Category Archives: Child Rearing

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ENTRUSTED

1 TIMOTHY 1:11

“according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”

Do we really understand what this verse says? This is huge! This is big time! God, THE God of the universe, the God who saves me through His Son Jesus, has faith in ME! That’s what it says. He has so much faith in me that He has entrusted me with His Gospel. He has placed His trust in me to carry out the delivery of His message to a lost world. Despite all of today’s technology, God still uses people.

“Entrusted” comes from the same Greek word as “faith.” It means to be convinced of something. This verb “entrusted” is in the passive voice, which you will remember means the object of the verb is acted upon by something else. In this case, God acts upon us by entrusting us with His Gospel. Wow! Faith is a two-way street. We have faith in God to save us, and He has faith in us to carry out His message.

APPLICATION

This can be a good verse to act out with your little Susie or Johnny. You can entrust them to do something. Give them a chore to do with the promise of payment in return. Make sure it is something they can actually do according to their age. When they have completed the chore, sit them down and give them their payment and explain what just happened.

You gave them a task (you entrusted it to them), and you fulfilled your promise (you paid them). In the same way, although with much more purpose, God entrusts them with His message. He “pays” them through His promise to save them. Make sure they understand that our salvation does not depend on works. Our works are simply our way of showing God how much we love Him and how grateful we are to Him for having faith in us to be a part of His plan.

Do you believe God has entrusted you with a purpose? He has, you know. He believes in you as much as you believe in Him. He wants to use you to accomplish great things in His name. But you have to be willing. You have to do it. He won’t make you, but He knows you can do it. Will you? 

Doing Your Will is my purpose, O Lord. I know when I am obedient You are pleased. You love me unconditionally, but You are well pleased when I serve You.

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CONTRARY

1 TIMOTHY 1:10

“and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,” 

I am not going to get into the lifestyles of those who are mentioned in today’s verse. I do not think that is necessary. I want to pick out one word in the verse, though. Look at that word “contrary.” Have you ever known someone who was contrary? Do you even know what that means? It means someone who is against everything. They will argue with a fence post.

These kinds of people cannot be convinced with the truth because they do not believe it applies to them. Or they think they have the real truth. Paul has just listed in the past two verses those who fit into this category. They are opponents or enemies to sound teaching.

APPLICATION

Okay, then, how does this apply to our children? Easy, keep teaching them the truth. Point them constantly to God’s Word. Give them sound teaching. Only by doing this can they recognize the untruths. Only by consistently exposing them to truth will they be able to establish that baseline of truth and untruth. 

The world is going to throw enough untruths at your children. Satan does not want them to follow Jesus. He will hurl all sorts of lies at them to try to get them to believe them. You are that buffer when they are growing up. You shield them with the Gospel. You guard them with THE truth. And don’t stop just because they get saved. You have to continue to disciple and mentor them to spiritual maturity. You have a lifetime job!

But how about your spiritual maturity? Have you drunk the Kool-Aid of social tolerance? I don’t mean you can’t accept others and love them. I mean you can’t condone ungodly behavior, many of which are named in verses 9 and 10 of 1 Timothy 1. You have to decide if you are going to be contrary to sound teaching yourself.

Father, guard my heart against the lies of the devil. Reveal to me quickly anything that is contrary to your teachings. I want to live and speak truth.

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LAWBREAKERS

1 TIMOTHY 1:9

“realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers” 

I have noticed something about people who don’t like rules. They are usually the ones who break them. People who don’t like the law are normally lawbreakers. People who hate law enforcement officers are the ones who are repeatedly arrested for breaking the law. Hmm, there seems to be a pattern here.

That is exactly what Paul is saying here. The law isn’t an issue for the righteous. If we are living righteously, we have no problem with the law. If we are living righteously, we follow a higher law. But if we are lawless and rebellious, we constantly struggle against the law because it reminds us and convicts us of sin.

APPLICATION

Try an experiment in your house. Abolish all rules for a week. Anything goes. No chores have to be done. No bedtimes. No rules about what and when you eat your meals. See what happens. It won’t take long for your children to start following rules that no longer exist. It sounds like freedom to have no rules, but it actually is much more confusing and tiring.

After this experiment (if you dare), ask your children what they liked or disliked about it. Take notes. You will want to refer back to them a few weeks when they begin to complain about the rules again, lol.  And take the opportunity to explain that rules (law) are not meant to punish us. Rules are meant to guide us. Encourage your little Gertrude to obey because of her desire to please God, not you.

Which “laws” are you breaking? Are you fearful of being caught? Hiding your lawbreaking can be exhausting. Why don’t you confess that as sin today and allow the Lord to give you a fresh start? Learn to embrace the law (rules) as it was intended. God only wants us to obey Him out of love.

Lord, forgive me for complaining about Your law. I know You give it to guide me. Let me see it as You intended.

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FOLLOW THE RULES

1 TIMOTHY 1:8

“But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,” 

We have rules for a reason. Rules help us keep order. Rules guide us correctly. Rules can teach us the right way to do something. Rules can keep us honest. So, why do so many people break them? For some, their motto is “Rules are made to be broken.”

Paul addresses the idea of rules in today’s verse. The word “lawfully” is only used twice in the New Testament – here and in 2 Timothy 2:5. Paul had been a rule follower. Remember, he was a Pharisee, a law-abider and a law enforcer. He knew the law couldn’t save you, but it could guide you. The law pointed out sin which can lead to repentance.

APPLICATION

I don’t know many children who like rules. I used to tell my staff in the Children’s homes to have as few rules as possible in their cottages. Fewer rules made it easier for the kids to remember them. That applies to our own homes as well. Rules without relationships just don’t work.

That’s why we have to help our children understand the “why” behind the rule, not just the “what” of the rule. Get them to help make the house rules. Make sure the house rules agree with Scripture. Let them hold you accountable for the rules. If you break a house rule, they should be able to point that out to you without fear of reprisal. We ALL need to be held accountable.

But aren’t you glad that the Lord is less concerned about rules than He is about relationships? You see, we should obey the Lord’s commands because we love Him, not out of fear of being punished. Obedience out of love will always be easier than obedience out of fear. Remember, the Lord gives us rules for a reason. He wants to keep us safe and teach us to be more like Him – the Law Giver.

I am thankful for Your Law, O Lord. Let me follow obediently without becoming legalistic. I want to show others the joy of obeying You willingly. 

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SINCERELY WRONG

1 TIMOTHY 1:7

“wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

Sometimes you can be confident but also wrong. You strongly believe in what you are saying or doing, only to find out later that you were entirely wrong. That may be to your own lack of research or knowledge, or you may have been fooled by someone else.

Paul is addressing that in today’s verse. These individuals who had strayed into fruitless discussions (verse 6) thought themselves wise enough to teach the Law. But Paul says “they do not understand.” Remember, Paul was a very knowledgeable man. He had been taught by the best. He knew the Law. He could tell when someone was faking it.

APPLICATION

Before you spend all these years training your children, shouldn’t you make sure that what you are teaching them is correct? Your little Susie is relying on you to tell her what’s what. If all she grows up believing is incorrect, you have done her a great disservice. That’s why the only true source of wisdom from which you can teach her is God’s Word.

So, before you teach, research. Before you spend the time and energy training your little ones, make sure you check it out with Him. He wants you to teach truth because He is truth.

Have you been fooled by someone into believing something is true when it’s not? I think of the people of Israel when the Gibeonites fooled them into thinking they were from faraway nation wanting to make peace when they were, in fact, their neighbors. If they had only consulted the Lord, they would have known. Don’t take what you hear from others at face value. Check it out in His Word.

O Lord, I praise You that I can always trust Your teachings. I am thankful You are trustworthy. Help me teach only what You have taught me.

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WHAT DRAWS YOU?

1 TIMOTHY 1:6

“For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,” 

It is so important to understand not just what, but how the Scriptures are written. What do I mean by that? I mean the choice of verbs and adjectives is important. Today’s verse is one perfect example. The verb phrase “have turned aside” is in the passive voice, which means an action has been done on the subject. In this case, we have to ask what turned them aside. It’s in the phrase before, “straying from these things.”

Don’t let me lose you. Hang on! You see, when we stray, when we miss the mark, we are turned aside from where we should be going to where we should NOT be going. That can be “fruitless discussion” or something more dangerous. You see, sin will take you further than you ever thought you would stray, cost you more than you ever thought you would pay and keep you longer than you ever thought you would stay (this saying is not original to me).

APPLICATION

This is why one of our most important jobs as parents is to teach our children to focus on the eternal perspective. When they lose sight of the eternal, the temporal will cause them to stray. Learning to sacrifice immediate gain for ultimate reward is huge. Setting long term goals is critical, even for children.

Let me give you an example. When I began mowing yards as a young boy to make some money, my dad took me to his company credit union to open an account. I gave him money each time I got paid which he deposited into that account. When I turned fifteen, I had enough money to buy my first car. He helped me see past the bubble gum and movie tickets to my ultimate goal (though years away) of getting a car.

Are you making deposits for your spiritual future? Or are you spending every blessing you receive as fast as it is received. We need to examine every decision we make with eternal eyes. How do our decisions affect our eternity and the eternity of others? That’s a heavy question, but one we need to ask ourselves.

Father, You are so good to give me exactly what I need when I need it. Teach me to see all things eternally and to let go of my own selfish desires. Pleasing You is so much more important than pleasing myself or others.

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ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

1 TIMOTHY 1:5

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 

The line from the Beatle’s song just jumped off the page to me when I read this verse. Now, before you excommunicate me for doing that (lol), let me try to explain. I am NOT implying that the Beatles got the inspiration for their song from this verse. Paul is reminding Timothy, that in the midst of all his instructing, don’t forget love.

Have you ever had a teacher you just loved? I bet you loved them because you felt they loved teaching, right? They loved seeing students “get it.” They loved passing on the knowledge they had gained. And Paul gives some qualifiers – pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith. In other words, you can’t fake this kind of teaching. It all comes down to love.

APPLICATION

Why do you teach your children? Because you love them. You want them to be prepared to face life head on with confidence. If you lied to them as you taught them, what good would that do? You teach them with a pure heart, don’t you? Your conscience is clear as you give them the house rules. And, of course, your faith must be pure for you to pass it on.

Children will be crushed if they find out later that all you have taught them is false. They will struggle with life questions if your teaching has all been based lies. That’s why it is important (spoiler alert) that you be truthful about things such as Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. If they find out (and they will) these things weren’t real, you can actually put doubt in their minds about all you have taught them about Jesus, whom they also cannot see.

How do you teach? Let me encourage you to evaluate your motivation for teaching anyone. It should never be to JUST pass on knowledge. Knowledge in itself will never transform. The purpose of knowledge and the application of it has the potential to change everything. Will you be that kind of teacher?

Father God, You are the perfect teacher. All You give is pure, good and sincere. Teach me to teach just like You.

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STUPID QUESTIONS

1 TIMOTHY 1:4

“nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.” 

You have probably heard the expression, “There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.” Well, I beg to differ. I have heard some stupid questions in my life, none of which need to be repeated. And here, in today’s verse, we find Paul saying the same thing. When he writes “mere speculation” that really means “meaningless questions.” They serve no purpose. They are a waste of time.

Timothy was being bombarded, or at least it seems, with silly questions about faith. Paul is telling him to stick with the facts. He needed to remain true to the teachings and not allow anyone to cause him to chase rabbits. Nor should he allow others to do the same. It was a waste of time, and Paul wasn’t one to do that. 

APPLICATION

Now, when I say I have heard some stupid questions, I am not referring to the inquisitive questions asked by children. They are usually just seeking to learn something. And even when they may ask a silly question, it is all in fun and not to try to confuse or deceive anyone.  I enjoy children’s questions because many times it forces me to think a little more.

Don’t ignore your children’s questions. To the best of your ability, answer them. And when you can’t, find the answer. Asking the right questions can lead us to discover new truths. Asking questions gives us the ability to tap into the knowledge of others. But, as in all things, our questions should drive us toward truth and not falsehoods.

Let me ask you a question (not a silly one). Do you ask stupid questions? Do you ask questions that really have no purpose? The next time you start to ask a question pause and think about why you are asking it. You may be started to realize that you really don’t need to ask it. Do you really want to know the answer? Hmmm.

Father, I seek Your wisdom. Let my questions of faith and spiritual growth always be asked in the spirit of seeking You. Give me the wisdom to answer others as You would.

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YOU ARE THE AUTHORITY

1 TIMOTHY 1:3

“As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,” 

In the over three decades I spent working in the Child Welfare field, one constant was teaching the direct care staff (the ones who lived with and supervised the children) that no matter what a child said or did, they were still the authority. Only I, their supervisor, could change that. But so many of them got into power struggles with the children and unknowingly relinquished their authority.

Paul is warning Timothy here. He tells him to “instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrine.” But that word “instruct” does not give us the full picture. The word means to give a command with all the authority that comes with that command. In other words, Paul was telling Timothy to take charge and command these individuals to stop teaching that stuff.

APPLICATION

One of the joys of parenting is teaching our children to take charge of something. There are no natural born leaders. Leaders are developed and molded by others in their lives. We have the privilege as parents to mold our children into leaders. We get to impact, not only their lives, but the countless number of people they will influence one day.

Developing leaders is challenging because it involves allowing them to make mistakes. We learn from our mistakes. Your children will learn from their mistakes. The key is for you to be there to help them when they do. Help them see where they failed and how to avoid that the next time. Little Johnny may not appreciate it now, but he will later when he faces the exact same challenge and knows how to respond.

By whose authority do you act? Are you an authority figure? Just about everyone I know is in some aspect of life. You may not be the CEO of a company or a plant supervisor. But you may be a Sunday School teacher or an AWANA leader. Take your authority seriously. Allow the Lord to use you to lead others.

Make me into the kind of leader you want me to be. Give me the boldness to confront those who are leading wrongly. Let me show them how You want them to lead.

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DEAR CHILD

1 TIMOTHY 1:2

“To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy andpeace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

When I hear that expression, “Dear Child,” I can’t help but think of how we use that in the South. One may say it and shake their head, as if to say, “I just don’t know about that child.” Or it could be used as you hold a child affectionately in your arms and whisper, “Dear Child.”  I prefer the latter, and that is exactly the intent of Paul here when he uses the word “true.”

He is the only writer in the New Testament to use this Greek word and only four times. Twice he uses it to refer to groups of people (Corinthians and Philippians). The other two times it is calling a person true. We see it here as he addresses Timothy, and then we see it again in Titus 1:4 as he calls Titus the same thing. It was a special, affectionate relationship.

APPLICATION

I am sure I don’t have to guess how you feel about your children. You would call them dear, for sure. But Paul wasn’t talking to his natural children. He was talking to others he had invested in. He, through their time together, considered them true children or true friends.  Your children are going to need some true friends as they navigate this life.

How do you make true friends? By being one yourself. There are a few people in my life right now whom I would call true friends. I could honestly look at them and say, “Dear child.” I have poured into them. I have invested in them, and they in me. Model that for your children. Show them what it looks like to have true friends. Show them by your behavior what it means to BE a true friend.

Dear child of God, do you hear this message today. God has made you His child when you surrender to His Son. Now, He wants you to share that with someone else. Ask Him who He wants you to invest in. He will show you exactly who that is. Why? Because as you invest in others, you are growing and becoming more like His Son, Jesus.

I want to show others the intimacy they can have in Christ. Help me to invest the time and energy necessary to make others “true children.” 

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