Genesis 35:1 “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’”

I love the fact that God said, “Go” and Jacob went. He didn’t ask any questions. He didn’t make any excuses. He just went. Hmmmm.

How about you? Has God clearly given you some directions in your life and you just made excuses? Have you just come up with excuse after excuse? “God, I can’t do that. I’m too old.” “God, that doesn’t make sense.” “God, are You crazy?” Well, maybe that last one is going to far. Lol

But you get the drift. We piddle around and ignore His direct instructions for our life. You may say, “But I haven’t heard any direct instructions.” If you read the Bible, you have seen the instructions.

Don’t you get frustrated with your children when you ask them to clean their room ten times and have to threaten them within an inch of their life (just kidding) to get them to do it? Prompt obedience is so important. Teaching your children to obey the first time prepares them for life in the classroom, the workplace and with God. But it’s not about control. It’s about training.

They will obey as they see you obey. Will you be obedient the first time? Will you obey God no matter what He says? I promise He will not lead you astray. What He says may seem crazy, but it is not. It is the pure truth! Trust Him!

Matthew 9:36-38 “ 36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

The longer I live the more I see these words of Jesus as more relevant in my life. There are so many lost souls out there who are without a shepherd. They wander and wander, and many of them are devoured by wolves. Sadly, they don’t even realize it.

I met a young man recently on a plane who was just like that. He was 30 years old, covered in tattoos and searching for something. He told me his life story within about 30 seconds of meeting him. He was Buddhist. He said he believed all religions are right and that we need to just learn to love each other and live in peace. When he found out I was a Children’s Pastor he said “Oh I believe in Jesus too.”

Thus the problem. We can’t just believe in Jesus too. We have to believe in Him alone. If we believe in everything, we don’t believe in anything. We have to be sold out to the One and Only God of the universe. Sheep respond only to their Shepherd’s voice, not another’s.

Your children are going to hear, if they haven’t already, that there is more than one way to heaven. Do not let them buy into that falsehood. John 14:6 says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Moms and Dads have to be the ones to teach their children this truth. Teach them to listen only to the voice of the Shepherd, not a counterfeit.

Are you listening to Jesus alone? Stop wandering and come to the Shepherd.

Genesis 29:9 “While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.”

Many times we run right past these verses. We read it and think “oh that’s sweet, he met Rachel.” No! Look at the importance of this verse.

Jacob had traveled to a foreign land to find a wife of his mother’s brother, Laban. He comes to a well that “just happens” to be the well which Rachel used to water her flocks. Just a coincidence, right?

I don’t believe in coincidences. I hope you don’t. The sovereignty of God determines the events of our life. He has a plan which He wants to unfold before our eyes if we will just get out of the way. Jacob went as he was directed, and God presented his wife to him by a well.

What do you think God has in store for your children today? Are you willing to let them go wherever or to whomever to receive His blessing? Are you praying for their future spouse?  They probably won’t have to go to a well to find their husband or wife, but they may be led away from you. They may find them at college or on the mission field. God may direct them to a place that we, as Parents, would never choose. Our job is to teach them to follow God. They rest is up to Him.

Let God direct your steps today. Let Him be in complete charge for once. What happens might just surprise you.

Matthew 7:21 “’Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.’”

Boy, I tell you what! There are many today that this holds true for. I hear our nation scream out to God when a tragedy strikes, but then protest if a football coach prays with his players before a game. They cry out “Lord, Lord” and then slam the door in His face.

But the beauty of the Lord is He understands them. I may not, but He does. He knows their motive for prayer. He waits to hear that prayer of repentance, and then He can move in and do wonderful things for them. Now does that mean He won’t intercede for an unbeliever? He may, but it will be for one purpose – to draw that unbeliever to Him – to disclose Himself for the purpose of deliverance.

When our children are just learning to walk and talk we teach them to pray. It is so sweet to watch them fold their hands and pray for everyone under the sun, even the pets. But our teaching about prayer should always be pointing them to the most important prayer – the prayer of confession and repentance which leads to salvation. It is so important that our children learn to pray. God will draw them to Himself. When your child hears Him speaking to them they will tell you. But in the meantime keep teaching them about prayer.

Why are you crying out to God? What is your motive today? Will you bow first in confession to Him and ask for forgiveness and cleansing of your sins? Oh how God wants to work in your live. Bow, surrender, confess and then call Him Abba Father.

Genesis 22:7 “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Abraham and stopped short of the place where the Lord told him to go to offer Isaac? What if he had said, “Ah, this is far enough. No need to go all the way to the top of that hill. He’s going to die anyway.”

The provision of the ram was waiting for him at the very place God told him to go. How about you? Are you stopping short of the calling God has placed on you and thereby missing His provision? Don’t stop! Even when the burden seems heavy and perhaps His calling makes no sense, proceed!

Abraham had to keep going, trusting and wrestling with what the Lord had asked of him. I have never been asked to kill my son, but I have been asked to do some things that really didn’t make sense at the time. Most of them were revealed after the fact. Others – well I am still waiting to see why.

Do your kids ever ask you why you read your Bible? What a great story to tell them to explain that. You are preparing for a journey, one which you don’t know all the obstacles. But you do know the ultimate destination. You have to keep on the road (reading your Bible) so you will be prepared for whatever pops up. In fact, the next time the Lord gives you a challenge and you are able to use a Biblical truth you have read, make sure your kids know that.

Trust Him! He will never lead you astray.

Matthew 6:19-21 “19″Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This passage from the mouth of the Lord Jesus is a fitting follow up from yesterday’s passage about Lot. He had done this exact thing. He had put his focus on earthly treasures.

Jesus warns us here that all those earthly things we hold so dear will one day be destroyed by moth or rust or they will be stolen by a thief. Now that’s encouraging, isn’t it?

Why do we strive for “things”? Why do we long to get more stuff? Why can’t we be satisfied with what the Lord provides? I have seen people with more than they could ever use and others with just the day’s provisions. The “things” did not determine their joy. That only comes from within when we allow Jesus to rule and reign in our lives.

What are these “treasures in heaven”? I am sure they are things that please the Father and they are things, when we get to heaven, that we will lay down at His feet. After all, everything we have been given here on earth actually does belong to Him, right?

Mom and Dad, be careful how you show your children the importance of earthly possessions. The lessons they learn now about “things” will impact them and their future families. Not getting the new game system is not going to detroy them. Not getting that new pair of shoes or that new baseball glove will not scar them for life.

Focus your heart on heavenly things and take your eyes off the world!

Genesis 19:16 “But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.”

Sometimes, even we put ourselves in harm’s way, God rescues us from our stupidity. That may sound kind of harsh, but it’s true. Look at this verse again.

Lot had intentionally chosen to live in a place that was ungodly, immoral and dangerous. He should have had enough sense to leave this God forsaken place a long time ago. But he had seen the green fields and wanted to be successful with his flocks and herds.

Have you ever wondered why, if Lot was a herdsman, he was living in town? I have. Why was he not living as Abraham, a nomadic life? Perhaps he was living “high on the hog,” as my daddy use to say. Perhaps he was seen as wealthy and had some prestige in the town.

Be careful! The world can blind us to the dangers around us until it is too late. It took angels (and I believe the Lord Jesus Himself) to come and take them by the hands and lead them out before they would leave. Don’t be that stubborn. Flee the evil around you and allow the Lord to protect you.

How can you apply this verse to your children? They need to know that everything that glitters is not gold! What may look appealing at first could have hidden traps. Teach them to be careful in choosing their close friends without snubbing the lost. It’s okay to have unbelieving friends as long as you don’t take on their lifestyles and habits. Now that’s a lesson worth learning.

Genesis 18:15 “Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

We have all heard the saying “Laughter is the best medicine.” Well, it appears from this verse that may not be always true. When Abraham and Sarah were told by the angel that they would have a son in their old age, they thought they were having their leg pulled. They laughed. “How could this be?” They doubted God.

Now we may be quick to judge them, but we do the same thing. We may not laugh out loud, but we doubt God’s power and presence in our lives everyday when we try to accomplish things on our own.

Kids love to laugh, don’t they? Probably in the past few days or so you and your kids have had a good laugh about something (hopefully not at someone). What a perfect verse to pull out and teach about laughter. After you all get your breath back from laughing at whatever, say, “Hey, that reminds me of a verse about laughing in the Bible.” Your kids will probably say, “What? Laughing in the Bible?” Then give them the lesson on this verse.

What are you “laughing” about today? What are you striving to do on your own? Why don’t you just rest in the Almighty and let Him has His way in your life? Show your kids that laughing at the right thing is fun and can even be healthy. But laughing at God is not very smart. After all, He always knows the punch line.

Matthew 5:13 “”You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

I don’t know about you, but I can’t get by without salt. Food without salt is just, well, blah. Every year when I travel to Uganda and Kenya I always carry little packets of salt and pepper to liven up the food. Sometimes I can find salt there, but normally I can’t or it’s all clogged up with humidity and therefore, useless.

But you know what? I should be more concerned with my salty life. Does my Christian walk give flavor to those around me? Does my lifestyle “taste good” to others. Do I make people want more of Jesus?

Sure I know you can live without salt. But you can’t live without Christ, not really live. You may survive. You may even appear successful in the eyes of the world. But when it all comes down to it, a salt-free life is not worth anything eternally.

Why not cook your next meal for your kids and leave out the salt. Don’t have any on the table. Make sure the food is bland and REALLY NEEDS SALT to be good. What a perfect way to apply this verse. I promise they won’t soon forget the lesson.

Won’t you be salt in the world?

Genesis 11:8 “So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.”

Babel! What a story! The people had become to believe they could actually reach heaven. Pride! Conceit! Self-centeredness!

Don’t be so quick to judge. We are the same. We think we can go through life and only call on the Lord when we are in trouble or in need. We don’t see ourselves as needing the Lord in our everyday lives.

In America we have that belief that a man can pull himself up by his bootstraps. My dad had that mindset for 80 years of his life. It wasn’t until he was lying flat on his back following a heart procedure did he realize he couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t fix himself or my mom who had been suffering with Alzheimers and bone cancer for years. He finally stopped pulling his own bootstraps and let the Lord in.

Let your children put on a pair of your boots. It doesn’t matter what kind – hiking, cowboy, snow. Once they are on their feet, tell them to reach down and grab the top of each boot and pick themselves up off the floor. They will learn very quickly that it is not possible. Now, you put them on and try the same. They need to see that no one can do that.

Now apply the verse. How about you? Are you striving to handle your life? How is that working for you? Let God have control. He is much more skilled in the area.