Esther 2:7 “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

FAMILY

Every time I look at a room of children, I wonder what will become of them.  I wonder how many of them will become doctors or lawyers or preachers.  How many will marry and have children?  Will one of them grow up and find a cure for a horrible disease?  You just never know the potential that lies in the room.

Mordecai adopted his first cousin, Hadassah (Esther), because her parents were dead.  He had no idea when he did that she would eventually be chosen as the queen to Ahasuerus.  He had no idea that a threat to kill all the Jews would be imposed.  He had no idea Esther would be used by God to rescue His people.  You see, you just never know.

TEACHING MOMENT

Your children have such hidden potential.  I know sometimes you wonder if you are going to survive their child rearing.  You will, and you will be amazed how they will turn out.  But the secret to child raising has nothing to do with you.  It’s all up to the Lord.  You have to allow Him to have them.  Turn them over to Him and allow Him to teach them.

Your little Johnny may grow up and be a great evangelist.  Susie may be a missionary to an unreached tribal group.  Whatever they turn out to be and however God chooses to use them, you need to prepare them for service.  I am sure Mordecai raised Esther in such a way that she was worthy to be chosen as queen.  Just do your part.

Did you know God wants to use you every day?  He does. But He can’t unless you are willing to be used.  God doesn’t force us. He desires us to surrender to His Will.  Let Him use you today to shape the lives of your children and others toward service to Him.

Father God, I want to be used today.  I want to see my children used by You.  Show me how to prepare them for when You call them to active duty.

Nehemiah 8:9 “Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.”

BROKEN HEARTS

Wow!  Can you picture this scene?  Ezra and Nehemiah are standing before the people reading the Word of God, which had long been forgotten.  When the people heard the law, they wept, knowing they had been unfaithful.  They were broken and contrite. They were weeping for their sin.  They were crying over the way they had forsaken God and His Word.

When is the last time you saw people weeping over God’s Word?  I bet it has been a while.  People hear the Word and just yawn.  They don’t see it for what it really is – God’s words spoken through the Holy Spirit to men who authored those 66 books.  He loves us enough to send us a written message.

TEACHING MOMENT

Please take the time to teach your children to honor and love God’s Word.  Teach them that it is not just some book we pick up and carry to church on Sundays.  It is not just a cute story book with some inspiring stories.  No! It is God speaking to us.

When your children grow up you will not be around to read the Word to them.  They need to know how to read it for themselves.  They need to know how to study it.  They need to know how to share it.  They need…  You fill in the blank.  The point is they need God’s Word in their life for their lifetime.

How about you?  How much time are you spending each day in the Word?  “Well Carl, I have so much to do every day.  I don’t have time to study the Bible.”  You don’t have time to not study it.  Make 15-20 minutes available.  Get up early or go to bed late.  Just make the time.  Maybe you will shed a tear as you read.

Word of Life, You are so faithful.  You have given us Your very words to guide us.  Help me make Your Word a priority in my daily schedule.

2 Kings 16:2 “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.” 

WHERE DOES THE ACORN FALL?

You have probably heard both of those expressions sometime in your life.  “Like Father-Like Son” means to imply the same thing as “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  But many times that is not true.  Just like the example we have today in Ahaz, the son of Jotham.  Jotham was a good king and had followed his father’s (Uzziah) legacy.  Not Ahaz, he did not do that.  He followed other gods and led the people astray.

Most Presidents or Heads of State in countries around the world want to leave a legacy.  They want to be remembered for something.  They want their years spent in their office to have some lasting results. But they have to choose if those legacies will honor God or themselves.

TEACHING MOMENT

Moms and Dads, you are instructed to train your children to follow in your footsteps spiritually.  They need to be shown which steps to take and where.  They need to be directed along the way.  But you cannot MAKE them follow you.  Once they are adults they will choose their own way.

Ask your children what they think is important to be taught by you.  Hang on! They may just give you a challenge. But probably they will name some things that you just hadn’t thought about.  The things I learned from my dad have been passed down to my son.  Hopefully, he will keep passing them down.

How are you doing with this assignment?  It is not too late to start leaving a legacy. Let others remember you as someone who followed the Lord.  Leave an impact on the world.

Lord God, I only want others to see You in me.  I want to leave the imprint of Your seal on my life.  Help me show others the way.

2 Kings 10:31 “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.”

YOU CAN’T STOP SHORT

Jehu was a bloody king.  He slew the 70 sons of Ahab and 42 others who were going to visit them.  He slew all the worshippers of Baal and their priests.  But….  As you see from today’s verse, he “was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.”  A little good is not good enough.

Now, hear me out.  Too many of us think we can just go to church and throw a few dollars in the plate.  We believe if we volunteer once a year for VBS or go on a mission trip, then all is well with the Lord.  The Lord demands us to be sold out completely.  He doesn’t want half-hearted followers.  He requires us to surrender completely and abandon all other things in life that compete with Him.

TEACHING MOMENT

Teaching our children to “sell out” for Jesus isn’t hard.  We have to show them.  We have to sacrifice our wants and desires for His.  Then He will allow them model our behavior.  When our children see us “selling out” they will know what it looks like and what it costs.

How do children sell out?  What do they have to give up?  How about the kids they hang out with?  How about the music they listen to or the video games they play?  How about choosing a quiet time over phone time?  No matter your age, there are things you can sacrifice.

Mom and Dad, are you doing some good for God or are you sold out?  Some good isn’t enough.  God wants you to set the example for your family and abandon all for Him.  Will you?

O God of the ages, will you help me abandon myself to You? I want to lead the way in doing all I can for You and Your kingdom.  I don’t want things of this world to bog me down.

1 Kings 21:4 “So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.’ And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food.

ONLY YOU SHOW UP

 Here is the king of Israel pouting like a baby. Can you believe him?  But wait, have you ever pouted about anything?  “Not me, Carl.”  Yea, right?  We have a tendency to pout when we don’t get our way.  Ahab was no different.

 He wanted a vineyard and when Naboth would not sell it to him he had himself a pity party.  The only thing wrong with pity parties is you are the only who comes. It is really kind of sad.  It doesn’t help anything.  Feeling sorry for yourself is really a waste of time and energy.

 TEACHING MOMENT

 Our children will naturally play the pity card unless we teach them it doesn’t work.  Your little Johnny will learn to pout and cry when he doesn’t get his way if it works. Don’t let it.  Be firm. Be consistent.  Love him like nobody’s business, but don’t let that love let you get pulled into the pity party ploy.

I’ll be honest. It’s hard when our children are crying to not go into the room and comfort them and give them whatever their little heart desires.  Stop right there.  Don’t do it. When we are teaching them this lesson it may just hurt us more than it hurts them (I know you heard that from your parents).  Bear up under.

Are you struggling with feeling sorry for yourself? Do yourself a favor and stop it. Allow the Lord to satisfy you as no one else can.  He will remind you of how special and complete you are.  He will let you know what you can or can’t do.  Just go to Him.

Lord, You are amazing.  You speak to me in my lowest.  You lift me when I am in need.  You supply what I need when I need it.  You are the only one who can.

1 Kings 6:11-13 “11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, 12 ‘Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13 I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.’”

 THEN I WILL

 God was pleased with Solomon for building His house, the temple.  He was being diligent about it.  He was making sure it was worthy of the God of Israel. So, God gave him a promise based on three things.  IF Solomon would do these three things, He would dwell there and never forsake them.

God expected Solomon to walk in God’s statutes, execute His ordinances and keep all His commandments.  God’s blessings on the people was tied directly to Solomon’s obedience.  And he started off great.  Then sin entered the camp. He began to ignore God, even to the point of building pagan temples for his wives.  The result?  God judged his people.

TEACING MOMENT

Our disobedience as parents can directly affect our children and family.  God will hold us accountable for our sin, but our sins can affect our children.  Therefore, we need to live in such a way that God will be pleased.  We should teach our children this biblical truth, too.  They need to know their actions have consequences, not just for themselves.

I am not saying God is just waiting to abandon us.  As believers, He will never do that.  But our children need to realize that God will not bless us if we are choosing to live in such a way that dishonors Him.  Too many people today think they can live any way they choose and then just holler for God when things get bad and He comes running.  Our children need to see that God does expect us to love and obey Him.

Are you living in obedience right now?  Are you walking in God’s statutes, executing His ordinances and keeping all His commandments?  Your salvation does not depend on works.  Hear me clearly.  However, our holy God expects us to live holy, sanctified lives that point to Him.

Father, I cannot live holy without Your Holy Spirit living it through me.  My flesh is strong.  But through yielding to You daily, I can live a life which draws others, including my family, to You.  Thank You, Lord.

2 Samuel 20:16 “Then a wise woman called from the city, ‘Hear, hear! Please tell Joab, ‘Come here that I may speak with you.’” 

LISTEN UP

Joab was on a mission for King David to find and kill Sheba, a man who was leading a rebellion against him.  All this happened right after David’s own son, Absalom, had unsuccessfully staged a coup. David was going to have none of this, so he ordered Joab to track down this Sheba and execute him.  His search led him to the city of Abel.

Abel was known as a city where people went to seek wisdom.  We can assume then that meant there were seers there who imparted advice and guidance.  Thus, enters the “wise woman.”  Perhaps she was one of those seers. She doesn’t want to see her city destroyed, so she cuts a deal with Joab to deliver Sheba over to them, or at least his head.

TEACHING MOMENT

Okay, this is another devotional when you may be saying, “What in the world can I teach my child about this story.”  For me, this is the point.  God will sometimes place wise people in our path unexpectedly.  He will speak through them to deliver guidance just when we need it. We, however, must be willing to receive it.  We don’t know this woman’s name.  All we know is she was a wise woman.  But I bet everyone in that city knew her because of her wisdom.

Teach your children to listen to godly advice.  Any advice they receive from anyone should be filtered through God’s Word. If it conflicts with that, it is NOT godly advice.  But if it agrees, listen closely.  Teach them to be willing to change their course of action based on this wise counsel. Joab did, and he had the army to achieve his original plan.

Do you need wise counsel right now?  First, go to the Lord.  Ask Him to give it go you.  Secondly, look out for those the Lord may place in your path today.  He may just put someone right there who can guide you.  Finally, when you receive the advice, follow it.  Trust that the God of the ages is big enough to help solve your problems.

 Father, I am good at asking for advice but not so good at receiving it.  Show me what You would have me do today to please You.  Open my eyes to those You send with Your message.

2 Samuel 11:1 “Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.”

STAY FOCUSED

David should have been at war leading his men. But he stayed behind, thus began a nightmarish decision. You know the story, don’t you?  If you don’t, read the rest of the chapter and even chapter 12.  David turns one bad decision into a series of bad decisions (adultery, lying, murder).

Have you ever made one bad decision that led to a series of other bad decisions?  Sometimes our failure to be where God intended us to be can cost us. We choose to do something our way, rather than God’s way, and it ends up bad.  We are just as sinful and disobedient as David was here.  So, don’t act all high and mighty.

TEACHING MOMENT

Parents, keep your children focused. Keep them busy with God.  I don’t mean just busy stuff.  I mean keep them looking at God.  Keep them listening to God.  When our children get “lazy” with their quiet times and prayer life, their minds can wander to areas that are not pleasing to the Lord.

As parents, we need to be checking with our kids daily about their walk with Christ.  You don’t have to have a Sunday School lesson every day with them, but you can definitely share what the Lord has taught you that day.  Then ask them what the Lord spoke to them. Keep their eyes looking up.

Are you on the rooftop looking at things you shouldn’t be looking at?  Are you trying to find a way out of mess you’ve gotten yourself into?  Stop digging yourself into a deeper hole.  Put the shovel down and look up.  Listen to the Lord and do what He says.  He always knows the way out.

Father, keep my eyes off of things that don’t bring honor to You.  Keep me focused on serving You and doing Your business. I know I can’t keep myself holy without Your indwelling Spirit.

2 Samuel 5:25 “Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.”

 NOT ALWAYS THE SAME

In this chapter, David is attacked twice by the Philistines once they heard he had been made king. Both times David goes to the Lord for instructions on how to attack the Philistines.  But he doesn’t get the same instructions.  God gave him a battle plan the second time that was different than the first time.

You may be saying, “Big deal, Carl.”  Well, I believe it is.  I see two main points.  The first one is David went to the Lord BOTH times for directions.  He wanted to do it God’s way.  We can learn from that.  Secondly, David didn’t assume God would want him to repeat the first instructions. God changed the plan.  He still does that.

TEACHING MOMENT

Don’t you give your children different tasks to do?  Do you ever change the way you instruct your children? Of course, you do. God does the same thing.  We can’t assume God is going to stick with the same plan over and over again. Each situation is unique.  Our children need to see that.  They need to go to the Father EACH time they face a challenge for new directions. What worked the first time may not work the second time. God knows that.

So, how do you know what to do?  You pray. You stay in the Word and seek God’s face for direction.  Teach your children that when they truly want to know God’s direction for their life, He will graciously unfold it for them.  But they must wait on Him.  Don’t rush ahead.  Wait.

What are you doing right now that the Lord told you to do?  Are you facing a challenge and need direction?  Go to Him.  He may surprise you with a better way.  If you trust God with your eternity, can’t you trust Him with your today?

Precious Lord, show me the way You would have me deal with my issue today.  You always know the perfect solution.  Help me to ask and then trust.

1 Corinthians 2:16b “But we have the mind of Christ.”

THINK LIKE HIM

Just think about it.  We have the mind of Christ.  Once we ask Christ into our life, the Holy Spirit indwells us.  And with the Holy Spirit comes the mind of Christ. How is that possible?  Because the Holy Spirit and Christ are one with the Father.  So, not only do you have the mind of Christ, but you also have the mind of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

If that is true (and it is) how should we be thinking?  What would Christ be thinking about?  Certainly not paying that bill or buying a new boat.  Not to presume, but Christ’s mind was always on pleasing the Father. Doing His Will was all that mattered. Shouldn’t that be all we think about also?

TEACHING MOMENT

The next time you sit down to dinner with your kids tell them you want them to NOT think about something.  Tell them, “Kids, I do not want you to think about ice cream.” What do you think their little brains start thinking about?  Ice Cream. We can focus our brains on things so quickly.

Now tell them to think about God or Jesus. Ask them what comes to mind.  Just let them explain how they see God. Get them to talk about Jesus.  It is just as easy to think godly things as it is worldly things (not that I think ice cream is worldly.  I believe it is heavenly, lol).  The point is to teach our kids that they can actually control what they think about.

What are you thinking about right now? Heavenly or worldly things?  I pray you will train your brain to be in sync with Christ’s mind.  Let Him have control of your thought patterns.  If that happens, He will also control your tongue, eyes, legs and arms.  Give your full attention to pleasing Him.

Father, Your mind is beyond comprehension.  I am promised the mind of Christ.  Help me to “tap into” His way of thinking every day, all day.