticipation like Zaccheus, He says to them, “Hey, I want to fellowship with you. Come to me.” But they have to make eye (and heart) contact with Him first.

Aren’t you thankful we don’t have to climb a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus? Anytime, any day, we can have fellowship with Him through the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus longs for fellowship with us. He wants us to invite Him into every part of our life. And when we do, we will be just like Zaccheus. We will want to give all we have to Him and others. Because, just like Zaccheus, we will discover that He is all we really need.

The song continues,

Won’t you and your children invite Jesus to your house today?

I Samuel 25:25 “’Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.’”

How could such an intelligent, beautiful woman like Abigail (verse 3 describes her that way) marry a foolish man like Nabal. Even his name meant foolish or disgrace. Now, here she is trying to cover for him by sending gifts to David to avoid bloodshed.

As Parents, we want our children to marry someone who loves Jesus. We want their spouse to be wise and discerning. We want them to be protective and loyal. I am willing to bet that Nabal was none of these. And here was Abigail, seemingly stuck in this marriage to a “fool.”

How do we protect our children from making a similar mistake in their choice for a life mate? Well, this story might be a good one to share. We don’t know all the details of how she came to be married to Nabal. Perhaps, as was common to that time, it was an arranged marriage. Perhaps, when he was younger he swept her off her feet. However it happened, here she was.

Our guidance will only go so far when we counsel our children in this area. But it is still our responsibility to speak up and advise. The Lord expects us to give wise counsel to our children. The best counsel we can give, however, is to be the kind of husband or wife the Lord desires for our spouse, your children’s mom or dad. When they see you living out a godly marriage, they will be drawn to a godly spouse.

So, don’t be a Nabal. Be wise, for your future son-in-law or daughter-in-law’s sake.

Luke 17:33 “’Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.’”

This passage in Luke 17 is in the middle of the teaching of Christ about His return. We, as believers, all long for His return, don’t we? But this verse is not one we want to dwell on.

What He says here goes directly against our instinct to survive. He says if you spend all your time trying to preserve your life, you will lose it. But if you lose your life you will preserve it. Huh? That just doesn’t make sense. How can we preserve our life by losing it?

One of the greatest lessons we can learn is how to die to self. We have to lay down our own desires and wishes and way of life and embrace the life the Savior has for us. By doing that, what seems to be a sacrificial thing ends up being a fulfilling one. We are filled when we empty ourselves. We are lifted up when we fall down on our knees before Him.

How can you, as Mom and Dad, model this behavior? When you mess up (and we all do) are you able to admit that to your child? When you let your flesh get the best of you, can you go to whomever you have offended and apologize? Your children are watching you. They learn from your behavior.

I am anxiously looking forward to Christ’s return. But I know between now and then I must lay down my life for Him daily. It is no secret why He put that statement in the midst of this passage about His return. He wants us to be living empty of ourselves and full of Him when He returns. Why do you think it will happen “in the twinkling of an eye”? If we are surrendered to Him daily, that transformation to glory will just be another day of surrender to Him. If we are full of Him here, being with Him there will just seem…natural.