Category Archives: Advice

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WE ARE AT WAR

1 PETER 2:11

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” 

I never served in the military. I came close after completing seminary. I looked into going into the Air Force as a Chaplain. That didn’t happen though, so I missed out on serving our country in uniform. I applaud all those who have served and are serving in every branch.

But I have been in a battle my entire life. It’s the one Peter refers to here in today’s verse. He calls us aliens and strangers because this world is not our home. We are just passing through. And as we pass through it, we are battling the flesh. Only through submission to Christ can we defeat these “fleshly lusts” which seek to pull us down.

APPLICATION

Your children may have a better idea of war since they have never known a day when our country, the United States of

America, was not at war. We’ve been fighting somewhere since 2001. Talk about that with your children. Ask them what they understand about this war we are fighting.

But then talk about today’s verse. Ask them if they realize they are in a daily battle. They are soldiers fighting against the lure of the flesh. Now, you may have to explain that to them. Things like lying, cheating, being mean to their siblings or disobeying you are all good examples of “fleshly lusts.”

How are you fighting? Are you armed with the sword of truth? You cannot fight this battle alone. You do not have the strength or wisdom. Only the power of the cross can defend you and guide you. Let Jesus be your Commander in Chief and lead you into battle today.

Lord, You are my Commander in Chief. I will follow You. Help me defeat the lusts of my flesh by surrendering to You daily.

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WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

JOHN 13:36-37

“36 Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, where are You going?’ Jesus answered, ‘Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.’ 37 Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.’”

When my children were little, I traveled a good bit. I used to travel around the country inspecting other children’s homes. Most of these trips took four or five days. Inevitably, when I was packing, my son or daughter would ask me where I was going and if they could go with me. Of course, they couldn’t go, but I always brought them back something when I returned.

Jesus’ words before His arrest and crucifixion caused Peter to ask the same question. “Lord, where are You going?” Then those famous words before his denial of Christ. “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” Even after following Jesus three years, he didn’t get it. He didn’t want to see Jesus go anywhere without him.

APPLICATION

I’m sure your children have asked you the question mine asked me. And I am sure you gave them a logical explanation. But the more important answer is this. You are going to heaven. That is your final destination, if you are a believer. And I am sure you want your children to follow you there.

So, the most important thing we can do is prepare our children for that journey. We need to cultivate them when they are little by reading them God’s Word and teaching them to pray. Their transition from unbeliever to believer should be certain but seamless. That way when they ask you where you are going you can say, “The same place you are going – heaven.”

I pray you are headed heavenward. If you are not sure, make it sure today. If you are, take a crowd with you. Share Jesus with friends, family, neighbors and strangers. Where are you going?

Heaven is my eternal home, and I long for it. Help me share the good news of Jesus to as many as I can while I am here, so they too can know where they are going.

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YOU CAN TELL ME

JOHN 13:21-24

“21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.’ 22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, ‘Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.’” 

Have you ever wanted to know something that others knew? They had the inside scoop, and you wanted to know. It can be very aggravating to be left out, especially if the information is important.

When Jesus told the disciples that one of them was going to betray Him, they all (with the exception of Judas) wanted to know who it was. We see here in these verses that Peter leans over to John (whom Jesus loved) and basically said, “You’re His favorite. Surely you know.” I wonder if they had been told it was Judas if they would have done anything to stop him.

APPLICATION

Sometimes it’s important to keep information to yourself. Jesus couldn’t tell them who it was because this was all part of His Father’s plan. He had to be betrayed and die to save mankind from their sins. There was nothing Jesus would not do to accomplish His mission.

Is there anything you wouldn’t do to keep your children safe and protected? I bet not. They are precious to us and have been placed into our care by the Father. We will do whatever it takes to see our children grow up. But are you willing to do whatever

God asks of you? If you will listen, He will give you the secrets of raising your children. It’s all contained in His word.

Lean close to Jesus. Don’t you want to be called the one “whom Jesus loved”? He doesn’t keep secrets from you. He will tell you whatever you want to know when you are ready to hear it. He knows your future. Trust Him with it. He has much to tell you.

Father, I do trust You with my future. I do believe You know what’s best for me and will tell me what I need to know when I need to know it.

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YOU ARE A PROCLAIMER

1 PETER 2:9

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may;” proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Many have memorized this verse. Most of us remember the first part but forget the second. Let’s take a look at that. Peter tells us we are chosen for a purpose. We are chosen to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

We tend to get stuck on the first part of the verse which makes us so special. But since we are chosen, since we are a royal priesthood and holy nation and since we are God’s own possession, He expects us to tell others. We are proclaimers of the good news of Christ.

APPLICATION

How hard would it be for your children if you asked them to keep a secret about something incredible? Suppose you have planned a fabulous vacation and you told your kids all about it but swore them to secrecy. Their little tongues would be chewed raw biting their tongues to keep from telling someone.

We should have the same excitement about what Christ has done for us. We should be busting at the seams wanting to tell everyone. But we relish in the chosen part without looking at the responsibility part. He saved us to use us to spread the good news.

Have you told someone lately how incredible Jesus is to you? Have you told them what He has done for you? Don’t miss an opportunity. Don’t simply rely on your position in Christ. Now, I don’t mean you HAVE to do anything to guarantee your salvation. What I mean is you should have a burden to share every chance you get.

Thank You for choosing me and claiming me as Your own possession. I belong to You. Help me spread the Word.

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NO NEED TO BATHE

JOHN 13:5-11

“5 Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, ‘Lord, do You wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.’ 8 Peter said to Him, ‘Never shall You wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’ 9 Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.’ 10 Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’ 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’”

Back in Jesus’ days on earth walking was the primary means of travel. If you were lucky, you may have a donkey to ride. But the roads were still pretty much dirt roads and were well…dirty. It was customary for someone to provide you water to wash your feet or have a servant to wash them for you. This was considered the lowliest job in the home.

Remember, back then they didn’t sit around a table in chairs. They reclined on the floor with their feet to the side or in front of them. No one wanted to eat with nasty feet in their face. So, when Jesus began to wash their feet, the act itself wasn’t unusual. But the thought of their master performing the act was more than Peter could handle.

APPLICATION

I bet your children would enjoy a foot washing. Act out the story we read today. Ask them how it feels to have your feet washed by someone else. Have each family member take turns washing feet. Ask them how it felt to wash someone’s feet. This is not a common practice today, so they may not get to experience elsewhere.

Explain to them what Jesus was teaching – humility and servanthood. Even He, the Son of God, came to serve. We should never think we are too good for service. God may give you the blessing of service at your church or at a mission. Never place yourself above the person God has asked you to serve.

When is the last time you humbled yourself in service? Ask the Lord to give you an opportunity today. When is the last time you have been the recipient of service? Don’t shun it. God wants to bless you and use someone else in the process. Let them bless you.

Lord, thank You for this example of humility and service to others. Give me opportunities to serve others and humble myself.

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DON’T STUMP YOUR TOE

1 PETER 2:8

“and, ‘A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE’; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.”

Have you ever been walking in the woods on a trail and stumble over a rock you didn’t see? Boy, I have. I have almost broken my neck over a small rock that seemed to jump up off the ground and grab my foot. Of course, that isn’t what happened.

What happened was I was distracted. I wasn’t watching where I was walking. The rock was just there. It didn’t do anything to cause me to stumble. I caused that. I was the cause of my own stumbling. That’s Peter’s point here. We stumble over the “Rock” because we aren’t looking to Him.

APPLICATION

I bet your kids have stumbled in the yard and scraped their knees, haven’t they? If they haven’t, they will. The next time they fall, read them this verse. Explain to them that Jesus is a stumbling block to those who don’t believe. They may ask, “Why does Jesus want to make people stumble?” Good question.

Jesus doesn’t want us to stumble. He just wants our eyes on Him. He wants us to let Him direct our steps so we don’t stumble. When we keep our eyes on Him we can avoid those stumblings. It’s a lot easier to walk with our eyes on Him.

Are you stumbling or are you walking with your eyes on Jesus? Have you scraped your knees lately? Jesus can take care of that too. The “STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE” is only bad for those who don’t believe. For we who believe, He is a constant reminder of what He has done for us. Amen!

I am thankful for the reminder of Your sacrifice. May I point those I know who do not believe towards You so You can bring them to Yourself.

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YES, WE BELIEVE

JOHN 6:66-69

“66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’ 68 Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.’” 

Some of Jesus’ early followers fell away when His teachings became difficult. As long as He was healing people and performing miracles, all was cool. But when Jesus demanded commitment, they returned to their former way of life. If they had only known.

Peter and the other chosen disciples had been allowed to sit under Jesus and believed. Peter said, “You have words of eternal life.” They believed in Him. Was their faith perfect? Of course not. We see them struggle, but they believed to the best of their ability.

APPLICATION

I have written about this in the past, but it bears repeating. Parents, when your child comes to you professing Christ as Savior, don’t try to find holes in their testimony. Embrace their decision and work to disciple them into full understanding. We are often so quick to doubt their salvation because of their age.

Do they see themselves as a sinner in need of a Savior? Do they believe Jesus died on a cross and shed His pure, divine blood for them? Do they believed He was buried, rose again the third day and ascended to heaven? If they believe that and confess it with their little tongue, the Word says they are saved. Who are you to doubt that?

Your job as parent is to make them into a disciplemaker by investing your time in them. They must be taught how to study the Word. They must be taught how to pray. They must be taught how to live the Christ-life daily. That’s your job – not doubting their salvation. They have said as Peter said, “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Believe it!

Lord, I believe. Help me encourage all of those who come forth proclaiming their belief. Help me make them into disciplemakers, too.

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HEY BROTHER

JOHN 1:40-42

“40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).”

Matthew, Mark and Luke do not record this calling of Andrew and Simon (Peter). The other three Gospels record the calling around the Sea of Galilee and their fishing boat. There’s no mention of either in John. That’s what is so beautiful about God’s Word. When you take it as a whole book, it gives a much fuller picture of the story.

So, here’s Andrew, Peter’s little brother, bringing his big brother to Jesus. And he does that with this message – “We have found the Messiah.” I want you to ask yourself this question. Who have I brought to the Messiah? Anyone? Your family? Friends? Strangers?

APPLICATION

Ask your children what great news they would bring to their siblings, if they have them. If they don’t, ask them what they would say to friends or other family. What is the best news they could possibly tell them? They may give you an answer like “Look at this great game I just got.” Maybe it would be “Did you hear where we’re going on vacation?”

Andrew was excited to share about the Messiah. If your children are believers, they should have that same excitement for their own siblings or family members. They should want to tell everyone. One way I can always tell a child has really understood their salvation is they can’t wait to tell someone.

Are you excited about telling someone? Who have you not told? Do it today? What’s the worse they can do? Get mad? Better that than dying and going to hell. Andrew risked Peter blowing him off, but he couldn’t contain himself. Will you risk it today?

I will share with someone today? Lord, open the door for me. And when You do, give me the words to speak.

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JUST TO MAKE SURE

1 PETER 2:6

“For this is contained in Scripture: ‘BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’”

Peter hinted at this verse (Isaiah 28:16) a few verses earlier. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure we didn’t miss his reference to it, so he actually quotes it here. He wanted to leave no doubt. He didn’t want us to miss this point. There is something to be said for repeating ourselves.

Have you ever needed to repeat yourself to get your point across? Boy, I have. In fact, when I teach kids, I often will repeat my points two or three times. Repetition is a great way to learn something. I bet you already knew that, though.

APPLICATION

Have you ever helped your child learn a new memory? How did they learn it? I know how. They said it over and over. Repetition helps us remember. The real question isn’t if they can memorize. The question is what are they memorizing.

Challenge your kids to memorizing verses. Make it a game with real prizes. But be ready. Kids are notoriously competitive. The more verses the bigger the prizes. But don’t stop with quoting them to each other. Challenge them to share those verses with friends and strangers.

Are you memorizing any verses? Don’t use the excuse you are too old. You are never too old. Don’t use the excuse you don’t have time. You make time for everything else. Remember, repetition is the key. Make sure you share your newly memorized verse with someone also. Maybe even challenge them to memorize.

Lord, thanks for reminding me over and over again. You aren’t afraid of repeating Yourself to get Your point again. I’m glad Peter heard You and did the same thing.

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FOOT RACE

LUKE 24:12

“But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.”

I think it’s funny that here in Luke it says, “But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. In John 20, we read that John went with him and outran him. Lol. No one wants to admit they got beat in a foot race.

But this story isn’t about who won the foot race. It’s about the destination of the foot race. Where were they running? Why were they running? They had just been told that Jesus’ tomb was empty. They couldn’t wait to check it out themselves.

APPLICATION

Okay, it’s foot race time. Gather your children and go outside for the race. Set the finish line out of their sight and explain that there will be a surprise when they get there. Watch how fast they line up to race. Surprises are exciting. Surprises get us every time.

When they all get there give them a special treat. If you can find them, get them one of those Resurrection Eggs. Kids love them. Read them this story and ask them how they think Peter felt when he got to the tomb and found it empty. Surprised? Shocked? Excited? Sad?

How would you have felt if you had been Peter? Your last experience with Jesus was shame. Now you have just been told He’s alive and wants to see you. How would you have been feeling? Embarrassed or excited? It’s no different today. He wants to see you. Even when you mess up, He forgives you and longs to be with you.

Lord, I long to be in Your presence. I look forward to Your embrace. Forgive me for all those times I have fallen short of Your calling.

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