Category Archives: Parenting

Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Courage, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Following, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Inspirational, Mentoring, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Persecution, Revenge, Scripture, Slander, Testimony, Witnessing

NO PAYBACK

1 PETER 2:23

“and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

Most of us want payback when we’ve been done wrong. What do I mean by that? When someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back. We take revenge seriously. I’ve known people who planned that revenge and waited months to get that person back. That kind of thinking is not of Christ.

Look what Peter wrote about our Lord in today’s verse. He said, “He did not revile in return.” That word “revile” means to spew hateful words. Can you even imagine Jesus doing that? He was always speaking the words of His Father. He had no intention of talking that way. But we lash out at others if they insult us or speak evil against us. That is not the way of Christ.

APPLICATION

Boy, this is definitely a lesson for our children. They definitely are going to face insults from others. What can we do, as parents, to steer them in the right direction? I can think of two things. The first is model the correct behavior. Little ears are always listening. When we encounter someone who is not kind to us, we need to be kind in return. I don’t mean to be a doormat, but I do mean to be like Jesus.

Secondly, we need to teach our children to pray for those individuals. That person may not know Christ, and our reaction to them could mean the difference in them coming to Him. Or that person could be a believer who is just having a hard time right now and is lashing out at anyone in their path. We should forgive as Jesus does. That teaches our children lifelong lessons.

Are you a reviler? Are you someone who lashes out at those who insult you? Take a lesson from Christ. Even during His trial and crucifixion, He forgave. He, unlike you, could have called ten thousand angels to defend Him, but He didn’t. His forgiving actions had one purpose – to draw men to Himself. Shouldn’t we be doing the same?

Forgive me, Lord, when I retaliate against those who harm me. I have no right to do so. Let my actions reflect You in all I do.

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REPENT

Acts 2:37-38

“37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ 38Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

I have always believed that at the end of every sermon, you must give the people an opportunity to respond and make a decision for Christ. Why else preach the Gospel? So many people don’t know how to respond. They don’t understand what the next step is. But I have never had a congregation ask me what to do. Peter had the door slung wide open.

And what did Peter do? He didn’t tell them to be good and try hard to please God. He didn’t say to give more to the church. He didn’t say work hard so God will forgive you. No! He said, “Repent!” Simple enough, right? The baptism follows the repentance. It isn’t necessary for the forgiveness. And when you repent, the Holy Spirit is sent your way.

APPLICATION

This is such an important lesson for our children. They need to know that there is nothing they can do to earn forgiveness. The only action required is repentance, to turn from going in one direction and begin to go in another direction. To turn from doing wrong to follow Jesus. Nothing else is required. Repent.

Have your children repented of their sins? Remember, they are going to understand this at their level. They are not going to comprehend all the truths of Scripture yet. I bet you don’t understand them all either, do you? Children repent to the best of their ability, with the limitations of their intellect. The Spirit will do the rest.

Have you repented? Are you a child of the King? If you have repented, then His Spirit lives within you. He is promised to you. You need to follow that up with baptism as a sign of obedience, but your confession of sin in the act of repentance is all that is required. Do you believe that? Then live like it.

I am so thankful You drew me to repentance. I still remember the day You spoke my name and called me to Yourself. Thank You for forgiving me and sending Your Spirit to live within me.

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UNDESERVED GIFTS

1 PETER 2:22

“WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;”

Yesterday was Easter. What a perfect verse we have today to remind us of Christ’s innocence. He didn’t deserve to die. He had done no wrong. But He took on Himself my sin and your sin in order to give to us something we did not deserve – His righteousness. Wow! What a gift!

Have you ever gotten a gift you didn’t deserve? I have had friends bless me with gifts. During my recent illness I had several friends who blessed us financially. They wanted to help ease the burden of traveling back and forth to the hospital and the month and a half stay away from home. We didn’t deserve this, but they gave anyway. Jesus gave His all when we didn’t deserve it.

APPLICATION

Surprise your children with a gift. They may have been terrible yesterday and disobeyed you all day long. Perfect! Give them a gift they are not expecting. When they ask you why you are giving them such a gift, explain to them the gift that Jesus gave you when you didn’t deserve it. Let them know that Jesus loves us that much. He doesn’t wait for us to get better to save us. He saves us just like we are.

Ask your children if they know what innocent means. You may have to explain that to them. Tell them that Jesus had never done anything wrong, even when He was a little boy. Every action He took reflected His Father in heaven. And despite His innocence, He took on the guilt of the world. Why? To give us this undeserved gift of salvation.

Have you thanked the Lord today for your undeserved gift of salvation? Do that right now. I’ll wait…. Now, don’t you feel better? It’s always good to thank someone for the gifts we have been given, especially those undeserved gifts. Do that daily, as He continues to bless you.

Dear Lord, I thank You for blessing me. I only deserve hell, but You have chosen me to be Your child and have given me a gift which I could never repay. I love You, Lord.

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Advice, Calling, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Courage, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Service, Submission, Witnessing

FIRSTS

ACTS 2:14

“But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: ‘Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.’” 

I remember the first sermon I preached. It was at Harmony Baptist Church in Pelham, GA. I was asked to preach at their annual Youth Sunday. I prepared what I thought was the perfect sermon and was sure it would last the allotted thirty minutes. Lo and behold, I was done in about seven, lol. But I found out something. No one complains about a short sermon.

Peter had been transformed by the arrival of the Holy Spirit. He was filled with the very presence of Christ now. He was no longer that disciple who had denied Jesus. He was now the leader of a new movement to evangelize the world. And here he is preaching his first sermon. What a message! What a transformation.

APPLICATION

Do you recall the first time your child performed at church or school? Perhaps their first solo or part in a play? I sure do. I was so proud of them. My shirt almost lost buttons, lol.  Tell your kids about that. Tell them how proud you still are of them. They won’t soon forget that.

Then tell them how proud the Lord is when they share Christ with someone for the first time or when they make that first gift to the church. First times can be hard and challenging, but the Lord will give them the courage to follow through. Challenge your children to take on those “firsts” just like Peter did. He was accused of being drunk when the Spirit came upon him and the other disciples. But he didn’t get mad and leave. He delivered his first sermon empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Are you fearful of stepping out on those “firsts”? Don’t be. Trust the Lord to use the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and give you the courage. He loves to encourage us. We just have to step up and trust Him. Will you do that today? Who knows, maybe your first sermon may last longer than seven minutes.

I will trust You, Lord, to empower me to step out and do what You ask, even if it is for the first time. I want to honor You with my obedience.

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TRACING LETTERS

1 PETER 2:21

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,”

Have you ever traced letters? That’s how we used to be taught how to write the alphabet. I remember distinctly tracing the letters until I could write them just as they appeared on the paper. It took hours of practice to get them right, but I kept on until I had it.

The Greek word for “example” is only used right here in the New Testament. The word is hupogrammos, which comes from two Greek words, hupo and grapho. It literally means under writing, to trace. We are to “trace” our lives after Christ’s life. We are to follow His example of suffering. Yippee! Aren’t you excited? But that is the example He left us. He endured the cross for us, and He was innocent, unlike us.

APPLICATION

Have a tracing contest with your children. Find a picture you all can trace and see who can trace it the fastest and not mess up. You see, tracing doesn’t work unless you stay in the lines. Share today’s verse with your children when you’re through and explain that we are “tracing” Jesus. We are to follow His example. And just like tracing a picture, we need to stay within the lines when we are tracing Jesus.

Now, does that mean you won’t ever make a mistake? Of course not. We are human and we fail. I am far from perfect. Sometimes I find myself tracing the wrong picture. I have totally gotten my eyes off of Jesus and am tracing the world or a hobby. Your children will mess up too. When they do, give them a new piece of paper and help them to start “tracing” again.

What are you tracing right now? Are you following the example of suffering left to us by Christ? Too many of us run from the very thought of suffering. But suffering with Jesus can be a sweet experience as He meets us in the valley. He will bring us out, if we will continue to follow His example.

I hate suffering. I’m just being honest, Lord. But I trust you. So, I will follow Your example and embrace the suffering You send my way.

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Advice, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Courage, Direction, Encouragement, Inspirational, Mentoring, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Service

TAKING LEADERSHIP

ACTS 1:15

“At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said,” 

If you notice, whenever lists of disciples are mentioned in the New Testament, Peter is almost always listed first. I wonder if that was because of his big personality or because he was seen as the leader of the bunch.

We know that Jesus put him in charge after the resurrection, but I also believe that Jesus was grooming him those three years they were together. He knew it would take a strong man to lead in the face of the coming opposition. Peter begins right here taking the leadership role. They were moved to fill the vacancy left by Judas Iscariot’s betrayal. Verses 16 through 26 tells us how they selected Matthias to fill that spot. But it was Peter who led them through this.

APPLICATION

Do your children have natural leadership skills? Many do. You can see it in their play when they take over to direct the other kids. You can even see it in their bucking of the rules sometimes. It is our job as parents to help develop those leadership skills so they can lead in a positive way.

I will never forget a young man I that I dealt with in a children’s home where I served. He was always in trouble because he was always fighting against the rules of the program. He was a natural born leader, but he wanted to lead in the wrong way. When I recognized that, I started giving him some opportunities to lead on campus in a positive way. I put him in charge of a work crew. The staff thought I was crazy, but that one little thing turned him around. He took ahold of the leadership opportunity and embraced it.

Has the Lord selected you to lead? Are you doing it? You may be fighting against it. Don’t do that. God needs strong, Christian leaders in today’s society. He wants you to step up, and like Peter, take charge. Many are depending on you to lead. But remember – the Lord is right beside you. You are not leading by yourself. In fact, you are co-leading with Jesus. Now get started.

I know You have called me to lead, Lord. Give me the courage to step out and do that. I will hold Your hand as I do it.

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GRACE IN SUFFERING

1 PETER 2:20

“For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”

No one wants to suffer, right? Who wants to suffer at any time for anything? Peter’s words here, though, should encourage us. Why? Because of one little word toward the end of the verse – “favor.”

Now, that word is a precious word. Do you know what the Greek word is there? It’s charis. This is also translated “grace” throughout the New Testament. So, what Peter is saying is God extends grace to you when you suffer for doing right. God sees what is going on, and He remembers you. He hasn’t forgotten you. He is watching and observing.

APPLICATION

Teaching this life principle to children is difficult. It’s hard on the parents, as well. No one wants to see their children suffer. So, when they do the right thing and suffer for it, we want to defend them. We want to retaliate against those who have harmed our little ones.

But our children must learn this principle too. Facing ridicule from friends for taking a stand for Christ could happen. Being passed over for a part in that play because of their Christian testimony could happen. But God’s grace is sufficient for them. He will see them through those difficult times. He will show them favor.

Have you suffered unjustly? What did you do? I hope you didn’t seek revenge. God allows things to happen in our life for a reason. Perhaps He allowed that unjust suffering so He could extend grace to you. As I said earlier, He is not caught off guard at your suffering. He is very aware. Trust Him to bring you through it.

Father, I don’t want to suffer. Who does? But I will trust You in the midst of it. I will wait on Your grace and favor.

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IT’S ALL ABOUT PRAYER

ACTS 1:12-14

“12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

What a difference in the response of these disciples. Before they had just gone fishing. Now, after Jesus has just ascended to heaven, they are back in Jerusalem and committed to prayer. I love that Luke says here “with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.” Those days with the resurrected Jesus had changed their focus.

All eleven of the disciples were present plus others, including Mary the mother of Jesus and His brothers. Wouldn’t you love to know how they were praying? They were waiting on the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Have you ever prayed with such anticipation? They were probably praying with one eye open, just sitting on pins and needles.

APPLICATION

Ask your children how excited they get the night before Christmas. Ask them to describe it. I bet they can come up with some pretty descriptive words. Explain to them that the disciples were just as excited about the coming of the Holy Spirit and were gathered in prayer. Ask your children to guess what they think they were praying about.

If your child can write, ask them to write out Peter’s prayer. Remember, they had just spent the past forty days or so seeing Jesus after His resurrection. He appeared to them on different occasions and now He was in heaven. Don’t you think that altered their prayer life?

Peter and the disciples were bound together in prayer. What binds you to fellow believers? Are you spending time with other believers praying for your church, your nation, or the lost? Prayer is everything to us. We need to spend time together talking to the Lord. Find some friends to pray with today. It will encourage you, I promise.

I lift my voice to You, O Lord. As I pray with others, remind us how we are knit together through Your Spirit.

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CARRIED SAFELY AWAY

1 PETER 2:19

“For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.”

Today’s verse is the perfect example of why it is so important to dig deep into God’s Word and not take it at face value. What do I mean by that? I don’t mean to not value the Scriptures. I mean that the original language of the passage can often give us so much more understanding.

For example, the phrase “bears up under” may be interpreted to mean to just deal with it or to endure it. But this Greek word means to endure because you are carried safely away from danger. When you suffer unjustly, God is there to carry you away. How precious. He is there with you in the midst of the suffering and is ready to rescue you. That should comfort you.

APPLICATION

Do your children believe you will rescue them if they were facing danger? I bet they do. Ask them. I can just hear them now. Children, at least most of them, believe mom and dad can do anything. They trust you to come to their rescue if the need is there. And I am sure you would do anything you could to do that, right?

But what if they were suffering unjustly? How would you react? The Lord allows us to suffer unjustly in order to build our faith and trust in Him. Be hesitant about rushing in to rescue your child in this situation. You may rob them of a lesson God is trying to teach them. He will tell you when to respond. You have to trust Him.

Are you suffering unjustly right now? Many are. Rest in this verse today. Endure it knowing that you will be carried away to safety by the only one capable of doing that – the Lord Jesus. He has conquered death and the grave. He can surely conquer an unjust suffering you are going through. And when you are safely in His arms, give Him praise.

I will trust You to rescue me. I know You know what is going on in my life. Nothing can touch me that hasn’t gone through Your fingers first.

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LOOKING AT OTHERS

JOHN 21:20-23

“20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, ‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’ 21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, ‘Lord, and what about this man?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!’ 23 Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?’”

Why do we compare ourselves to others? You can always find someone “lower” than you and someone “above” you. All we need to be concerned about is ourselves as far as the Lord is concerned. But Peter looks behind him and sees John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and couldn’t help himself. He had to ask Jesus about John.

Jesus was not one to pass on a teachable moment. I love the middle part of His answer. He said, “What is that to you?” Peter, don’t worry about John. Worry about yourself. You follow Me. I’ll take care of John. We would do well to heed Jesus’ words ourselves, right? Our first concern needs to be our own personal relationship with Him.

APPLICATION

Our children are prone to worry about how someone else is being treated. They want to make sure no one is treated better than them. I remember my brother-in-law telling me how he solved the last piece of pie debate with his two kids. One would divide the piece, but the other one got to choose which piece they wanted. Boy, that was the most evenly cut piece of pie in history, lol.

But the lesson for our kids from this verse is the same lesson Jesus gave Peter. They need to concentrate on their own faith walk first. Don’t worry if others seem to be getting “more” from God. He is not a respecter of persons. He is the most fair judge  there is. No one can persuade Him to treat them more fairly than they should be. Remind your children of that.

Do you look at others and envy them? Do you feel like they are being treated better than you? This verse is for you then. If our heart is surrendered to Jesus, we won’t care if others “get more.” In fact, we will be thrilled at the blessings they are receiving. God will take care of you.

Lord, I thank You that You are fair and just. I also thank You that You are always focusing me on my walk with You, not someone else’s walk.

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