Galatians 5:7 “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”

MISTAKES

I love to watch the track and field competition during the Olympics. I am always amazed at the athletes and their abilities. I was watching the ladies’ 4X100 meters relay and saw something devastating. The USA team was nearing the exchange between the second and third runner when the USA runner was bumped by another country’s runner in the next lane, which caused them to blow the baton exchange. The USA team just stopped running but quickly realized they had to finish the race in order to appeal what just happened. So the baton was passed and the third runner ran, passed the baton to the fourth runner and then they finished the race.   They appealed and were allowed to run again, ALL BY THEMSELVES, to see if they would qualify by time for the final race. They did! And went on to win the final race the next day.

TEACHING MOMENT

I was thinking how that applies to us as we run the race of life with Christ. We are literally passing the baton to our children as we raise them to honor and love our Lord. Sometimes we get bumped during the pass and things get crazy. But just like this USA team, we can appeal our case to God. He knows our hearts. He knows our desire to pass the baton correctly, to run the race with excellence. He gives us the opportunity to do it again and again and again. He wants to see us succeed, not fail.

What are you passing to your children? Are they ready to catch the baton? Are they ready to run? Are they being prepared to pass the baton to the next generation? Will you be on the sidelines cheering them on during the race? I want to encourage you today to run the faith race with diligence, pass the baton of faith with confidence and prepare your children to run and pass the baton too. Our Father is watching and cheering!

Psalms 104:16 “The trees of the LORD drink their fill, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,”

MALNOURISHED

This verse struck me as I read it. “Why?” you ask. Well, I’m glad you asked. Lol. Where I live we have been going through a drought. Unless you water your grass and flowers they have no chance. We just haven’t had any rain. But in the past couple of weeks I have noticed something else. Almost every cedar tree I have seen has turned brown. They are drying up. Their needles are falling off. They look bad. And the only cure for this is rain, and lots of it, not just a little shower.

It reminded me of our spiritual lives. We cannot survive on the occasional drink from the fountain. We have to be immersed in the Word of God and fellowship with Him to thrive. Sure, we can get by for a little while, just like those cedar trees. It took weeks for them to start showing the brown. We can fool people and pretend we are okay. But a sustained period with no nourishment of the Word will begin to show.

TEACHING MOMENT

How about your children? If you stopped feeding them (and I am NOT advocating that), how long do you think it would take for people to notice? Days, weeks, months? Depending on the child, you could get by for a while without anyone noticing. But you would know, just like our Heavenly Father knows when we are not feeding on the Word. He knows instantly.

Do you want to grow healthy children? Then feed them! Do you want them to grow spiritually? Then feed them. Don’t let them miss one meal from the Word. And unlike physical food, you cannot overfeed them God’s Word. The more they get, the healthier they get. Don’t you wish we could eat pizza like that?

Galatians 4:7 “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

BOUND

Years ago I was teaching a Children’s Sermon at a small, country church I was serving. The sermon was on the idea of how sin ties us up and binds us, so I used was a long piece of rope. I asked the children, “Have you ever been tied up?” Most of the children said, “No! Pastor Carl, never!” But to the chagrin of one dad in the congregation that morning, one little boy raised his hand and said, “Yep, my daddy ties me up and puts me in the closet.” Needless, to say his dad was quick to explain himself. They were playing a game when he did this.

But, listen! Sin is no game, and it ties us up just as tight and has eternal consequences. We do not have the power to loose the cords that bind us. We do not have the strength to break the ropes. We are helplessly tied up awaiting a certain punishment. But in Christ, Paul tells us we are no longer slaves, but an heir.

TEACHING MOMENT

Your children will likely inherit most if not all your possessions. They are your heirs. Why not talk to them now about what that means, but more importantly what it means to be an heir through God? Your possessions may be worth much right now, but nothing by the time they inherit them. Their inheritance in Him lasts for eternity and is priceless.

I have a few items my parents owned. One is an old AM radio/45 rpm record player. Yes, I said 45 rpm, if you know what that is. It doesn’t work anymore, but I keep it because it was one of the very first things they bought as a married couple. To them it had a special meaning and worth. How much more special and worthy is the price Jesus paid for your children and for you? There is no dollar value. There is no earthly price. But He gave it all for you and them. Don’t let your children miss out on this inheritance.

Psalms 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”

PARTY TIME

When I read this so familiar verse from Psalms 100 I get a picture in my head of a parade. I can see the saints marching down Beulah Avenue and turning right on Glory Highway. They are singing and praising God. They are waving banners with His names like Jehovah Jireh and Jehovah Rapha.

Don’t you want to live in that spirit everyday? Don’t you want to be in a constant attitude of praise instead of worrying and fretting about the everyday challenges in your life? “That’s not possible, Carl! I can’t do that.” You are exactly right! You can’t! But He can!

TEACHING MOMENT

Most children are quick to get in a party atmosphere. Why? Because they aren’t burdened with life yet. They are free to celebrate and sing. They are excited when they see the opportunity to dance and praise. So how can you learn from your children? How can you develop or regain that carefree spirit?

Surrender! Give it up! Let Jesus have the concerns of today. I know that is easier said than done. I am the son of a chief worrier. My mom worried about not having something to worry about. Lol But I know I have to give it all to Him on a daily basis. Shoot, I have to do it on a minute by minute basis.

Will you join with me and your children in thanksgiving and praise today? Will you join the parade marching to Glory? Will you clap your hands and lift your voice to praise the Almighty King of the Universe? Will you acknowledge today that you are incapable of praise unless you first bow down and give it all to Him? He is worthy of our praise! Let’s get our praise on!

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

LET IT GO

This is my life verse, so of course I picked it as the best verse in today’s reading. Lol. What you may not realize unless you read the whole second chapter, is this passage is part of Paul’s confrontation of Peter when he withdrew from the Gentiles after some Jewish brethren arrived on the scene. Paul is reminding him (and us) that our old manner of life was crucified with Christ and has no more power over us.

Hallelujah! What are you holding on to today? What former manner of life do you cling to? What is blocking you from letting Christ live in and through you?

TEACHING MOMENT

How do we teach this principle of the crucified life to our children? How can we show them what it means to die to self daily? One way! By doing it! Our children will see us when we selflessly give up things we may want for the things that are better. I don’t mean passing up the ice cream for a piece of fruit, but that would be a great analogy.

Our children must learn to forsake the immediate for the eternal. We have to show them, when we look at life through the eyes of Christ, we see things soooooooo differently. Things, even bad things, make sense. We trust the One who died for us so that He can live through our crucified lives. We live in a constantly trusting relationship because it is a life of faith. We trust the Unseen in order to see! We become blind to our own desires so we can finally see clearly.

It is not your life! Your life is His. Let Him live it through you.

Psalms 94:9 “He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?”

NO HIDING PLACE

Do you remember the three little monkeys statues? One covered his ears, another his eyes and the third his mouth. Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. While that may be a cute little statue, it is not the case with God. He sees all and hears all. Nothing escapes his knowledge. Then why do we run around as if He is blind and deaf?

Our children have to learn that there is no place on this earth from which they can hide from the Lord. When they are young and are living with us at home, we can hold them accountable. But when they grow up and gain some independence, they will be around people who either don’t believe in God or don’t think He really cares what they do. That is the dangerous time of their lives.

TEACHING MOMENT

So how do we prepare them for these potential train wrecks? The only way I know is to be constantly pouring the Word of God into them while we have them. Verses like the one above are good ones to have them memorize. When they encounter those trying circumstances and are tempted to believe the lies of the devil, verses like Psalms 94:9 will ring in their ears. “Oh yeah, I remember a verse that says God hears and sees all.”

But you know what else we can do? We parents can stop turning a blind eye or deaf ear to their sin. “What do you mean, Carl? I would never do that?” Maybe not, but I have seen way too many parents excuse their child’s sin and disobedience. That only teaches the child that either you don’t see or hear them or you just don’t care what they do. That is dangerous and sends a wrong message. Accountability is good! Don’t be scared to be firm (but loving). You are preparing them for life!

II Corinthians 13:12 “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”

GOOD KISS VS BAD KISS

Our world has so polluted affection that even reading this verse gives us pause. What would happen if next Sunday someone greeted you at the church door with a kiss? You would be repelled. You would be shocked. You would be horrified.

But Paul says this is how we should greet our brothers and sisters in Christ. It does say “holy” which means it can be nothing but sanctified and special. There is nothing wrong with a holy kiss. It is done to express our true expression of love and closeness. Unfortunately, we have made a kiss something unholy.

TEACHING MOMENT

Don’t you love your children’s kisses? I remember when our children were just babies and toddlers. They loved to shower (literally sometimes with their baby drool) us with kisses. They would slobber all over our cheeks. As parents we loved that. But now, in the age we are living, we warn our children to not show much affection for others for fear of being misinterpreted. I guarantee you Jesus would be greeting us with a kiss.

So how do you follow this instruction from Paul and not offend someone? The same way we do anything else as a believer. We walk in oneness with each other and never do anything to offend. You know who would receive this as it is intended and who would not. The Holy Spirit guides you. Your children have to learn to let the Holy Spirit guide them in this and every other aspect of their walk.

Now, let me be clear. I am NOT telling you to kiss everyone you meet next week at church. I am telling you, however, to love them and honor them. And, by all means, greet them with the love of Jesus.

Psalms 89:1 “I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.”

GENERATIONS

I miss my parents. I miss my grandmothers and my great grandmother. I never knew my grandfathers, even though I carry each of their names. But there is something about the generations before us that we remember and cherish.

But it is so much more important to look ahead to the next generations. The Psalmist here points us to that. We are to make known God’s faithfulness to our children and their children. What kind of stories are you telling them about how God has touched your life?

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children need to hear of God’s faithfulness. My wife and I have shared many stories with our son and daughter. Some of those stories involved them, while others did not. Regardless of who was involved, they need to hear of the workings of God. Why is that so important? So they will know that God is real, active and faithful. Our children need to see and hear some concrete examples of God working in the lives of His children.

As you see God working in your life and in your children’s lives, make sure you mark these down somewhere. You need to pass on these stories to your grandchildren and great grandchildren, if you are blessed with them. They too need to hear how God worked in generations past. They say that the church is only one generation away from extinction. That’s because every generation has the responsibility to pass it on to the next generation. Without that, the church would die.

Will you be faithful today to make God known to your children and grandchildren? Will you pass it on? Will you be the torchbearer of Christ to those who follow? The Lord is counting on you to be His mouthpiece, and He will give you the words to share. Just do it!

II Corinthians 11:23-27 “23 Are they servants of Christ?-I speak as if insane-I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”

LIFE’S NOT FAIR

Have you ever known a complainer? I mean someone who constantly whines about how bad they have it? You mistakenly greet them with, “Hey, how are you?” Then you spend then next 30 minutes listening to their every little ailment and life challenge. Don’t hear me wrong! We should be concerned for others and truly care for them. But many of us just complain too easily.

Look at Paul’s life after his conversion. Talk about having a bad day! He was constantly harassed and threatened. Even when he was purusing the Lord’s will in his life, he faced challenges. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut when I compare my “sufferings” with Paul’s.

TEACHING MOMENT

Do your kids complain? I bet they do sometimes. They can’t find their favorite toy or tv show. They don’t like what you have prepared for dinner. They don’t want to go to Grandma’s house. What whiners! Lol But these are opportunities to talk to them about how blessed they are. Read them this passage. Tell them a story you may know about a missionary friend who struggles to just wash clothes in clean water. Being grateful is something that we have to teach our kids. We don’t want them to take things for granted, and we want them to know from whom these blessings come. Amen? Let it start with you.

Psalms 85:10 “Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

KISSY KISSY

I have read through the Bible 29 times and working on my 30^th, but have just never seen this verse. Funny how that happens every year! Lol But seriously, this verse is just cool! Look at it.

“Lovingkindness and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

What was the Psalmist thinking when he wrote this. My Bible says it was written by the sons of Korah who were servants of the Temple. The first phrase is great, but the second blows me away. “Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Think about that. You only kiss things you care about. Or at least, you should only do that.

When you are striving for righteousness you do receive the peace of God. He is pleased as you pursue His righteousness. And in return He gives you His peace. So righteousness and peace kiss each other.

TEACHING MOMENT

The next time you kiss your child goodnight, read them this verse. I bet they have never heard it either. Kiss them with righteousness. Kiss them with peace. Let them know that God’s lovingkindness and truth is at their fingertips. He wants to bestow all of that on them.

As you go through your next few days, meditate on this verse. I bet you it will bring a smile to your face. Just the thought of righteousness and peace kissing humors me. And who doesn’t want to smile or giggle. I do. If you see me giggling the next few days, I will be thinking of this verse.