I Samuel 21:8-9 “8 David said to Ahimelech, ‘Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.’ 9 Then the priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.’ And David said, ‘There is none like it; give it to me.’”

Of all things to find in Nob! Goliath’s sword! The last time we saw it was when David had killed Goliath and put it in “his tent.” So how did the priest get it and hide it in Nob? That question is one we will have to ask the Lord one day. Scholars debate how it got there. Perhaps David dedicated it to the Lord after the battle with Goliath. Some even say the cloth it was wrapped in was Goliath’s battle robe or cloak.

So what secret power did this sword hold? None, except to remind David of God’s faithfulness to give him the power to kill a giant when he was just a lad. Well, that might have been enough for me! Can you imagine how David felt when he once again held that sword in his hands? Can you imagine the memories that flooded his mind when he saw that sword? The thoughts of the day of his salvation from Goliath at the hands of the Lord would have been coursing through his mind.

Your children are going to face times when they feel like there is no hope. They are going to forget all those times when God has rescued them. They may even doubt their salvation. They need reminders! They need something to refresh their minds of God’s faithfulness. What can you put back, like the priest did with Goliath’s sword, to present to them on those days?

Perhaps it will be a picture of the day they followed Christ in believer’s baptism. Perhaps it will be a small wooden cross they made in VBS the year they asked Christ into their heart. Perhaps it will be the AWANA award they received for memorizing all those scriptures. Whatever it is, be prepared to hand it over to them. God will remind them of His faithfulness, but sometimes that memory needs a jolt.

I Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

Man, I love this verse. How many times have you looked at some smart, good looking young person who has a great personality and charisma and thought, “Boy, if God got a hold of him, He could really use him”? That is such wrong thinking. That is exactly the kind of man Saul was according to I Samuel 9:2 (read it).

So, it seems God, in choosing the second King of Israel, deliberately chose a young man, David, who was not even thought enough of by his father to have him come in from the fields to line up for Samuel. Why would God choose the youngest of the eight brothers?

This is a perfect verse to show your children how God determines the usefulness of people, not people. They may think they don’t “have what it takes” to be used, but God can take the most unlikely boys and girls and make them into kings and queens. God even knew all the mistakes David would make in the future, but He still chose him to be the king.

What strengths does your child have? Help him or her develop them. But also look at their weaknesses and do all you can to strengthen them. All the while remember that is not up to you to determine the outcome. That’s God’s business. God will use anyone who is surrendered to Him. It may take time for His perfect Will to be seen by your child (or you), but when it is revealed it will make perfect sense.

Some children know at an early age what God is leading them to do. Others may take, well, longer. Encourage, direct, teach and train! But don’t push. Let God draw them into the path He has for them. That will make their journey with God so much sweeter.

Luke 16:31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'”

Do your children want you to do everything for them? Do they wait for you to help them do their homework when you know they are capable of doing it themselves? Do they complain they don’t know how to do that chore you have shown them fifteen times? Now there is nothing wrong with helping your child, but they must learn to do these things on their own at some point.

The rich man in this story begs God to make special efforts to show his brothers, who were still alive, how to get to heaven. He doesn’t believe his brothers will recognize the need for salvation on their own. God simply says, “They have all the instructions they need. They just need to listen to My Word.” Wow! That’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?

Not really. God is a just and fair God. He loves each of us the same and shows each of us how to surrender to His Will. He knows that many will reject Him but will, at the last minute, want to negotiate a deal. Oops! Too late!

Our children have to learn from us that there are some things in life that are nonnegotiable. Salvation is one of those. There is ONLY we way to the Father. That is through Jesus Christ His Son. No matter what the world does to try make it fit the culture of today, there is only one path to God.

Teaching our children to rely on God for everything is the key. They will all reach a point when they will not need us anymore, but they will always need their Heavenly Father. They will always need His Word. They will always need the Holy Spirit’s guidance. But we must let them come to Him on their own. By that I mean we can’t force feed salvation. We must pray for God to draw them to Himself and then leave the rest up to Him. And He will. Remember it is God’s will that all men be saved. That includes your child.

I Samuel 15:11 “’I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.’ And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night.”

This passage makes me wonder if God made a mistake in choosing Saul. I know the answer to that. No He didn’t. God is not capable of making mistakes. He is perfect. He is holy. He is just. So what explains the verse? The Lord God tells Samuel that He regrets choosing Saul as king. The word “regret” is also translated as “repent.” The Lord altered His method of dealing with Saul after Saul turned his back on God.

God longs to bless us and see us fulfill His will for our lives. But if we choose to go our own way, He will let us. He will not force His will on us. God’s will for Saul was for him to be a great king and leader. Saul’s ego and self will went against God and because of that, God changed how He dealt with Saul.

This is an important lesson for our kids. We, as Parents, may be forced to show some tough love to our kids because of their disobedience. We do not want to, but in order to shape and mold them we have to use some techniques that would not have been employed if our kids had followed our direction. Their disobedience does not change the fact they are our children, but it does change how we have to deal with them at the time.

Have you ever disobeyed the Lord? Have you ever known exactly what He wanted you to do, but you chose your own path? Have you ever felt the sting of His discipline in your life? He does not love you any less, but He will be just and loving during the whole time of His corrective action in your life.

As you parent your child, let them know exactly what your expectations are and that those expectations are a direct result of God’s Word. They need to know that the guide you are using is God’s guide. He is the One who directs you as well.

Luke 14:11 “’ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

How many times have you seen little children push and shove to be the first in line? That is especially true if they are waiting in line for a snack or to go out for recess. They just have to be first in line. Somehow they think if they are first they get something special.

The people in the room with Jesus were jockeying for position at the table. They were trying to be in that special position near Jesus. They wanted to be seen as being close to Him. But Jesus puts them in their place with these words we just read. Do you think they heard Him?

Who wants to be humbled? No one! Our flesh wants to be recognized and noticed. We prefer the exaltation, not the humility. We prefer to be first, not last. We prefer to be closest, not furtherest away.

So how do we teach our children this life lesson? Be observant. When you see them willingly give up their spot or let someone else have that first piece of dessert, find a way to reward them. Praise them for that selfless act. Show them you noticed it. But don’t stop there. Bring up this verse and make the point that God noticed that too.

Humility is an important lesson for us all. I know that any humility in me is Jesus because I am not capable of humility on my own. I am proud and boastful of my flesh. But I know if I humble myself and let the Lord exalt me, it is much sweeter. So step back.

I Samuel 7:12 “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’”

Isn’t it interesting the number of times in Scripture when stones were used to mark an occasion? Jacob and his vision of heaven, Joshua crossing the Jordan, plus many more.

Here we see Samuel, the great prophet, marking a great victory over the Philistines with a stone, which he named “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” That got me to thinking about the moments in my life when the Lord has helped me. Did I “mark” those times with a stone of remembrance or have I completely forgotten His blessings?

I can think of times in my family when God provided money just when we needed it. There was the time we needed a washing machine, and a friend provided one. There was another time when we were in a car accident, which could have been tragic only to escape with minor injuries.

Moms and Dads, may I encourage you to take the time to mark those times in your family’s life when it is apparent the Lord stepped in? Why don’t you spend some time today and reflect on those times? Why don’t you get your children to help you come up with some creative way to “mark” those times? How about creating a Memory Board on which you can list each time God does something to help your family?

However you choose to mark those special God times in your family, make sure your children understand it was God, not you or someone else who did this. Point them to the One Who is their true source of help.

Luke 12:35 “’Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.’”

I have to admit – I kind of like getting dressed up. Even when I was younger I liked wearing a suit and tie. I still have this memory of getting dressed up in a suit, dress shirt and tie to attend my Grandpa’s funeral. It just never bothered me to dress up.

Your children may be different. I know lots of kids who absolutely hate putting on a nice suit or pretty dress. They had rather wear jeans and chacos or shorts and t-shirts. That’s fine, but there is a time for finery.

Jesus is telling his disciples here that we should be “dressed in readiness.” Does He mean we should always be dressed up? I don’t think so, but He is saying that we should always be ready for action. The actual Greek reads, “let your loins be girded.” In other words, we need to be ready to act, ready to do whatever He says.

Are you and your children prepared to act? Could you or your children defend the Gospel? Are you and your children prepared to move into action when the Lord calls you to act? As parents our whole job is to prepare our kids for what comes. But we cannot do that until we are prepared. A Master can’t teach his apprentice a skill he does not know.

What is lacking in your preparedness? What skills of discipleship are you needing to develop? Are you “dressed in readiness” so that you can help your children get dressed too? The Lord will clothe you if you ask. He wants all His children to be prepared, just like you want your children prepared, only more so.

Get dressed!

Luke 12:34 “’For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’”

I remember when I was a young boy my father helped me open up a savings account at the Coats & Clark Credit Union. The plant he worked for in Pelham allowed children of employees to put money in a savings account. I had my own little savings book where I could record deposits and withdrawals (even though those were hard to get approved by my dad). I was so proud of that little book because it showed my “wealth.” HaHa.

It wasn’t until I was older did I realize how little wealth I had. All those dollars and cents that seemed so big when I was little didn’t really add up to a whole lot when I was older and really wanted to buy something expensive.

In the same way, all these “treasures” we build up on earth don’t mean a lot when we think about their eternal value. You’ve probably heard the saying, “You’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul.” It is true you can’t take it with you. So, where is your treasure?

We need to point our children toward searching for spiritual treasure. This is the treasure we find in God’s Word. His Word is so rich in life application truths. These are riches that defy words. These are riches which we can easily share with others without depleting the account. In fact, I have found that the more I give of these spiritual truths the more I get in return. Try that in the market place.

How rich do you want your kids to be? To what source of “treasures” are you directing them? Are you willing to “invest” in this future for them through God’s Word? His blessings await.

Ruth 2:11 “Boaz replied to her, ‘All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.’”

I know you have heard of the “grape vine.” You know that invisible vine that carries news from person to person. Well, I renamed that the “kudzu vine.” Kudzu grows faster than a grape vine, but unlike the grape vine, it only strangles and destroys what it comes into contact with. At least the grape vine produces fruit.

Well, here in Ruth we truly have a grape vine message service. The news of the good that Ruth has shown her mother-in-law has spread far and wide. Boaz, a relative of her deceased husband, has learned of Ruth’s kindness, and in return he shows her an unexpected kindness. Finally, it seems Ruth’s fortunes are turning around.

Our children need to understand that our acts of kindness are seen by others either directly or indirectly. Boaz had never seen Ruth before, but her “testimony” had gone before her. Our children can learn that their testimony can touch people they have never met. And just like Ruth, that testimony may bring about blessings in the future. That wasn’t Ruth’s motive for showing kindness to Naomi. Neither should it be ours. But God has a way of blessing those whom bless others.

What acts of kindness can you and your children do today? Is there an elderly neighbor who needs some yard work done? Is there a project at church that you and your children could do? Ask the Lord to help you build your testimony so that it shines on Him, not you. Ask the Lord to allow you to bless someone else today. He, in turn, will bless you. Perhaps in ways and by someone you could have never imagined.

Luke 11:1-4 “1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.’ 2 And He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'”

One of the first prayers I learned as a child was the Lord’s Prayer. I don’t know what it is about it, but it is just easy to memorize. Do you think the Lord planned that? I do. It just kind of rolls off the tongue.

Have you taught your children this prayer? Now, I don’t mean just how to recite it. I mean have you really taught them this prayer? Take each word or phrase and break it down for them. There are numerous studies out there that can help you do that. Google one and next week start going through that with your kids.

This prayer teaches us not just a model prayer, but the basic parts of what our prayers should include. Recognition of who God is (Father, hallowed). Recognition of His Will (Your kingdom come, Your Will be done). Recognition of God’s provision (daily bread). Recognition of atonement (forgive our sins). Recognition of others (everyone). And finally Recognition of deliverance (from temptation).

Wow! What else do you need to include in prayer? Nothing really. I know you and your kids will love learning this prayer and how to use it in all your prayers as the mode to follow. Happy praying!