Psalms 53:1 “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God,’ They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good.”

STUPID OR DUMB?

I bet you have banned the word “stupid” in your house. Most parents do. We don’t want to hear our children call someone stupid. It is just not polite and definitely not Christlike. “Dumb” and “stupid” are close in definition, but I have always heard “dumb” is not knowing something while “stupid” is knowing and still doing it wrong. That may well be.

But in this verse we see another word, “fool.” Have you ever known a fool? I have known a few. Fools also know better, but still they make the poor choice. David says here in this Psalm that a fool says “There is no God.” He didn’t say they didn’t believe there was a God. Many believe in God but do what they want to anyway, thinking He won’t intervene at some point. That is just plain foolish.

TEACHING MOMENT

Do you want foolish children? Of course not. You want to raise wise children. You want them to acknowledge the reality and the presence of God in their lives. You don’t want them living their lives without purpose or hope. The wisest thing you can do, then, is teach them about the Lord. They need to know that without Him in their lives they are doomed to be like David says, “There is no one who does good.”

And start early because once a fool is established in his ways it is hard to “unfool” him. (Yeah, I just made that up). The problem with fools is they actually believe they are right. They actually believe they are doing what matters to them. They have been blinded by the one who leads all astray. They start believing in themselves too much.

If I am going to be a fool, then let me be a fool for Jesus. I will abandon all else and rely on Him to guide me. Some say that is foolish. Then just call me a fool!

I Corinthians 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

I love studying the Scriptures in the original languages. They tell so much more than any English translation. You get the correct purpose of the word and action of the verbs.

Take this verse for example. The English translates the verb “Let…do be done.” The Greek word here actually means “come into being, happen, become.” So you could translate this “Let all you become be love.” I like that. Everything we are should be a reflection of the love of God. It’s not just what we do. It’s all of us, our thoughts, actions, words, etc.

TEACHING MOMENT

How do you teach your child this concept of love? How do you show them to “be” love? There is only one way! You have to “be” love first. You have to show them in everything you are that the love of Christ reigns supreme. You have to show them that no matter what you encounter each day, the love of Christ will dictate your actions.

Let’s get personal. When was the last time you did not react with love towards someone or some circumstance? If you are like me, it was probably yesterday. Perhaps you were able to disguise your reaction from your kids, but internally there was no love. Don’t you think that internal struggle will show externally? Don’t you think your child picks up on that struggle? They are watching and learning, especially when you don’t want them to.

As you go through your days, remember that you are to “be” love. You are commanded to “be” love. The Greek verb there is a command. You must “be” love. It’s not just for yourself. It’s also for all those you come into contact with each day, especially your children. Don’t just love – BE LOVE!

Psalms 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

FOOT STOMPED HEART

When you hear that phrase “a broken heart” you probably immediately think of someone who has been hurt by someone else. A boy dumps a girl or vice versa, leaving them heart broken. A child forsakes his family, thus breaking his parents’ hearts. We automatically think of something bad.

But not in this verse. David has repented of his adultery and murder and now is begging God’s forgiveness. He knows that only through having his heart broken in repentance is he truly repentant. Just saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t cut it. God knows his motive. David knows that he must truly repent to receive the forgiveness he so desires.

TEACHING MOMENT

Can’t you tell, as a parent, when your child is truly remorseful for something? You may catch your children fighting or arguing, so you tell them to stop and tell each other they are sorry. Little Gertrude wants to hug her brother and make up, but Bobbie Joe wants nothing of it. He mumbles an apology, but you can tell he has NOT forgiven anyone.

We have to take our children to scripture to explain true repentance. What better passage of scripture than Psalms 51. Without going into all the details about David’s sin, you can show them how David came to the Father for forgiveness. You can explain to them that we must come to the same Father to confess our sins. Until we do, we are miserable and unusable.

How about you? Have you been to the altar lately? Have you gone there with a broken heart over your sins? Have you truly repented or are just sorry for getting caught? Will you bare your soul today to the Father? He wants full fellowship with you. Come to Him.

I Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

GRACE IS NOT VAIN

Do you remember the song “You’re So Vain”? If you do, you are telling your age. Lol Being vain is NOT a good thing. You think too much of yourself and even less of others. But that’s not the meaning of this verse. What is Paul saying here?

Actually, the Greek word for “vain” means “hollow” or “empty.” Isn’t that great? God’s grace toward us is not hollow or empty. God’s grace is full and limitless. It is full and rewarding. It is anything but empty.

TEACHING MOMENT

Think of all the things you give your children. Think of all the things you do for them. Are any of those “in vain”? Of course not! All we do as parents for our children has a purpose, or at least they should. We have the opportunity everyday to teach our kids why we are doing what we are doing for them. We should be always pointing them in the direction of Christ.

Now, do your kids always appreciate what you do or give? No! But let me ask you this – Do you always appreciate the grace God has extended you? Probably not! We are ungrateful little kids sometimes. We don’t realize that everything in our lives is simply due to the grace of God. The last part of the verse even says “yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

Let the grace of God reign supremely in your life. Let nothing in your life be in vain. Let all your actions point to Him, not to yourself. That would be vain!

Psalms 44:1 “O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work that You did in their days, in the days of old.”

FAMILY HISTORY

I love to hear older family members (and I am quickly becoming one of those) tell stories about our family from decades ago. In fact, I am quite intrigued by my ancestry. I recently did some research on our family tree. I discovered a minister in our tree who lived in N.C. in the 1700’s. Boy, I wish I could talk with him about how the Lord moved in his life.

I did find out that once he was saved, he became one of the few founding members of a church in his community and later became its Pastor. I am sure he could reflect on our verse today and tell “us the work that You did in” his days.

TEACHING MOMENT

Are you telling your children those stories? Are you sharing with them how God sustained you through a tough time? Do your children know your salvation story? Can you show them evidence of God’s handiwork in your life? These stories can help them build trust in an invisible God. When they hear of how the Lord worked in your life, they can trust Him more.

How about when you see the Lord working in their lives? Do you make it a point to tell them? Do you make sure they recognize it was God working and just some coincidence? It is so easy to miss what God is doing unless someone shows you. Haven’t you looked back at your life and realized later how God orchestrated events that you were blind to?

Part of our legacy is making sure our children have one too. We want our legacy to point to Christ. Don’t you want the same for your children? Don’t you want your great, great grandchildren to know you as the godly relative who forsook all to follow Jesus? What better legacy for you and your family? So be that legacy.

I Corinthians 13:13 “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

WHAT IS GREAT?

Recently one the greatest boxers of all time died, Muhammad Ali. He was, without a doubt, a showman. He talked big, but delivered once he got in the ring. He even called himself “The Greatest.” But guess what! He wasn’t! He was mortal and frail, and in the end his body gave in.

Why is “love” called the greatest of these? What makes it better than faith and hope? Because God is love. He is, in His purest form, love. Everything He does is because of His love for us. Everything He created was because of love. And He wants us to be the same.

TEACHING MOMENT

Have you ever asked your children, “Who do you love?” We all have done that, especially when they are just learning to talk. We love hearing them say “Mama” or “Dada.” And we love telling them over and over again just how much we love them.

But do you tell them daily just how much God loves them? Do you tell them repeatedly that, in comparison, your love is weak? Do you show them in His Word the wonderful stories of love He has written for them through the Holy Spirit?

Our children need to know they are loved by us. But it is so much more important that they know they have a loving God who loves them beyond measure. They need to know that He will NEVER stop loving them. Others in their life may stop loving them for one reason or another. But God is forever faithful, forever hopeful and forever loving.

If you haven’t read the entire 13^th chapter of I Corinthians lately, do that now. Read it to your child. Help them understand the love you have and the love God has for them. And don’t forget – YOU ARE LOVED!

Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

GOT TO HAVE THAT

Have you ever noticed how many desserts have the word “delight” in them? The creator of these desserts wants you to know that you are going to like them. After all, they wouldn’t name it “Oreo Awful” would they? But “Oreo Delight” begs to be tasted.

The Psalmist tells us in this verse to “delight yourself in the Lord.” What does he mean by that? How do we “delight” ourselves in the Lord? Did you know that the Hebrew word for “delight” means soft or pliable? Well now, that just changes the whole idea, doesn’t it?

If we allow ourselves to be molded and shaped by God (delighting ourselves in God) He will give us the desires of our heart. How? Because if we are pliable He can make us into what He wants, and then because we are in His desired shape, He knows exactly what our desires will be. He has also shaped our desires.

TEACHING MOMENT

Aren’t you shaping and molding your children right now? Every day you are spending precious time and energy making them into the kind of adults you want them to be. You are instructing them, coaching them, directing them and even disciplining them to become godly young men and women. When they “delight” themselves in you it is much easier. When they allow you to shape and mold them it is easier. When they are soft and pliable it is easier.

So, how about you? Are you soft and pliable? Are you a “delight” to the Lord? Or does He have to get out the 20 pound sledgehammer and chisel? That kind of tool does not work on pliable objects. It is meant for the hardened surface. And when the 20 pound sledge comes down it knocks off chunks. So, what will it be for you and your children? I choose to be a delight.

I Corinthians 11:3 “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”

*I will probably get cards and letters (or in this day and age lots of emails) by posting this devotional thought. That’s okay. I didn’t say it – God did. Okay, on with the thought.

READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL

God has given us specific guidelines on how a home should be established. The man is the leader and the woman is his partner. Notice I didn’t say his slave, servant or subservient mate. But God does establish the fact that the man should be the leader in the home just as the man is to follow Christ. Christ is his leader, and the man is his wife’s leader.

Unfortunately, we men have given up our leadership roles or worse we have polluted it and made it something totally wrong. We have to re-establish the proper roles in our Christian homes if we truly want to see God bless them. I am calling out all the men to step up to their God given responsibilities. I am calling out all the ladies to be obedient to the role God has given you.

TEACHING MOMENT

I attended a wedding last night with my wife and our three grandchildren. The wedding vows they said included the duties of the husband and the wife to each other. I was praying that our grandchildren were listening and not just watching. At their young ages (12, 11 and 8) it is so important to learn these roles.

Moms and Dads, in your roles as husband and wife, live out the God principles of marriage. Live out the order God has established for the home. Let your children see it in you. Let them see Jesus in the very order of your home.

Psalms 32:5 “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”

DON’T RUSH

How many times have you read the Psalms and wondered what in the world that word “Selah” meant? Why throw a random word in the text?

Well the word doesn’t really mean anything. It is kind of like a pause or rest in the text. Most scholars believe it was put there when the Psalm was sung to music, thus giving a musical rest.

Now I love this verse and with the pause at the end, I even like it more. The Psalmist has just said he confessed his sin, iniquity and transgressions to the Lord and recognized that God had forgiven him. What a perfect spot for a pause or rest spiritually? We are too quick to just say a prayer of confession to get it over. We don’t stop to think about how great that is.

TEACHING MOMENT

Do you ever have to forgive your children for something they have done? My guess is yes. Why not next time after you have talked it over with them and maybe even had to discipline them, stop and reflect with them why forgiveness is so important? Then you can talk about how in comparison to your forgiveness of them the Father’s forgiveness is so much greater.

Our children, for the most part, don’t want to walk around with unforgiven stuff in their lives. Most children want to be right with their parents or siblings. Why is that? I believe God has put within us that desire to be at rest with others. Our flesh can get in the way at times, but harboring old ill feelings wears us out, doesn’t it?

Stop! Pause! Rest! Let the love of God and the beauty of His forgiveness wash over you like the cool water of a mountain stream. Let his mercy and grace invigorate your soul before you take another step. Don’t rush your post confession moments. God wants to love on you a bit.

I Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

THE WAY OUT

Whenever I go somewhere unfamiliar I always look for the exits. I don’t want to be caught unaware if something bad were to happen. That may sound like I am paranoid. I call it being prepared. I also have learned through my travels to never enter a location that appears dangerous. It just doesn’t make sense to knowingly put myself in harm’s way. Do you agree?

Temptation is real, but it can be avoided if we are careful. By “careful” I mean being very discerning and wise in our walk. If we are intent on walking with the Lord, if and when we encounter temptation, He will always give us that exit strategy. Where is that strategy written? In His Word! We have to be in the Word to know the Word and to use the Word.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our job as parents is to teach our children to rely on the written Word of God as their personal guide. Just as we teach them how to escape a burning house (I hope you have taught them that), we need to as diligent to teach them how to flee temptation. Better yet, we need to teach them how to avoid temptation.

When your children learn how to not put themselves in situations that tempt them, they will escape those painful situations in life that could do harm to them or others. Avoiding temptations is so much better than having to escape them.

Today, walk in confidence knowing that whatever you encounter – God has your back and will lead you in His path.