James 1:19: “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;” 

BEST ADVICE EVER

There are so many great verses in James 1.  I really struggled which one to choose today.  The Lord was speaking through all of them.  But verse 19 is such a great verse for us and for our children.  It just kind of leapt off the page at me.

How many times have you engaged your mouth before you had all the facts?  If you are like me, you start formulating your response to someone before they even finish speaking.  The word “slow” in this verse means to be deliberate or to be unhurried while still moving forward after considering all the facts.  Whoa!  Is that what you do?  That’s not me most of the time.

TEACHING MOMENT

If there is one important skill for our children to learn, it is listening.  Remind them that’s why God gave them two ears and one mouth.  Listening well is a learned art.  It does not come naturally.  We must teach them to stop talking and listen.  You can hear while you talk, but it so much easier to REALLY hear what is being said if you are quiet and listen.

Do your children accuse you of not listening to them?  I believe every parent who has ever lived has been accused of that at some time by their child.  The next time you hear that from your child, stop and look at them, take their little cherub cheeks in your hands and say, “I am sorry, honey.  I am listening now.”  That will teach them so much about listening to others.

Our prayer life also involves listening.  We are often so busy talking to God that we are not quiet enough to hear Him speak.  Does God still speak?  You had better believe He does.  Use those ears of your heart.  Listen intently.  Be silent before Him.  He has much to say to you.

Father, thank You for creating me with the ability to hear.  But I am even more thankful that I can hear You without ears.  You have given me the Holy Spirit Who speaks into my heart Your very Words.  Help me listen well today.

Titus 1:7 “For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,”

BULLY

I recently taught this verse to our kids at church.  We’re studying the book of Titus, and we are calling the series “Intentional.”  One word – one long word – one intentional word – to describe a short, three chapter book from Paul to Titus.  I walked the children through this long list of do’s and don’ts regarding the qualifications of an elder.  But guess what?  These qualities really apply to everyone who wants to walk with Christ.

One word really got their attention – pugnacious.  I don’t think I had EVER used that word in my vocabulary before.  The word means bully, striker, or someone who fights.  Now who, besides a prize fighter, wants to be like that?  What believer wants to be a bully?  No one should.  It goes totally against the character of Christ.  But so many of us can’t wait for a good fight. Of course, we rationalize every one of those fights.

TEACHING MOMENT

You probably think this is an easy trait to teach our kids.  They fight, and we discipline.  Simple as that!  But what kind of fighting are we talking about?  Is it really as simple as that?  There are all kinds of fighting and bullying.  Today, that can happen online.  Thousands of kids a day are being bullied through social media.  You can fight without saying a word.  I’ve seen girls who bully other girls without saying a word.

Being pugnacious has nothing to do with Christ.  That word should not describe us either.  No one should see your child coming and think, “Here comes that bully.”  How horrible that would be.  So how do you prevent it?  You model being unpugnacious (not sure that is a word, lol) yourself and you hold them accountable if you see a glimmer of that in them.  Easier said than done, I know.  But that is why you are getting paid the big bucks as a parent.

Father, give us the wisdom as parents to recognize and correct any ungodly character we see in our children.  Help us to point them towards You, the most UNPUGNACIOUS of all.

Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

LOOK WHO’S ON OUR SIDE!

Don’t you just love this verse? After two chapters of casting warnings and judgments on Judah, Israel and their neighbors, God tells Zephaniah to write these words.  Even though God is going to judge the earth one day, He still has us on His mind.  He will defend His people.  He is in our midst.  He is our victorious warrior.  He loves us.  He rejoices over us.

Why?  Why does God care about us?  Why doesn’t He just wipe us off the face of the earth?  Because He promised to protect those who turn to Him.  No matter what we have done, if we turn to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, He will defend us.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children must learn this about God.  Many people will come and go in their lives.  Unfortunately, sometimes even parents will leave them.  I pray that has not been the case with your children.  They need to know, however, that God will NEVER desert them.  If they give their lives over to Him, He promises, just like in the day of Zephaniah to be on their side.

The next time you attend one of little Johnny’s or little Susie’s events (soccer, school play, recital) talk with them about how you were cheering for them.  If you are like me, they probably heard you, lol.  Explain to them that God is doing the same thing as they follow Him.  He is rejoicing over them.  He is their biggest cheerleader.

Don’t you need a cheerleader sometime?  I sure do.  And it is so good to know that God is not cheering just to “make me feel better.”  He is truly rejoicing in me.  He is cheering because He truly loves me.  He is not trying to get on my good side.  He IS my good side.  He is my most loyal and trustworthy cheerleader.

O Father, knowing You are cheering me on gives me the confidence to walk with You.  Thank You for being loyal to Your Word.  You love me despite my failures.  You are my everything.

Habakkuk 2:20: “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

Not A Sound

Have you ever just sat and listened?  I mean, have you ever really listened.  Habakkuk is prophesying about the destruction of Judah by the Chaldeans, and right in the middle he says this.  He wanted them all to stop and listen for the Lord’s word.

But look where God is.  He is in His holy temple, where He belongs.  He is still on the throne.  No matter what we face, we can rest assured that God is still in charge.  It may seem like He has deserted us, but He hasn’t.  He is still speaking.  We must get quiet to hear Him.

TEACHING MOMENT

God’s omnipresence is probably one of the most comforting attributes of God we can teach our children.  Little Susie needs to know that God is always there for her.  He will never leave or forsake His children.  The key is, of course, do your children qualify as His children.

No amount of begging God can bring them into safety.  Now hear me out.  We must pray for their salvation and do everything in our power to usher them into the very presence of God.  But ultimately, they have to believe on their own.  And once they surrender, God will reign in their lives, just as He has in yours.

Are you being quiet today?  Are you really listening to God today?  Are you leading your children to hear God today?  Remind them (and yourself) that God has NOT moved.  He is still God.  Nothing can change that.  The world may seem out of control, but God is not.

God, You are the only God!  You are on Your throne reigning supreme.  Thank You for being my God and my Savior.  Draw my children and loved ones into Your presence so they will hear You clearly.

Nahum 1:3: “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.”

Aren’t you glad our God is slow to anger?  If He responded quickly to my every mess up, I would be a smoldering ember.  But instead He is patient and kind.  That does not diminish His power or His character of truth, as the verse says.  We can rest assured that He will punish those who are against Him.  He has no choice.  He demands holiness.

But thanks be to God, He has sent the Rescuer, His own Son Jesus Christ.  He showed us how to respond in the face of persecution.  He showed us how to deal with those who would want to harm us.  Jesus could have “zapped” all His enemies.  He could have literally stepped down off the cross.  But He was forgiving, instead.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children must learn this skill.  They must learn to respond to those who hurl insults at them.  They must learn how to allow the Lord to deal with those who would want to harm them.  There really is no other way.  The Lord is the One with the power, not us.  He will use us, but only in a way that brings glory to Him.

The next time your child comes homes with the report that little Jimmy at school is picking on them, use this verse to teach them. They may never see Jimmy dealt with regarding His behavior.  That’s okay.  God will handle it when He is ready to handle it.  Help them pray for Jimmy.  Teach them to be Jesus to him.

Now, this sounds easy, right?  Well, it’s not.  It’s impossible.  You can’t do it.  But you don’t have to.  He will do it through you.  Nahum was prophesying about God’s power and His ability to do what was right at the right time.  He is still that same God.

O God, give me the ability today to not lash out at those who speak evil against me.  Help me instead to pray for their salvation.  Teach me to trust You as You deal with those who speak evil against those who follow You.

Psalm 29:3 “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters.”

LISTEN

Some people’s voice is just so recognizable.  Think of some famous people you know by their voice alone.  Howard Cosell, John Wayne and Jimmy Durante are just a few I would recognize even though they have been dead for years.  Their voices were so unique I would know them anywhere.

Seven times in Psalm 29 the voice of the Lord is referred to.  His voice, too, is recognizable if you are listening.  If you know the Lord there is no denying His voice.  When He speaks we hear Him.  When He speaks things happen.  When He speaks our enemies quake.  What a voice!

TEACHING MOMENT

I bet your children know your voice.  Better yet, I bet they know which voice you are using at any certain time.  You know what I mean?  They know the tone of your voice and what it means.  They either come running or run away, depending on the tone of your voice.  They can tell if they are being called to dinner or to judgment.  Lol.

But the better question is “Do your children know the voice of the Lord?”  Do they recognize His voice?  If He is speaking, do they hear Him?  We must teach them to hear Him.  That is only done by spending time in His Word and preparing your home to be a place where God speaks freely.

Are you listening to Him today?  When is the last time you heard the Lord’s voice clearly?  We get so busy that we fail to hear Him screaming at us.  He wants to talk to you.  Will you stop what you are doing right now, get quiet and listen?  (Pause)  Did you hear that?

Thank You, Lord, for making my ears sensitive to Your voice.  Help me today to listen closely to Your words.

Amos 7:8 “The LORD said to me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.’”

KEEPING IT PLUMB

Most of us today have no idea what a plumb line is?  Do you?  It was a tool used by a builder to make sure the walls were straight and not leaning.  It could be just about anything with weight tied to a string which would hang down from a stick or board right next to the wall you were building. Now we have laser levels and all other kinds of devices to do the same thing.

The bottom line is if you don’t keep the wall straight (plumb) as you are building, it won’t stand and the structure will be unsafe.  The same is true with our spiritual lives.  We have to keep our lives built on the sure foundation. We must make sure we are standing true.  We must keep checking our “plumb line” of faith to ensure we aren’t leaning to the right or to the left.

TEACHING MOMENT

This is a fun verse to show our kids and demonstrate.  Get a plumb line or a level and go around and check out the walls in your house.  See if you can find an unlevel wall.  Show them a picture of the leaning tower of Pisa, probably the most well known “unplumb” building in the world.

But don’t make this just a structural exercise.  Bring out the Word.  Explain that the Word is the ONLY sure foundation.  It is also the “device” we use to make sure we are staying plumb.  It will keep us straight if we are in it daily.  It will make sure we don’t crumble into a heap on the ground.

Have you checked your level lately?  Are you staying true to God’s Word?  God has given you the tools to make sure of that.  Prayer, His Word, and Christian brothers and sisters can all help us stay on the level.  But we also have to allow Him, when we get off plumb, to tear us down and rebuild us.  He wants us to be standing firm, not leaning in the wrong direction.

O Father, You are the great architect of my life.  Help me see Your corrective action in my life as a form of love and care and not punishment.  Keep me true.

Amos 5:24 “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

FULL FORCE

Don’t you just love this verse?  When I read it I was curious of the exact Hebrew words used.  So, I looked them up.  That word “roll” has the picture of wallowing or taking away.  “Stream” is used to describe a torrent of rushing water in a narrow valley.  Do you get the image portrayed here?  This is not a trickle.

I get the image of water being released from a dam.  Here in Chattanooga where I live there is a dam which holds back the waters of the Tennessee River to form a lake.  When a lot of rain falls they will release the water from the dam and you should see it.  It is quite the site.  Millions of cubic feet of water pour through gorging the river below.

TEACHING MOMENT

Amos is telling us that God sends His justice and righteousness in that way.  Our children need to know that.  His justice never ends.  It just keeps coming.  This “justice” is the only true justice.  It’s God’s justice.  He will be fair, but He will be true to His Word.

His righteousness fills every corner.  It is forceful and consistent.  His “rightness” is always right.  There is ONLY ONE right. That is His right.  The world may tell our children that this or that is okay.  But we need to make sure they know that only God is right.

If we are consistent to teach our children God’s justice and righteousness, then they can experience the ever-flowing river of His love and protection.  He washes us clean with His words of truth. How refreshing.  And although the waters are forceful and strong, we are in no danger from drowning.  We are His children, and He lifts us up with His justice and righteousness.

Thank You Father for rushing Your waters over me.  Thank You for allowing me to be secure in Your truth.

Joel 3:20 “But Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem for all generations.”

TIMELESS

Around 2800 years have passed since Joel penned these words of prophecy concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  Joel is only 3 chapters long, but it is one of the prophetic books that we turn to even today.  How could Joel know all this?  Easy!  God told him.  He was listening to Him.  God used Joel to tell the people that He would defend them and bless them, if they returned to Him.

Does God speak to us today?  Does He tell us these same things?  I don’t mean America.  I mean to all believers, wherever they are.  Yes, He does.  He still speaks.  But now the Lord uses His Word to do that.  He still uses the prophecies of old to direct us.  He uses the words of Jesus to point us in the right direction.

TEACHING MOMENT

How can we teach our children about prophecy?  We don’t want to spit out all the years and figures associated with the tribulation and return of Christ.  Most adults don’t understand that stuff.  But our children need to know that one thing is true.  When God says something in His Word, you can depend on it.  It’s going to happen.  It may be years from now, but it will happen.

Look at today’s verse.  2800 years have passed, but it’s still true.  The Jews are still in Judah and Jerusalem.  Things have changed a lot since the days of Joel, but the prophecy is still true.  God has kept His Word.  He ALWAYS does.

How about you? Do you keep your word?  When you say you are going to do something, do you?  Do your children believe you when you say you are going to do something?  We must be that first impression of truth for our kids.  And we must constantly point them to Jesus, Who is THE truth.

O Lord, You are Truth.  Help me today to be as true to You as You are to me.

Joel 1:3 “Tell your sons about it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons the next generation.”

SPREAD THE NEWS

What?  Did I just tell you to gossip?  Yep!  Sure did!  Now, before you stop reading, take a breath.  I want you to take a look at the verse again.  Joel begins his prophetic letter by telling them to tell their children to spread the news about the consequences of disobedience.  He wanted them to tell them so they could tell their children and on and on to every generation.

We have the same command.  We must tell our children about, not only the love of God, but also the consequences of not following Him.  Today, it seems, we are so concerned about NOT offending someone that we fail to tell them that they will NOT like the alternative to NOT following the Lord.  The Lord is a loving God, for sure.  But He is also a holy God who will hold us all accountable for sin.

TEACHING MOMENT     

So, do you scare your kids into salvation?  Of course not.  We need to teach them the Word of God and tell them how much God loves them.  He sent His Son to die for us, but His Son only died BECAUSE of our sins.  Sin kills.  Sin destroys.  And without the saving grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus, we have NO HOPE.

Just as your children have consequences for disobeying your rules in your home, your children will suffer the consequences of sin against God.  Without Jesus in their lives as their loving Savior, they have no escape from eternal damnation.

Wow! Carl, that’s harsh.  Maybe, but it’s true.  So be a gossip.  Spread the news as far and as wide as possible.  Tell everyone you know about this.  Don’t let anyone slip through the cracks.  If you love anyone, make sure they know that judgment will come.  But there is a way of salvation that is found ONLY in Jesus.

Father, give me the boldness today to share the Good News of Jesus with someone.  Let me be very clear of the consequences of disbelief and very clear of the hope we have in You.