Category Archives: Modeling

Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Confession, Confidence, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Inspirational, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Scripture, Victors

DO YOU WANT TO WIN?

1 JOHN 5:5

“Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

The world tells us we have to believe in ourselves in order to succeed. Now, that is important. You have to have self-confidence. You need to believe you can do it. If you are part of a team, you have to believe in your teammates. That is so important to win.

But here in today’s verse, John tells us if we want to overcome the world, we have to have faith in Jesus. That’s it. No matter what the world may throw at us, if we have faith in Jesus, we will overcome. Now, listen carefully. Our overcoming may look different than what the world thinks overcoming is. That’s okay. We know how it all ends, don’t we?

APPLICATION

There is no more important thing to teach our children than this truth from today’s verse. Faith in Jesus is the only way to overcome this world. If our children give their hearts to the Lord, He gives them the faith to face whatever the world may throw at them. Will it be easy? No! But through it all, they will be victorious because of Jesus.

So, we must spend whatever time and energy necessary to teach our children what real victory is. We need to share with them every little victory we have. They will learn from that. Small victories lead to bigger victories. Spiritual victories are measured differently than earthly victories. Only in eternity will be see the actual results of these victories in our children’s lives.

Will you believe today? Will you trust Jesus with everything you have? As John tells us, faith produces victories. Faith helps you overcome. You cannot experience true victory apart from the saving knowledge of Jesus. Trust Him. Believe in Him. Experience victory.

Thank You, Lord, for the victories You give me. I know faith in Your Son, Jesus, is the key. I will overcome.

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Accountability, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Disciplemaking, Following, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Scripture, Submission, Surrender, Testimony

NOT TOO HEAVY

1 JOHN 5:3

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

Have you ever lifted weights? I did that a lot in junior high and high school. I have done some of that as an adult, but not consistently. For weights to work you have to lift them, right? You can lift to build muscle, or you can lift to tone muscle. But you must lift. You push against the resistance. You must endure some uncomfortableness to gain the benefit of the weights.

How does that apply to today’s verse? John uses the word “burdensome.” That word in the Greek means weighty or heavy. The difference is the rest of the definition. It can mean pressingdown on a person with oppressive force. This kind of burden makes a person unable to function. That is NOT the purpose of God’s commandments. However, God’s commandments do require us to build spiritual muscle to follow them. They require us to push against the forces of evil. That will build muscle.

APPLICATION

Do you have any weights in your house? Maybe some small dumbbells? If you don’t, you can use anything with any weight. Have your kids do a little workout for you. Join them. Let them lift until they get tired and then feel their muscles. They love that. Talk about how the weights cause our muscles to grow because of their heaviness. The heavier the weight and the more they lift them, the bigger the muscles.

Explain to them the same thing happens when we choose to follow God’s command rather than the world. It’s easy to follow sin. There is no resistance, no push back, if we follow our flesh. But if we seek to follow the Lord’s commands, we will have to die to self and surrender. Tell them that’s how we grow as Christians. That’s how we grow those spiritual muscles.

Some days we can flex those muscles and obey. Other times, we feel limp and weak and can barely walk the walk. Listen beloved, He is your strength. You cannot do it on your own. It’s just not possible. But if you will yield to Him and follow His commands, you will experience the love of God in ways that will make you stronger.

I will follow Your commands. I want to be able to do the heavy lifting in life knowing You are the one “spotting” me as I lift.

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DO YOU BELIEVE?

1 JOHN 5:1

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.”

I guess I have always believed in Jesus. I was raised in a church-going home. We were there every Sunday. I remember going to

Sunday School, church, revivals, etc. Church was a regular part of our family life. But you have to understand something. It was all head knowledge. All that church going gave me a false sense of salvation.

It wasn’t until I was sixteen that I truly believed. When the Holy Spirit drew me towards the Father through the Son, I surrendered my life to Him. My church-going belief became true belief in Christ. I joined the family John is describing in today’s verse. I finally fully believed that Jesus was the Christ. What a change! Knowledge about something does not equal belief in something.

APPLICATION

As your children grow, I am sure you have been telling them about God and Jesus. You may even have pictures of Jesus or other Christian decorations in your house. You talk about Jesus at Christmas and celebrate His birth. You have been filling their little skulls full of mush with knowledge about Jesus. But try as you might, you can’t flip a switch and give them saving knowledge. That is truly between them and God.

So, how do you ensure your child comes to faith? No one wants to think of the alternative, right? You have to remain consistent in your teaching. You have to take every opportunity to talk about what Jesus has done for you. When a prayer is answered, make sure you share that with them. They need to see Jesus working in your life. God may just use that to draw them to Himself. And, of course, pray every day for their salvation. God hears your prayers.

Can you effectively share your salvation experience with someone? Can you articulate the joy you have in Christ? You may need to practice doing that. The Lord will give you the words to say each and every time He gives you the opportunity to share. You have to trust Him. Tell the world about your saving knowledge of Jesus. He is the Christ. Celebrate it.

I praise You, O Lord, for sending Your Son, Jesus, to rescue me. He is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

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Advice, Affection, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Choices, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, God's Will, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Relationships, Scripture, Submission, Testimony

I’M FIRST

1 JOHN 4:19

“We love, because He first loved us.”

Boy, oh boy! How many times have you heard kids (maybe your own) arguing on the playground about who is going to go first down the slide? Maybe they are fighting about who gets to go first at bat. Whatever it is, kids like to be first. They somehow think that is all that matters at the moment. I am sure you can think back to when you were a kid and did the same thing.

John states it simply and succinctly. God loved us first. That is the only reason we can love. We did not have it in us. Our flesh is just too strong. We may love for a season, but without His transforming love guiding us, we will never last. It is His love that drives us. It is His love that loves others.

APPLICATION

So, how do you teach your children to love like God. Well, here we go again. You have to model it. You can preach it to them all day long every day. But until they see that kind of love in action, it will never take root. They need to see mom and dad loving like Jesus. They watch everything you do, right? What better thing for them to watch than you loving like Him.

So, the bigger question is how do you do that. How is it possible to love like Jesus? After all, He was/is God. God is love, right? So, of course He can love. The only way you can love like Him is to get out of the way and let Him love through you. When you come across that person (and you will) that is just hard to love, look at them through God’s eyes. He died for them. He loves them unconditionally. Love them like He does, not like you want to.

Who do you need to love today? Who is the most unlovable person in your life right now? Lay down your agenda and allow the Lord to love them through you. They will be amazed. When they ask you what you are doing, tell them it’s not you. It’s Jesus. And don’t do this one time. Continue to love them like Him. Who knows you may just begin to really love them.

You loved me when I did not deserve love, Lord. I want to please You by how I love others. Will you love through me today?

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Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Comfort, Encouragement, Fear, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Scripture

NO FEAR

1 JOHN 4:18

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

What scares you? Do you have fears about things? Maybe heights scare you. Maybe it’s spiders or snakes. It’s not unusual to have some fears. Even Superman was scared of kryptonite, right? So, what is John talking about here?

Listen, if you are in Christ, you have the love of Christ dwelling within you. That love is perfect and drives out any fear of judgment from the Father. You are secure in Christ. There is no reason to be “scared” of being punished by God at the final judgment. Your sins are forgiven. You will be spending eternity with Him. That’s what John is talking about.

APPLICATION

Have your children ever feared you? Maybe they did something bad and knew they were going to be disciplined. They knew the rules but broke them anyway. They knew there could be consequences if caught but took the risk. Now, they are facing them. Fear is creeping in. They may even try to hide.

What an opportunity God has given you to teach this verse. You still have to be consistent with your discipline, but you have the chance to adjust that some for this purpose. Start out with how much you love them. Ask them if they believe that. Ask them if they think anything they can do could ever make you stop loving them. Tell them you never want them to fear you. You want them to be able to come to you with anything, good or bad. Your love is unconditional because your love is a reflection of God’s love for us. That’s your model for love, and they need to know that.

We should always be pointing our children and others to the love of God. His love is perfect and does cast out all fear. This is probably one of my favorite verses. I love knowing that I have no reason to fear God. Don’t get me wrong. I have an awe and respect of God. But I am not scared of Him. Why? Because of my security in Christ. I pray you have that as well.

Thank You for the love that casts out all fear. I am perfected through Your love.

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Abiding, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Scripture, Testimony

DONE DEAL

1 JOHN 4:16

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

Have you ever had to live with a decision you made in the past that was affecting you now? Maybe you got a tattoo on a whim that, shall we say, was questionable. Now, you have that tattoo the rest of your life. It’s permanent. I have a friend who went through months of laser treatment to try to remove some tattoos he got years ago. Expensive!

Why do I bring that up? Because the two verbs used in the first part of this verse (“come to know” and “have believed”) are in the Perfect tense. Now, I know that blesses your heart. Listen. The Perfect tense refers to past action that has lasting results (like the tatoo illustration). Our past action of knowing and believing results in abiding. How cool is that?

APPLICATION

Kids don’t necessarily understand this permanent situation with decisions. Has your child ever required stitches and been left with a scar? Maybe you have. Talk about that. What caused that scar? Did they make a decision to do something that resulted in that injury? Sometimes those are caused by risky behavior. Their actions caused a lasting reminder.

Then, take them to today’s verse. Ask them if they know and believe. They may quickly say “yes,” but ask them to explain how they know they know. How do they know they believe? Show them the results. God abides in them, and they love others. That’s the proof.

Do you know? Do you believe? If so, love! Don’t miss the opportunity to show others the proof of your abiding in Christ. We have to be Jesus to the world. How else are they going to hear? God still uses people. Will you allow Him to use you? And be thankful that your knowledge of God and your belief in God has lasting results. Just don’t get that tattoo, lol.

I am so grateful I know You, Lord. My belief in You is solid. And I am so thankful that You in abide in me and I abide in You.

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Abiding, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Inspirational, Invisible, Love, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Promises, Relationships, Scripture, Testimony, Witnessing

IS GOD INVISIBLE?

1 JOHN 4:12

“No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”

When I first read this verse, it seemed like the first part had nothing to do with the second part. What has God not being seen to do with God abiding in us and His love? But then it hit me. Of course, we can’t see God, but we can see God when His love, which abides in us, is shown to others.

John talks about loving one another and God abiding in us a lot. So, he is not confused in this verse. All these thoughts in this verse go together. If we want people to see God, we have to love them. We have to show them how He abides in us and how His love is perfected in us.

APPLICATION

How do your kids know you love them? Do they read about it in some book? Do you just talk about it? No, they see how you love them by how you treat them, how you talk to them, how you express that love when they are the most unloveable. We teach our kids about our love for them by expressing that love.

I’m a hugger. I love to hug people. The hardest part about this covid-19 pandemic is not being able to do that. But you can hug your own kids. Express your love. Take every opportunity you have to do that. Kids need to be touched. They need to be cuddled. Do all that in Jesus’ name. Every time you hug them, ask them if they know who loves them more than mommy and daddy. Tell them just how much God loves them.

Who do you need to show God’s love to today? Maybe you have a neighbor who is struggling right now due to isolation in this pandemic. Find a way to express God’s love to them. Maybe a coworker is going through a hard time at work. Express God’s love to them. Remember, they can’t see God, but they can sure see God in you.

I may be the only Jesus someone sees today, Lord. Help me love them as You do. I want them to see You in me.

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Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Encouragement, God's Will, Love, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Scripture

OBLIGATIONS

1 JOHN 4:11

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

People feel obligated to other people. Others feel obligated to an employer. But what does that mean? What does it mean to be obligated? Well, the Greek word used here for “ought” means to be morally obligated or legally required to meet an obligation, to pay off a legitimate debt.

Now, put this in context of today’s verse. Our obligation to love one another is because God loved us. Let me ask you a question. Do you think God loves you? Of course, you do. So, if that is true, our “payback” is to love others as He does. We are obligated to love them. His love demands us.

APPLICATION

Teaching our kids to love others is so important. They learn that best by watching us. If we are reluctant to love others, they will be too. If we each out and express the love of God to others, they will learn to do the same. So, we must be the example for them to follow. We have to tell them why we are loving others. It’s because of His love for us.

Oh, and when we see them begin to do this on their own, we are overjoyed. Why? Because we see the joy they can bring others. We see the relationships they can build with others. We can see them loving as only Jesus can. We watch them love unconditionally. But you have to drive that by your example. No pressure!

Are you loving that way? God so loves you that He gives you the privilege to love others. He loves them through you. You are His vessel of love. How cool is that? God still uses people to accomplish His will in the lives of others. He wants to use you to love the unloveable. Are you willing?

Use me, Lord, to love others. Love through me. Show others the power of Your love through me.

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Affection, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Disciplemaking, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Modeling, Parenting, Scripture, Testimony

NO LOVE/NO GOD

1 JOHN 4:8

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

To love someone you really have to know them, right? Would you marry someone you didn’t know? It happens in some cultures. I have heard stories of fathers selling their daughters to some man to be their wife. These young ladies enter this relationship fearful and unprotected. I don’t understand this type of arrangement, but it happens often. Love is not present because there is no knowledge of the other person.

John tells us that if we do not love (one another), we really do not know God. This word “know” is in the Aorist tense which means it happened sometime in the past. What hit me as I read this, though, is we can change that. We can get to know God, thus releasing the love that He gives us to others.

APPLICATION

Why do we want our children to know God? Well, first of all we want them know Him for their eternal security. We want them to be saved. But secondly, we want them to know God to experience the love He has for them. So, how do we get our children to know God?

Listen parents, we model the love of God for our children. When they are young, before they can really read and have their own quiet times, we have to model it for them. As they get older, we disciple them and teach them dig in the Word for themselves. We teach them to disciple others. As they grow in their knowledge of God, the love of God just oozes out. It spreads to others. They can’t hold it back.

Are you oozing God’s love? You can’t claim to know God unless you are loving others. That’s as simple as John can say it in today’s verse. Don’t pretend to love either. God knows when you are doing that. That does not please Him. Don’t love to get anything in return. That also does not please Him. Love others as He does. Love freely and fervently.

O Father God, will You pour out Your love through me. I want to love others as You do. I can’t do that on my own. I know that.

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LOVE ONE ANOTHER

1 JOHN 4:7


“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

If I asked you what it meant to love one another, what would you say? Does it mean just saying it? How about doing something for them occasionally? To really understand what John is saying here, you have to dig deeper. This isn’t surface level stuff.

Loving one another is tied to the meaning of the Greek word “love” that is used here. This word is agape. This is God’s kind of love for us. Now, that changes everything. How do you love like God? You can’t. It’s not possible. It’s not in your DNA. But praise be to God, He can do it through you, if you are a believer.

APPLICATION

I have mentioned before in my devotionals that many kids are really good at loving. They are just drawn to people. They are giving and kind and… You get the picture. But that’s not biblical “loving one another” unless that child is born again, and the Spirit is motivating their actions.

We need to teach our kids that biblical love, God’s love, means always wanting what is best for the other person. That means there is no room for jealousy. There is no room for holding grudges. God’s love, agape love, means being willing to sacrifice for the other person. Wow, that changes things, doesn’t it?

Let me ask you something. Are you loving that way? I don’t mean just your own family. I mean the entire family of God. I mean everyone you meet. I have to admit that I struggle with that at times. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, I am able to love anyone anytime. How is that possible? Because it’s not me doing the loving. Let Him love through you today.

I confess that I do not love like You, Lord. Forgive me. Use Your Spirit in my life to love others. Help me die to myself daily and surrender to the Spirit’s power.

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