Category Archives: Advice

Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Family, Mentoring, Parenting

Y’ALL COME

2 TIMOTHY 4:9


“Make every effort to come to me soon;”

There are some people you just want to spend time with, am I right? Maybe it’s because you’ve been friends a long time. Perhaps it’s because they are just fun to be around. Whatever the reason, you long to see them. Paul and Timothy had spent years together. Paul had mentored him and prepared him to serve. Now that Paul knows his days are limited, he wants to see Timothy.

Who do you have that kind of relationship with right now? With whom have you invested the amount of time necessary to develop that longing? You need to be pouring yourself into someone else. You need to be mentoring them to carry on the faith long after you’re gone. That takes time and energy, I know. But it’s time well spent.

APPLICATION

Of course, there is no one more important to develop than your own children. Let me get real personal today. Dads, how much time do you spend a day with your son? How about your daughter? We get so busy providing for our families or engaged in our hobbies (we’ve got to have our time) that we neglect the responsibility of time with our kids. Moms normally get their time. It’s the dads who fall way short.

How much time is enough? Well, that depends on your children. Some need more time than others. The Lord has blessed you with little people who need you. Why else would the Lord have placed them in your life? They are not burdens. They are opportunities to be Jesus to the next generation. You are doing God’s work each time you are with your children. Thank God for allowing you that privilege.

So, how are you doing with that? This week measure the amount of time you spend at work, play or with your children. You may need to adjust your schedule. Paul called Timothy his child in the faith. He poured into him. Will you do that today with your children? Whether they are biological, adopted, foster or step-children, choose today to invest in those the Lord has given you to raise. You will be saying to them, “Y’all come quickly. I need to see you.”

Father, thank You for allowing me to parent. Give me the discipline to make time for those You have placed in my life. Help me mentor them to be more like Jesus each day.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Disciplemaking, Evangelism, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Scripture, Witnessing

GET TO WORK

2 TIMOTHY 4:5

“But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Paul wasn’t bashful to tell Timothy to get to work. He even tells him exactly what he expects from him. Remember, Paul had mentored Timothy for years. He had earned the right to hold Timothy accountable. We all need a Paul in our lives. We need someone to come alongside us and instruct us. I pray you have someone like that.

He tells him four things – 1. be sober in all things, 2. endure hardship, 3. do the work of an evangelist, and 4. fulfill your ministry. “Be sober” means to be rational, to keep one’s wits about you. “Endure hardship” – well that is just self-explanatory. “Do the work of an evangelist” is sharing the gospel. And “fulfill your ministry” means to do this to your fullest extent. All four of these are commands by Paul. Paul is telling Timothy to get to work.

APPLICATION

All four of these are so applicable to our children and to us. We need to be rational and to teach our children to do the same. We need to endure painful suffering knowing the Lord has allowed it and will see us through. Children watch this and learned huge lessons as they watch us endure these. We need to be sharing the gospel every chance we get. Hopefully, when we do that our children are witnessing it. And we need to fulfill our ministry and include, if possible, our children.

Do you think they will learn by observing us follow these four commands? You had better believe it. Kids are like sponges. They soak up stuff like this. Our lives, as parents, are constantly on display. Everything we do and say in their presence is being filed away. So, be obedient to follow the commands that are so clearly given in His Word.

Are you doing these four things Paul so clearly laid out for Timothy and us? “Well Carl, I’m not an evangelist and I don’t have a ministry.” Yes, you are, and yes you do. Every believer is called to share the gospel, and every believer has a ministry of sorts. You may not think you do, but you do. Do the work! Be obedient and watch what happens!

Today, Lord, I will do these four things. Help me focus on how I can fulfill these clear commands. If You ask me to do it, You will empower me.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Commands, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Faith, Following, God's Will, Inspirational, Mentoring, Obedience, Parenting, Rules, Scripture

SELECTIVE HEARING

2 TIMOTHY 4:4

“and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

I get accused sometime of selective hearing. What does that mean? It means I choose to hear what I want to hear. I guess there is some truth to that. That’s probably true of most of us, though. We choose what we want to listen to or whom we want to listen to. If I am in the presence of someone I don’t want to hear, I can tune them out or leave the room. It’s my choice.

Paul is saying in today’s verse that these individuals have chosen to turn their hearing away from the truth and to turn instead to myths. Both of these verbs imply it’s their choice. No one has forced them. They have deliberately chosen this. How sad! But before you judge to quickly, we do the same. We love God’s Word until it says something we disagree with. Now, that’s really sad.

APPLICATION

Try this with your kids. Sit down and make a list of your house rules. Hopefully, you don’t have a lot. But make a list. Now, ask them which ones they like and which ones they don’t like. Ask them which ones they won’t to do away with. I bet bedtime guidelines will be the first to go, lol. Another might be eating their vegetables. What kid likes that one?

But do your children understand the reasons behind these rules? That’s your responsibility. Rules without reasons are ridiculous. Of course, you have bedtime rules. They have to get their rest. Of course, they have to eat vegetables. They need a good diet. If you let them pick and choose which rules to listen to their little lives would be a mess in no time.

Are you a rule follower or a rule breaker? Do you follow God’s guidelines until they go against what you want to do? You must trust that He knows what is best for you. You may not understand why and that’s okay. You don’t have to. Just trust Him. He’s been guiding His saints a long time. Will you do that today?

I will trust You even when I don’t understand why. I know You always have my best interest in mind and want to make me more like Christ. Help me die to myself today and trust Your direction.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Disciplemaking, Evangelism, Obedience, Parenting

EAR TICKLING

2 TIMOTHY 4:3

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,” 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like my ears tickled. It is really irritating, lol.  Of course, Paul isn’t talking about a physical tickling. He’s referring to people wanting to hear what they want to hear. People don’t want to be confronted with their sin. They had rather have someone tell them how great they are. They love hearing how much God loves them. Just don’t tell them that loving God also demands obedience.

That Greek word for “tickled” is only used here. It also can mean to scratch. So, get the picture of scratching the ears, much like you would a dog. Boy, our dog used to love to have his ears scratched. He would sit there for hours if you would just scratch his ears. We are the same. Just make us feel good about ourselves, and we will believe anything you say. How dangerous.

APPLICATION

Do your children have a dog or cat? The next time you see them petting them, specifically scratching their ears, ask them why they do that. When they say because their pet loves it, read them this verse. I bet they didn’t know there is a verse about tickling or scratching ears.

Ask them if they like people saying nice things about them. How does it make them feel? Ask them if that would influence how they believe what else they may say to them. Ear tickling is just one way to try to “win over” their attention and trust. But God isn’t about ear tickling. He doesn’t have to flatter us to prove His love. He has already done that through His Son.

What do you want, ear tickling or confrontation of sin? If you are honest you will say the former. But what do you need? The latter, of course. If you never hear sin mentioned in your church’s pulpit you might want to evaluate the ear tickling meter. Let the Word convict you and drive you to a deeper walk with Jesus.

Father, I don’t want my ears tickled. I want to be corrected and challenged through Your word. Help me do the same for others.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Evangelism, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Scripture, Testimony, Witnessing

BE READY

2 TIMOTHY 4:2

“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

I will never forget when I was serving with an older pastor in South Georgia while in college. He gave me, a young minister at the time, some great advice. He said, “Always keep your six-gun loaded.” What he meant was to always be ready to preach. He told me then he always kept six messages in the back of his Bible in case he was asked to preach somewhere. I’ve done that most of my ministry, and it has sure come in handy.

But Paul goes beyond that with Timothy. Not only does he tell him to be ready “in season and out of season,” but he tells him how to preach. He says to reprove, rebuke and exhort. That’s not tickling people’s ears. That’s not just saying God loves you. That’s calling people to be aware of their sins and calling them to repentance. We should take notice of that.

APPLICATION

As our children come to Christ we need to teach them to be ready at all times to share their faith. I was asked recently, “What is the purpose of our salvation?” What do you think? We are commissioned by the great Commander-in-Chief to spread the good news of salvation to others. Our children have that same standing order. So, we must teach them to be ready at all times.

And in these days, they will be tempted to “normalize” all sort of behavior. Calling sin a sin is not popular today. They will be ridiculed for holding to the truth. They will possibly even be threatened for rebuking or exhorting. But God’s Word hasn’t changed. Teach them through your actions to be bold as they share the truth of the good news in love to others.

Are you bold enough in your witness to do what Paul charged Timothy? This charge is also our charge. Are you prepared at any time to present the gospel to someone? Is your six-gun loaded? You don’t have to preach a sermon, but you should have enough grip on the message of salvation that you could share with anyone. Get ready. Load up. It’s harvest time.

I am ready, O Father, to share Your message of salvation. Today put someone in my path with whom I can share. Let my testimony be front and center so others can see what You have done through me.

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Advice, Affection, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Following, Mentoring, Modeling, Obedience

INTENSE

2 TIMOTHY 4:1

 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:”

Have you ever really urged someone to do something? As strongly as you were able, you tried to encourage them to make a right choice and make a certain decision. You were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was the right thing for them to do. That’s the Greek word for “solemnly charge.” It’s an intense word. This word is always in the middle voice which means it is done with a strong personal interest motivating it.

Paul had invested years in Timothy. He had mentored him, traveled with him, ate countless meals with him and had watched him grow into the man he was now. As Paul entered his last days, he desperately wanted to see Timothy continue in the faith. Even though Paul knew Timothy would face challenges, he is charging him to carry on.

APPLICATION

Don’t you feel the same about your children? Part of our responsibilities as parents is to prepare our children to make life choices. In fact, good parenting is all about that. Instead of us making the choices for them, we teach them to make good choices. So, after all that investment, the last thing we want to to see is our children throwing all that away. We desperately want to see them succeed in the eyes of the Lord as they make choices to follow Him.

Let me encourage you to continue to do that every day. Even after they leave home, help them make choices that honor the Lord. As their parent you are also their mentor, their role model, their example to follow. We don’t stop just because they make one bad choice, or two bad choices or…. You get the picture. We continue to invest in their lives with the hopes they will return to what they know is true.

Are you doing that? Or have you given up on someone? There may come a time when there is nothing else you can do. You’ve tried everything. But let the Lord tell you when to stop investing in that person, whether it’s your child or someone else. Jesus has never given up on you, has He?

Thank You, Lord, for intensely seeking me. You desire to see me be more like You. I will follow You.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Completeness, Encouragement, Obedience, Parenting, Scripture, Service

FULLY EQUIPPED

2 TIMOTHY 3:17

“so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

There is nothing much worse than to plan a trip, get there and realize you left something at home. You had it ready – you just forgot it. You purchased it with the intention to use it. And when you get home, there it sits on the kitchen counter. It doesn’t do much good there.

Then Word of God is like that. Verse 16 tells us it is good for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. But is we don’t use it, if we don’t “pack” it, it is no use to us. We are given the Word to use, not to put on a shelf in the house. It is more than a Sunday book. It’s an everyday book that never gets old. It never gets dated. It stands the test of time.

APPLICATION

The next time you get a phone call from your son or daughter asking you to bring a something to school they forgot, remind them of this verse. That’s never happened to you? Just wait, it will. Playing basketball without your shoes is difficult. You are aren’t fully equipped. Presenting your science project without the poster board is impossible. You just have to have some things to complete the task.

It’s no different for your child spiritually. They can’t live the Christian life without relying on the Word of God to guide them. That’s why it is so important to teach them that the Word has applications to every life scenario. There is literally not a situation for which you cannot apply His Word. And the sooner they realize that, the more fully equipped they will be.

Are you half packed? Are you trying to get by on your wit and wisdom? Stop it! Take the Word and apply it to your life. Allow the Word to seep in and totally engulf every crevice of your existence. Living the Word frees you from making decisions that are based on your own experience. Now, that has a part in it, but it is always filtered through the Word.  Believe it.

Your Word, O Lord, is my guide. It fully equips me for every situation life throws at me. Give me the wisdom to apply it each time I need it.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Confession, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Mentoring, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Scripture, Service, Testimony, Understanding

IT’S ALL GOOD

2 TIMOTHY 3:16

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

Have you ever heard that expression?  What does it mean?  Basically, it means every letter, word or marking of God’s Word.  This phrase comes from something Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 (Look it up).  So, when I hear people dismissing a part of Scripture because it is no longer culturally relevant, I cringe.  It’s all relevant to us today.  NO exceptions.

And look what it does for us.  It teaches, reproves, corrects and trains.  It covers all the bases.  So how do we use these verses in the lives of our kids?  How can we get across the truths of these verses in their lives?  Well, are you doing these four things?

APPLICATION

How are you teaching your children?  Better yet, what are you teaching?  The best textbook in the world is God’s Word.  Sure, you have to teach them math and stuff, but the best knowledge is contained in one book.  Are you reproving them?  That means to point out the errors of their ways, to convict.  That sounds bad, but if we don’t help our children see their mistakes, they will most certainly repeat them.

How about correcting?  That means to put them back on the right path.  Reproving without correcting is demeaning and hopeless.  They go together.  And finally, are you training them?  That word means to instruct until they reach full maturity.  That goes well beyond high school today.

I don’t know about you, but I have made a lot of mistakes in my child rearing days.  And just about every one of them was because I deviated or completely ignored the truth of these verses.  If we, as parents, will follow every jot and tittle of God’s Word, our children are much more likely to follow Him.

Father, I pray all parents will use Your Word as their textbook for their children. I pray they will find these timeless truths to be applicable every day as they raise their children to love You.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Deception, Holy Spirit, Lies, Parenting, Truth

IMPOSTORS

2 TIMOTHY 3:13

“But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

We find another one-time used Greek word in today’s verse. The Greek word for “impostors” is only used right here. There’s a reason the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use it. No word was written haphazardly. Paul is using a strong wrong to describe those who intentionally seek to mislead and confuse others.

What is an impostor? One definition is “this person uses their verbal spells and incantations to give the (false) impression they can do miracles.” They are faking it, but they are so good at words they convince people they are real. Only by knowing the truth of God’s Word can we guard ourselves against these types of people. If we are bathed in truth, lies just naturally reveal themselves.

APPLICATION

Your children are going to encounter impostors along the way. How do you prepare them to recognize and avoid their influence? There’s only one way – through the diligent teaching and nurturing in His Word. This may sound simplistic, but it’s true. Impostors will take a portion of the truth and make it something it’s not. They only want what is best for themselves, not others.

That’s probably the easiest way to detect those impostors. Everything they do is about them. It’s self, self, self. Train your child to recognize that. If someone is constantly seeking self, they are not someone you want your child around. Paul lumps them with evil men who are deceiving or being deceived. Not the best crowd.

Are you faking it right now? A lot of people in the church today are going through the motions. They pretend to be a Christian to gain access to something. They may think by “joining” the church they will get some kind of special favor. Don’t be an impostor. Be a real, self-less follower of Christ and watch what He does in and through you. To God be the glory.

I want to represent only You, dear Lord. I lay down my motives an agenda to live for only You. May I please You today as I go through my duties.

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Advice, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Following, Grace, Inspirational, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Perseverance, Testimony

FOLLOW THE RIGHT LEADER

2 TIMOTHY 3:10

“Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance,”

That may sound simplistic. “Of course, Carl, I wouldn’t follow the wrong one.” Okay, okay. But sometimes we can be misled. Leaders say things to get people to follow. And if we are listening and watching carefully, we can begin to follow someone who does not match up to the principles God has for us in His Word.

Paul commended Timothy for following him back in his first letter to him (1 Timothy 4:6) and here he does it again. Timothy had thoroughly investigated Paul’s teachings and life. That’s what the Greek word for “followed” means. He was convinced of Paul’s mission and message and could follow it himself. Paul had proven to be someone worth emulating and following.

APPLICATION

Who will your children follow? What habits, quirks, and lifestyles do you want them imitating? We have the unique opportunities as parents to daily plant those messages in our children. As we live out a surrendered life to Christ, they see that in us. When they watch us respond in life’s crises, they learn to trust God. As they see us and hear us read His Word and pray, they see the value in growing their personal faith.

But we can’t be perfect in front of our children all the time, can we? We blow it. We blow it with them. We blow it with others. And they see that too. However, these can be the best teaching times. When they can see us repent and ask for forgiveness, it shows them our trust in a graceful and merciful Father. That’s a lesson they need to learn early and that will carry them through their life.

Are you a Paul worth following? Is there a Timothy out there who needs you? If you are a believer in Jesus, you have the responsibility to lead others to Him. Why wouldn’t you want to? Why hoard the most precious gift to yourself. Share the wisdom the Lord gives you. Share the love He pours out on you. Be a right leader. There are many who will follow.

I am humbled at the privilege to lead. Help me lead only towards You and may You get all the glory!

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