Ruth 4:16-17 “16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi!’ So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

LOOK WHO GOD CAN USE

Don’t you just love the story of Ruth?  Here is a young woman who is widowed at a young age.  She travels back with her mother-in-law to a land she has never been.  She humbles herself to serve her mother-in-law, to the point of even following her instructions to get married to a relative she didn’t really know.  Do you think that would happen today?  Not hardly.

But God used Ruth in the line of Judah to accomplish His plan for mankind.  She gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of King David.  I bet Ruth had no idea the impact her son would have on the nation of Israel and eventually mankind itself.

TEACHING MOMENT

Is there someone in your family tree whom you can point out to your child whom made an impact on your family?  Perhaps there is some interesting, little known fact about them that they should know.  In the same way, your child may have an impact on your family or the world.  We never know how one life can affect thousands or even millions.

Read them the story of Ruth, if possible in one sitting.  It won’t take long.  This would be a great bedtime story.  Explain how we should be willing to serve the Lord in the same way Ruth served Naomi – unselfishly.  Laying down our rights for the benefit of another is a humbling thing.  The Lord will bless us for it.

Can you relate to Ruth?  Are you willing to lay down your pride for the sake of others?  You never know how God may take that action on your part and bless it to benefit the following generations.  Being God’s vessel in the life of another is a privilege and an honor.

Lord, use me today in the life of someone who needs change.  Allow me to be part of your master plan for their life.

Philippians 3:4-6 “4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

PROUD

Don’t you just love boastful people?  Just kidding!  Nothing can turn you off faster than someone who is full of themselves and doesn’t mind telling you all about it.  Normally, you find some reason to get out of the room quickly.

Paul could have boasted of his pedigree in the Jewish faith.  He had all the credentials.  But he knew all of that meant nothing – now that he had Christ in his life.  All the works he had been so dedicated to meant absolutely NOTHING.  All that mattered now was Christ.

TEACHING MOMENT

We need to teach our children to be humble and serving.  There is nothing wrong with being proud of our accomplishments, but we should never boast about ourselves.  If we allow our children to do that, we are setting them up for a difficult life.  People will avoid them like the plague.  No one likes a braggart.

Instead, teach them to divert all the praise to the Lord.  When they accomplish some great thing, and I am sure they will, teach them to point to Jesus.  After all, He is the one who empowers all believers.  If your child learns to do that, they will draw others to Jesus, not push them away.

What are you proud of?  What have you bragged on lately?  Anything we brag on, except Jesus, is not worthy of our words.  The Father wants to be your everything.  Only He is worthy of our praise.

I want to challenge you today to make great efforts to point everything to Him.  Allow all the praise and adoration to go to Him.  He is worthy of our praise!  He is worthy of our adoration!  He is worthy!

Judges 20:1 “Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah.”

COMING TOGETHER FOR A PURPOSE

We read in Judges 19-20 that a great evil had been done to one of the sons of Israel, and the entire nation came together to hear and reply.  I am reminded of our national response after September 11, 2001.  The entire nation came together to mourn and then respond to a great evil which had been done to us.  Probably for the first time since Pearl Harbor, the nation responded as one.

Why does it take tragedy to bring us together?  Think about it.  Families wait until a funeral to get together.  People reach out when they hear someone has been in a car accident or has fallen ill.  Why do we wait until something bad happens to unify?  God wants us to come together now!

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children must be taught the importance of family.  We need each other.  Some families do a great job of being together.  Others don’t.  The next time your family has a get together or a family reunion read them this verse.  According to how old they are, read them the entirety of Judges 19-20.  It is a difficult passage for children, but one we can learn from.

As children grow and move away it gets more difficult to stay connected.  Don’t let distance be an issue.  With the advantages today of technology, distance is not a hindrance.  You can still stay connected.  Unity – it’s important for nations, but it is also important for families.

Is your family unified?  Do you have “squabbles” that have been left unsettled?  Make them right today.  Reach out to those whom you have been separated from because of hurt feelings or something else.  Above all, we Christians must set the example of unity in our families.  We must show the world how to live.

Make the wrong right.  As my dear brother-in-law used to say, “Be the wrong one, if necessary.”

Psalm 6:9 “The Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord receives my prayer.”

ALWAYS LISTENING

The older I get the more I appreciate good hearing.  I have lost some hearing of high tones in my left ear which can be so aggravating.  But I am so thankful that I can still hear.  I have friends who can’t hear at all and others who need to wear hearing aids.

But the thing I am most thankful for is that I know my God has perfect hearing.  He is always listening for me.  His hearing is absolute.  He can hear me and everyone else in the world who calls on Him.  When someone calls on Him for salvation He is quick to send His Holy Spirit.  When one of His children needs assistance, He is there, listening and directing His angels to respond accordingly.  He doesn’t always answer in the way we want, but He does listen.

TEACHING MOMENT

Has your child ever said, “Dad, are you listening to me?”  I use to get that from mine.  If I am reading or watching television, I have to redirect my hearing.  I cannot focus on a conversation and read or watch something.  I bet your children can’t either.  What a perfect time to use this verse.  Remind them that God is always listening.  He is always attentive.

We need to teach our children to talk to God knowing that He is listening.  When they begin their prayers He is already waiting to hear them.  As they pray He is preparing to answer.  He has the ability to multi-task, unlike the rest of us.

Will you allow the Lord to hear from you today?  Will you speak to Him like He is sitting right next to you?  Open your heart to Him today.  He wants to hear your needs.  He wants to hear your struggles. He wants to work in your life.  But you have to let Him.

Give it all to Him today!  Let Him bend His ear towards earth to hear your heartfelt prayers and supplications.  He is waiting.

Judges 17:3-4 “3 He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, ‘I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you.’ 4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.”

NOT THE WHOLE TRUTH

Did you ever notice in this story about Micah how his mother lied?  Micah had taken 1100 pieces of silver from her.  When he returned it she said she would dedicate it the Lord.  But she actually only used 200 for the image.  What happened to the other 900 pieces?

We parents will often tell our children one thing but do another.  We think because we are the adult we can do what we want, even if that is not exactly what we expect from our children.  Wrong!  Wrong!  Wrong!  We have to be above reproach, especially when it comes to setting the example for our children.

TEACHING MOMENT

The best way to teach this truth is by living it out for our kids.  When we tell them not to lie, we shouldn’t tell them to tell someone we are not home when we are, just to avoid a phone call.  When we are at the store and we buy something that we know our spouse wouldn’t approve of, we don’t tell them to not tell Mommy.  We can’t do those things and then get on to them when they tell us a lie.

Micah’s mother set a poor example for him.  You should read the rest of the story about Micah to see how his life turned out.  Not great.  And his momma has part of the blame, I believe.  Parents have to set the example for their children.

Are you doing that for your children?  Are you hiding things from them that you wouldn’t want them to do?  Moms and Dads, don’t ever ask your children to lie for you, even if that lie is an “innocent lie.”  There are no innocent lies, just lies.

Be the person in Christ you want your children to grow up to be.  Show them how Christ can live in and through you so they will allow Him to do the same in them.

Judges 16:17 “So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, ‘A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.’”

SHAVEN

My wife almost always hates it when I get my hair cut.  I like it short, and she likes it a little longer.  I especially like it short when it’s hot out.  It just makes it easier to wipe off and go!

But unlike Samson, I know my strength is NOT in my hair.  Samson, mistakenly but his confidence in his outside appearance (his hair) and thought because he didn’t cut his hair due to the Nazarite vow, he was okay with God.  But, if you read the whole story about Samson, you realize his life was nothing close to the life of a Nazarite.

TEACHING MOMENT

What a great story to use to teach our children about obedience to God.  Obedience has nothing to do with how we look on the outside.  God is only interested in the heart.  Now, should we keep up our appearance and look respectable?  Sure!  I truly believe the Lord wants us to present ourselves so as to not offend anyone.  But our holiness is not tied to our appearance.

Your children are going to push the limits with their desires for dress or appearance.  You may face that challenge of piercings, tattoos and shaven heads.  Remind your children that they, as believers, are representing the Lord in how they look.  If they have a peace about their decision after truly searching the Scriptures and praying, then we must trust their decision.  Of course, I am talking about an older child who has that ability.

But, before you judge your child, how about you?  Are you keeping your body physically fit to honor the Lord?  Sometimes we are so quick to judge others, including our own children, while we aren’t doing our best to represent the Lord.

Lord, take ALL of me.  Let my life honor you in all I do and all I am.

Psalm 3:3 “But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.”

SHIELD

When you read this verse, how do you picture the Lord as your shield?  Do you picture Him as Captain America holding a shield in front of you to ward off any attacks?  Or do you see Him as someone with a sword in one hand and the shield in the other?

I see Him ALL AROUND ME.  The verse says “a shield about me.”  I can envision Him above, below, beside, in front and behind.  NOTHING can touch me unless He allows it.  That is so comforting. That allows me to relax and just follow Him, even if following Him means I walk headlong into a battle.

TEACHING MOMENT

When we teach our children the all-encompassing love and protection of the Lord, this is a great verse to use.  You can even physically show this to them by wrapping them in bubble wrap. Just kidding.  But wouldn’t that be cool?  I bet they wouldn’t forget that.  Lol

Our children do need to understand that, as believers, God is our Protector.  He is our Deliverer.  He is the One who lifts our head, as the verse says.  He picks us up when we have fallen.  He is ALWAYS there, even when we don’t think He is.

How are you doing with this truth, Mom and Dad?  Are you trusting Him as your shield?  Do you believe He is there defending you?  If so, then live like it.  Allow the Lord to surround you with His protection.  Stay inside that protective “bubble.”  Don’t step out, unless He tells you to.

We struggle with wanting to defend ourselves.  But we are no match for our spiritual enemies unless we allow Jesus to defend us.  The puniest demon can whip us any day.  But with Christ as our defender, we can take on the gates of hell with a water pistol and extinguish those fiery darts sent by Satan himself.

Our Shield!  Our Defender!  Our Comforter!

Judges 11:29a “Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah…”

SON OF A HARLOT

Jephthah was a judge of Israel.  What is so interesting about this judge, though, is he was born of a harlot out of wedlock.  He wasn’t the image of the one to be chosen to be a judge of Israel.  But God used him to deliver the children of Israel from the Ammonites who threatened to take back part of the land which the Lord had given to them.

But notice what happens BEFORE he goes to battle.  This verse says, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.”  The Spirit of the Lord does not come upon someone unless He has blessed them and given them His power to carry out a divine task.  My point is this:  God even use the illegitimate son of a harlot.  God can use anyone He desires to accomplish His Will.  We just have to be willing.

TEACHING MOMENT

I think the object lesson for today is pretty clear.  We need to teach our children that God can use anything or anyone He wants.  God can choose them to accomplish great things for Him, if they will just surrender to His Will.  He can empower them through His Holy Spirit to do what they never thought was possible.

And they will have one advantage over Jephthah.  In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit did not live in the hearts of the people He indwelt.  He would come and go, only empowering them at certain times.  As Christians, your children ALWAYS have the Holy Spirit living in them, thus they always have His power.

Do you believe that?  Do you understand that, as a believer in Christ, you have access to the Holy Spirit at all times?  He lives in you.  He empowers you.  He comforts you.  He emboldens you.  So why aren’t you living in His power?  Why aren’t you walking confidently before your enemies?

We all have bad days.  We all face challenges.  But, as believers, we have NO EXCUSE for not walking right into the battles before us knowing that God is with us.  He indwells us.  And He will fight our enemies for us.  Just like Jephthah, who was chosen by God for a specific purpose, we have been chosen by Him before the foundation of the world.  We have a purpose.

What is your purpose?  Why has God chosen you?  Why is His Holy Spirit living in you?  Ask Him today.  He will show you.

Ephesians 5:13 “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

IN PLAIN VIEW

Have you ever walked into a room and flipped on the light only to see roaches scurrying to hide?  Not only is that gross, it is also unhealthy.  Those little critters carry germs that can spread.  You have to spray and spray to get rid of them, right?  Isn’t it interesting that you seldom see them during the day or when the light is on?  Hmmm.

You know, sin is kind of like that.  Most sins we commit are done in private, in the dark.  We don’t want others to see us sinning.  We don’t want to admit that we are sinners.  We try to hide from the exposure of our sins, especially from God.  But those sins, left “unsprayed” will spread “germs” just like those roaches.  Only a through cleansing will rid us of the spread of more and more sin in our lives.

TEACHING MOMENT     

I bet your children have seen a roach before.  If not, they will.  You just can’t keep them out of your house.  After little Susie stops screaming (lol), talk to her about how these little roaches are like our sins.  I bet she will never look at a roach again in the same way.

Our children need to know that they should keep their life clear of sin.  Just like we need to have regular cleaning and spraying to prevent roaches, we need to have regular confession to God to keep our spiritual life free of hidden sins.  Help them learn how to ask for that from the Father.

Where are the “roaches” in your life?  Are they still scurrying about, hidden from the light?  You need to confess those sins.  You need to shine the light of God’s forgiveness on them.  Ignoring them won’t make them go away.  That only allows more to come.

Father, forgive me of those hidden things in my life.  Shine the light of Your Truth on my life so all those “scurrying” things will be exposed and dealt with.

Judges 7:7 “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home.’”

CRUDE COMPARISON

Don’t you just love this story of Gideon and how the Lord chose the men who would fight with him?  He starts out with 22,000 men and ends up with 300.  300!  Now that’s a huge RIF (Reduction in Force).  There would be no mistaking the fact that it would be God who delivered Israel and not their huge army.

But God uses how they drank to pick them.  Those who knelt at the water (9,700) were sent home. Only those who lapped the water with their tongue, like a dog, (300) were chosen.  So, being looked at like a dog was a good thing here.  I just find that strange.

TEACHING MOMENT

Of course, the lesson for our children in this verse is obvious.  Drink like a dog.  No, just kidding.  The lesson is to allow the Lord to decide how you fight your battles.  God has a bigger plan than yours.  He can see the end result – we can’t.  He can see the outcome. In fact, He can see the outcome, however we chose to obey.  But He wants to direct us in His way.

This is a fun verse to act out with your kids.  They will probably think you are silly and maybe a little crazy as you show them how these 300 lapped their water.  But they will remember the verse.  Just make sure you make the application that goes with it.

So, are you lapping or kneeling?  Are you allowing the Lord to direct you and chose you?  Are you alert for the enemies around you or are you looking down and unaware?  These are great questions to get you thinking about your circumstance.

Do you think Gideon was concerned about the Lord’s tactics?  Perhaps, but the Lord gave him specific instructions for the battle.  He basically said to Gideon, “Do it my way and you will be victorious.”  He is still saying that today.

Will you follow the Lord, no matter how illogical it sounds?  Will you trust Him in the battle?