Category Archives: Ministry

Advice, Affection, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Comfort, Commands, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Family, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Mentoring, Mercy, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Rules, Scripture

THANK GOD FOR MERCY

1 TIMOTHY 1:13

“even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;” 

There are so many great words in this verse. Most of them point towards Paul’s former life before he met Christ on the Damascus road. Just like us, he acted ignorantly in unbelief. He thought he was doing right. He thought he was acting on God’s behalf. We do the same. We go through life as if we are just fine with God – UNTIL we meet Him on our own Damascus road.

But the key word today is “mercy.” Paul was shown mercy. Mercy is NOT getting what we do deserve. It’s God showing compassion and pity on us because of our covenant relationship with Him. Because of the shed blood of Christ, He extends mercy to us when we deserve hell. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we are forgiven. 

APPLICATION

There are times when you need to show mercy to your children. One more “crack down” on them will do them in. Our job is help mold their spirit, not break it. Sooner or later, your little Gertrude or Elrod is going to need some mercy. The question is can you give it.

Many parents think showing any kind of mercy is a sign of weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. You are the authority. You have the power to enforce whatever rule and consequence you choose. Choosing to show mercy is a sign of control and strength to your child. They need to understand, though, what you are doing. They need to understand that you are choosing to show them mercy, just like our holy God has chosen to show us mercy.

Perhaps you are one of those parents who refuse to show mercy. May I warn you of something? Those who show no mercy will be shown no mercy. Don’t go running to God for mercy when you cannot show it yourself. When you choose to show mercy, you can appreciate it even more when you receive it yourself. And when you do, marvel at the relationship you have in Christ.

Mercy! I cry mercy, Lord. Forgive me! Show me mercy in my repentance. And help me show mercy to others today.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Comfort, Commands, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Evangelism, Family, Fatherhood, God's Will, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Motherhood, Obedience, Parenting, Scripture, Service

SERVING

1 TIMOTHY 1:12

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,” 

What does it mean to serve someone? I never worked as a waiter or server in a restaurant. There just weren’t many places to eat in my hometown. But my son, Christopher, worked for a number of years in a couple of places. He was good at it. He made sure his customers were served well. Their dining experience was his priority.

The word “service” in this verse is the word we get “deacon” from. Deacons are servants. They serve the body of Christ. They were never meant to be the ones who governed the church. So many churches have that wrong. A true deacon has a servant’s heart. They serve at the pleasure of our Lord and serve for one purpose – to help the church proclaim the Gospel.

APPLICATION

Your children can learn to serve, as well. Service is a good thing. Serving others teaches humility. Serving others for Christ is fulfilling. Serving others allows them to put others above self. And look at how the Lord sees it in today’s verse. He considers us faithful to serve. It’s all about faith.

So, how can your children serve? How about helping clean rooms at church? No church has enough help cleaning. How about helping in the nursery (if they are old enough)? No church has enough nursery workers. How about helping serve snacks at Vacation Bible School? There are numerous ways in which your children can serve the Body of Christ. And teaching them this early will set them on the right path of service as they grow up.

Whom are you serving? Don’t look on service as a chore. Look on it as a privilege. You have the opportunity to show your love for Jesus by serving other believers. The Lord wants you to learn the joy of serving. Will you?

I am thankful I can serve others. Help me see it as You do, Lord. I want to be obedient to You as You lead me to serve.

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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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Advice, Alone, Bible, Busyness, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Commands, Completeness, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, God's Will, Love, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Purity, Questions, Scripture, Surrender

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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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Inspirational, Mentoring, Ministry, Obedience, Parenting, Questions, Truth

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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Advice, Affection, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Comfort, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Friends, God's Will, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Parenting, Prayer, Scripture

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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Affection, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Encouragement, Forgiveness, Grace, Love, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Scripture, Thessalonians

SAME GOODBYE

2 THESSALONIANS 3:18

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”

Do you always say goodbye the same way? Most people do. I don’t know why, but when I say goodbye on the phone, I almost always say, “Bye, Bye.” It’s just a habit, I guess. Saying it twice doesn’t have any significance. It’s just me.

Paul had the same issue. He always mentioned grace in closing his letters. What’s so special about grace? Well, I’m glad you asked. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. It’s God’s unmerited favor. Paul is desiring that for the Thessalonians. He wanted them to receive and experience the same grace he had been shown on the road to Damascus. Paul knew about grace.

APPLICATION

I hope your children don’t think grace is just what is said before a meal. That definition of grace has nothing to do with what Paul is talking about here. So, how do you teach your children grace? Why not just show them? The next time they really mess up, explain that you are going to forgive them and let it go. You are not going to bring it up later. You are not going to work harder trying to catch them doing something bad. You are just going to forgive them.

Explain to your little Johnny or little Susie that by doing that you are showing them favor. You, and only you, have the power to do that. It is your choice to extend to them that favor. You didn’t have to do it. They deserve punishment. But you have chosen to forgive them. They, however, have to accept it.

Do you need grace today? The Lord is extending His favor towards you. All you have to do is claim it. Read Ephesians 2:8-9 for an even fuller description of grace. He wants to give it. Will you receive it?

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt. Thank You, Jesus. 

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PENMANSHP

2 THESSALONIANS 3:17

“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write.” 

Who would have thought the Scriptures would talk about penmanship, but here it is. However, Paul is not talking about his writing skills (or lack of). He is reassuring the Thessalonians that this letter was authentic, that it was from him. People were constantly trying to add to the message of the cross or in some way confuse the early believers. Paul is making sure they know he wrote this letter.

This verse speaks to us today as much as it did to the Thessalonians back in the 1stCentury. We have to be just as careful of what we read and believe. In fact, we have to be more careful. With the existence of the internet, we can be exposed to a ton of false information that is written as the truth. We have to make sure that what we are taking as the truth is really the truth.

APPLICATION

You need to warn your children to check out any information they get from friends about God with the Bible. People have strange doctrines and can easily lead a child away from the faith by offering something less “demanding” or less “restrictive.” After all, what child doesn’t want less rules. 

We may not be able to match the penmanship to ensure authenticity, but we can sure match it up with God’s Word. His Word is only truth. Anything, and I mean anything, that conflicts with that is not of Him. Tell your children to run as fast as they can away from those lies and untruths.

Are you a diligent reader? Are you careful about what you read? Let me encourage you to authenticate the penmanship. Make sure you know who is writing what you are reading. Know their doctrinal beliefs. Know their teachings. Don’t believe something just because it sounds good. Check it out.

O Lord, I am so thankful I have Your Word to verify what I hear and see. I know I can always depend on that to be truth and to guide me on the right path. Open my eyes to those who would seek to deceive.

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