Deuteronomy 8:3 “’He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.’”

Hey Moms, have you ever wondered if the Israelite moms cut the crust off their children’s manna? Call me strange, but I have. My grandma would do that for me. She would make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on whole wheat bread. Her sandwiches were so good because she would mix the peanut butter and jelly together and then spread it on the bread. I still make mine that way. But then she would cut the crust off so the sandwich was soft from edge to edge. Wow! I think I may have to go the kitchen. Lol

This passage today would be a great story to share with your kids while you are making them a sandwich. Ask them if they think the manna bread had crust. But then talk about what the passage is really saying – that life is not about bread or pizza or ice cream or anything we eat. It is about eating God’s Word.

Now that is sure to raise some eyebrows, so you can then talk about how we need to read, study, meditate and really “digest” God’s Word so that it, just like food, can nourish us and make us stronger. Explain how some foods can make us stronger while others really don’t have any nourishment at all. But God’s Word is the best nourishment for our soul.

Okay, I’m off to the kitchen. I sure hope I have some whole wheat bread and some peanut butter. Yum!

Mark 10:51 “And answering him, Jesus said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!’”

You know, when I first read this verse I was like “What a stupid question.” I mean, Jesus, can’t you tell what he wanted. He was blind, for crying out loud. Even a child could tell what he wanted.

But before we go there, think about it. This man was blind and was making a living begging. He didn’t have to work. He sat around all day. People probably helped him get around when needed. Perhaps he put up with his blindness. After all, if he regained his sight, he might have to be “normal.” It says he wanted to “regain,” but we really don’t know if he had been born blind or had lost his sight. Either way, the first thing he would see when healed would be Jesus.

Jesus wasn’t One to assume anything. He didn’t need to ask the question. Since He was God He knew what Bartimaeus wanted. He knew his motive. How many times have you questioned your children when they asked for something even though you knew why they were asking? Did you refuse them? Did you give them what they wanted? Would you give them something that would harm them? Of course not. You would only give them things that blessed them or was good for them.

Our children need to know they can come to us for anything. But they also need to learn that we won’t give them things that we know aren’t good for them, no matter how much they want it. We want to open their eyes to see the difference between good and evil. We want them, like Bartimaeus, to see Jesus. What a sight to behold.

Deuteronomy 1:2 “It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.”

Don’t you love GPS? I mean, come on, don’t you love that voice that pops up whenever you miss your turn shouting, “Rerouting! Rerouting!” Then the map resets and gives you a new route. Sometimes, that new route can take you on quite a journey. If you had just trusted the directions the first time, you may have avoided a rather lengthy reroute.

Think how the Israelite children felt. A journey that could have taken as little as 11 days got “rerouted” into a 40 YEAR journey. Why? Because they missed their turn? Well, kind of. They missed their opportunity to trust the Lord Who had told them to trust Him. They missed the opportunity to go into the Promised Land and enjoy the blessings of the Lord. They, instead, wandered in the desert for 40 years until that generation was all dead. They missed it! Wow!

Our children can learn a lot from this lesson. No, I don’t mean if they don’t obey they are going to wander in the desert and die. But they may miss a blessing because of disobedience or lack of trust. They need to learn to trust the Lord’s direction given through His Word. They need to learn to obey Mom and Dad when you are giving godly counsel. They need to learn to rest in the fact that God knows best – ALWAYS.

Will you model that trust for them? Will you let them see you resting in the Lord’s commands? If you lead, they are much more likely to follow.

Mark 9:36-37 “36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 ‘Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.’”

I just love this passage. It starts out in verse 33 with Jesus questioning the disciples about their discussion on the road. Being a little embarrassed they didn’t admit that they were discussing who would be greatest, but Jesus knew anyway. So, as He did so many times, He uses a child as an illustration.

Now get the picture. There had to be children in the home, so He pulls one up in His arms and says, “Whoever receives one child like this…” He didn’t say “children.” He said “one child.” Do you get that? Just one child can make the difference.

He goes on to say if you receive the child in His name and receive Him you receive His Father. So basically He is saying if you want to know God, then receive Him. When you receive Him, you will want to receive a child in His name. Have I lost you yet? I hope not because children were precious to Jesus when He walked this earth. They are precious to Him now.

Take note also that, as far as we know, this child He was holding wasn’t the child of any of His disciples who were arguing about their greatness. The child wasn’t important because of his or her parents. The child was important because of our Heavenly Father. That’s why we receive each child – because the Father does.

Moms and Dads, I know you “receive” your children. Will you reach out to just one more? That will please Jesus and thereby also please the Father.

Numbers 33:55 “’But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.’”

Here they were, at the threshold of the Promised Land. And just before they go in the Lord tells them to make sure they do not intermingle with the pagans of the land. Why? Didn’t the Lord think the Israelites could convert the pagans? Didn’t the Lord believe the pagans would adopt the faith of the Israelites? Nope! He knew that the Israelites were weak and very persuadable. He knew they would be easily influenced, and He wanted to protect them.

Moms and Dads, your children are going to have friends who aren’t Christians. How do you handle this? How do you keep your children from being influenced by their friends rather than the other way around? It is impossible to totally isolate your children unless you move to an uninhabited island somewhere (while that may seem peaceful, it is not practical).

Make your home an oasis! Invite their friends to YOUR home. I remember my daughter use to have her basketball team over to our home the afternoons before home games. We didn’t live far from the school and those girls who didn’t have time to go home and get back would crash at our house. Many of them were not believers, but they knew our daughter was. We loved on those girls during those years of basketball. They knew they were welcomed in our home where WE could influence THEM.

Don’t isolate your kids. Insulate them with the Word of God and with an environment that is full of His Spirit. This will draw others to them, rather than the other way around.

Mark 8:14-21 “14 And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. 15 And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 “HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” 21 And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?””

How many times have your kids asked, “Mom (Dad), what’s for lunch?” They just assume, because you fed them breakfast, that there is more food coming. Right? They don’t even question the fact that you would let them go hungry.

Then tell me why the disciples got all worked up about not having enough bread on the boat. They had just seen him feed 5000 and then 4000. But now they were worried about lunch.

But before you get all spiritual and judge them, how many times have you questioned God’s provision in your life? We wring our hands when the checking account balance gets low or when we don’t see how we are going to pay that bill. We are just like the disciples. We question God’s ability to meet our needs.

The next time you are faced with that kind of situation, bring your kids in the room and share with them about the need. Then lead them in praying for that need. When the need is met, and it will be in His time, make sure they know how it was met. It may just surprise you how this will encourage them in their walk with Christ.

Numbers 29:40 “Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses.”

The previous 69 verses are directions spoken by God to Moses for the people. He gives some very specific commands regarding sacrifices, festivals and family life. God is a God of detail and order. He doesn’t want us to “guess” what He expects. He tells us right here in His word.

But I would like to point out one Hebrew word, kol. The English translates this as “in accordance with all.” It could be translated simply as “all.” Do you get it? Moses didn’t just pick and choose what to tell the people. He told them ALL. Even though a command might have seemed trivial or repetitive, he still told them ALL.

Our children need to learn to obey ALL, not just select things. Of course, like Moses, we need to pass on what the Lord has commanded us, ALL He has commanded us. But in order for us to pass them on, WE must first obey them ourselves. And in order to obey them, we must be in the Word ourselves.

Parents, are you in the Word daily? Remember, you are not just raising children. You are raising child-raisers. Isn’t that great? You are actually raising those who will raise your grandchildren (whom you can spoil). We can affect generations to come just by being obedient to the Lord’s commands and passing them on to the next generation.

So, are you listening to the Lord, as Moses did? Are you willing to pass on ALL?

Mark 7:1-2 “The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.”

I use to teach Red Cross Child Care courses to teen moms. One of the courses was “Preventing Infectious Diseases.” In this course the video had a Health Fairy (I know, kind of lame) that taught a song (sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat) that had the lyrics “Wash, wash, wash your hands; play the handy game, rub and scrub, scrub and rub, germs go down the drain.” Cute, huh? Feel free to use that with your kids. Lol

It would have been nice if the Pharisees were just concerned about germs, but their hand washing was more ceremonial than hygienic. It was all about appearances. Did they look clean? Did they act clean? Did they follow all the laws about staying clean?

Well, while we may not wash our hands before meals to keep the law, we do other things that we think keeps us “clean” before the Lord. And the sad thing is we force those ideas on our kids. Do I need to remind you that we are under Grace, not Law? We are free because of the law of liberty, as James says.

So, the next time your kids run in from playing outdoors and their hands are dirty and before you say, “Elrod, go wash your hands,” think why you are saying that. After all, a little dirt never hurt anyone, right Mom?

Numbers 22:28 “And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?’”

Your kids will love this story!!! You really have to read Numbers 22-24 to them to tell them the whole story. But this verse – wow – will have their eyes bugging out. Lol

A donkey talks? Really? What an amazing thing! It just proves that God can do anything He wants anytime He wants to anyone (or thing) He wants. He is not limited by what WE think is possible. Come on! A donkey talking?

There are many lessons in this passage, but the one I want to share today is really quite simple. God will use anyone who is willing to be used and recognizes Him for Who He is. The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord! Balaam was not looking for God, so he didn’t. But God opened the eyes (and then the mouth) of the donkey to recognize the holiness and awesomeness of the Angel of the Lord.

Your kids need to see in this passage that they too can be used to speak great truths to others if they will keep their eyes open and their mouths willing. God can use them to speak truth to others to protect them from dangers that they do not see but which the Lord has revealed to them. They can tell their friends, “I wouldn’t do that because in the Bible it says….” Simple truths that carry a great message.

The next time someone tells you, “Don’t be a donkey,” remind them that God can use a donkey sometime. Amen?

Mark 6:4 “Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.’”

Boy, isn’t that the truth? Those who know us best can be the most critical. But here is Jesus, the Son of God, who was PERFECT, and He wasn’t honored or respected by his hometown, relatives or household. Why would we expect to be treated differently?

Before you jump ahead of me, let me make my point. Just because we don’t expect to be treated this way does not give us the excuse to “let our hair down” around those who know us best. We have to teach our children that we need to be just as loving, holy and Christ-like at home as we would be at church or around strangers. Unfortunately, we tend to act the most not like Christ at home sometimes. We would never behave at church like we do at home. What is that teaching our kids?

I am as guilty as the next person so I am not pointing fingers. But I am thankful that the Holy Spirit convicts me when I speak harshly or act unkind towards my wife or children. This happened just recently. I didn’t really do anything, but the perception from my wife was I was angry. I had to apologize and ask her forgiveness for the way I had portrayed myself to her. Sometimes we inflict hurt and don’t even know it. We still have to make that right.

Moms and Dads, let me encourage you today to live for Jesus in your home first. Be Jesus to your family above all others. That will teach your children more about living the Christ Life that any words you use.