Amos 5:24 “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

FULL FORCE

Don’t you just love this verse?  When I read it I was curious of the exact Hebrew words used.  So, I looked them up.  That word “roll” has the picture of wallowing or taking away.  “Stream” is used to describe a torrent of rushing water in a narrow valley.  Do you get the image portrayed here?  This is not a trickle.

I get the image of water being released from a dam.  Here in Chattanooga where I live there is a dam which holds back the waters of the Tennessee River to form a lake.  When a lot of rain falls they will release the water from the dam and you should see it.  It is quite the site.  Millions of cubic feet of water pour through gorging the river below.

TEACHING MOMENT

Amos is telling us that God sends His justice and righteousness in that way.  Our children need to know that.  His justice never ends.  It just keeps coming.  This “justice” is the only true justice.  It’s God’s justice.  He will be fair, but He will be true to His Word.

His righteousness fills every corner.  It is forceful and consistent.  His “rightness” is always right.  There is ONLY ONE right. That is His right.  The world may tell our children that this or that is okay.  But we need to make sure they know that only God is right.

If we are consistent to teach our children God’s justice and righteousness, then they can experience the ever-flowing river of His love and protection.  He washes us clean with His words of truth. How refreshing.  And although the waters are forceful and strong, we are in no danger from drowning.  We are His children, and He lifts us up with His justice and righteousness.

Thank You Father for rushing Your waters over me.  Thank You for allowing me to be secure in Your truth.

Joel 3:20 “But Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem for all generations.”

TIMELESS

Around 2800 years have passed since Joel penned these words of prophecy concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  Joel is only 3 chapters long, but it is one of the prophetic books that we turn to even today.  How could Joel know all this?  Easy!  God told him.  He was listening to Him.  God used Joel to tell the people that He would defend them and bless them, if they returned to Him.

Does God speak to us today?  Does He tell us these same things?  I don’t mean America.  I mean to all believers, wherever they are.  Yes, He does.  He still speaks.  But now the Lord uses His Word to do that.  He still uses the prophecies of old to direct us.  He uses the words of Jesus to point us in the right direction.

TEACHING MOMENT

How can we teach our children about prophecy?  We don’t want to spit out all the years and figures associated with the tribulation and return of Christ.  Most adults don’t understand that stuff.  But our children need to know that one thing is true.  When God says something in His Word, you can depend on it.  It’s going to happen.  It may be years from now, but it will happen.

Look at today’s verse.  2800 years have passed, but it’s still true.  The Jews are still in Judah and Jerusalem.  Things have changed a lot since the days of Joel, but the prophecy is still true.  God has kept His Word.  He ALWAYS does.

How about you? Do you keep your word?  When you say you are going to do something, do you?  Do your children believe you when you say you are going to do something?  We must be that first impression of truth for our kids.  And we must constantly point them to Jesus, Who is THE truth.

O Lord, You are Truth.  Help me today to be as true to You as You are to me.

Joel 1:3 “Tell your sons about it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons the next generation.”

SPREAD THE NEWS

What?  Did I just tell you to gossip?  Yep!  Sure did!  Now, before you stop reading, take a breath.  I want you to take a look at the verse again.  Joel begins his prophetic letter by telling them to tell their children to spread the news about the consequences of disobedience.  He wanted them to tell them so they could tell their children and on and on to every generation.

We have the same command.  We must tell our children about, not only the love of God, but also the consequences of not following Him.  Today, it seems, we are so concerned about NOT offending someone that we fail to tell them that they will NOT like the alternative to NOT following the Lord.  The Lord is a loving God, for sure.  But He is also a holy God who will hold us all accountable for sin.

TEACHING MOMENT     

So, do you scare your kids into salvation?  Of course not.  We need to teach them the Word of God and tell them how much God loves them.  He sent His Son to die for us, but His Son only died BECAUSE of our sins.  Sin kills.  Sin destroys.  And without the saving grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus, we have NO HOPE.

Just as your children have consequences for disobeying your rules in your home, your children will suffer the consequences of sin against God.  Without Jesus in their lives as their loving Savior, they have no escape from eternal damnation.

Wow! Carl, that’s harsh.  Maybe, but it’s true.  So be a gossip.  Spread the news as far and as wide as possible.  Tell everyone you know about this.  Don’t let anyone slip through the cracks.  If you love anyone, make sure they know that judgment will come.  But there is a way of salvation that is found ONLY in Jesus.

Father, give me the boldness today to share the Good News of Jesus with someone.  Let me be very clear of the consequences of disbelief and very clear of the hope we have in You.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

EVERY JOT AND TITTLE

Have you ever heard that expression?  What does it mean?  Basically, it means every letter, word or marking of God’s Word.  This phrase comes from something Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 (Look it up).  So, when I hear people dismissing a part of Scripture because it is no longer culturally relevant, I cringe.  It’s all relevant to us today.  NO exceptions.

And look what it does for us.  It teaches, reproves, corrects and trains.  It covers all the bases.  So how do we use these verses in the lives of our kids?  How can we get across the truths of these verses in their lives?  Well, are you doing these four things?

TEACHING MOMENT

How are you teaching your children?  Better yet, what are you teaching?  The best text book in the world is God’s Word.  Sure, you have to teach them math and stuff, but the best knowledge is contained in one book.  Are you reproving them?  That means to point out the errors of their ways, to convict.  That sounds bad, but if we don’t help our children see their mistakes they will most certainly repeat them.

How about correcting?  That means to put them back on the right path.  Reproving without correcting is demeaning and hopeless.  They go together.  And finally, are you training them?  That word means to instruct until they reach full maturity.  That goes well beyond high school today.

I don’t know about you, but I have made a lot of mistakes in my child rearing days.  And just about every one of them was because I deviated or completely ignored the truth of these verses.  If we, as parents, will follow every jot and tittle of God’s Word, our children are much more likely to follow Him.

Father, I pray all parents will use Your Word as their text book for their children. I pray they will find these timeless truths to be applicable every day as they raise their children to love You.

1 Timothy 5:1-2:  1 Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

IT BEGINS AT HOME

In order to fully understand these verses you must remember to whom Paul was writing.  Timothy was the Bishop or Pastor of the church at Ephesus, at this time.  He was a young man, so he still needed guidance in leading.  Surely, there many men in the church who were older than Timothy, just as there were younger men and women.  Paul is simply giving advice on how to treat them.

I have seen many young Pastors who treat the older men in the church with disdain.  They say these older men just don’t want to change or they just won’t listen.  Remember the failure of Rehoboam was listening to his younger advisors rather than the older, wiser ones.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children need to learn to respect everyone.  They especially need to learn to respect their elders.  Treating their elders as fathers and mothers does change the perspective.  That’s why you, as parents, must make sure they respect you first.  Too many parents allow their children to “express themselves” in the most disrespectful ways.  If your children don’t have respect for you, they most certainly won’t respect other adults.

Respect is something you have to earn.  Our children will earn respect when they show respect.  It’s a two way street.  I have never met a disrespectful person who is respected by others.  Simply saying “Yes sir” and “Yes ma’am” shows respect rather than mumbling a “yea.”

Won’t you teach your children these things? If you want respected children then you must teach them to respect you.  You must hold them accountable for their words and deeds toward others.  I correct children who address me by first name rather than by Mr. or Pastor Carl.  It’s not that I am conceited or prideful.  How they address me shows respect.  Don’t let your children slide on respect.  They are going to need this skill for life.

Father, thank you for the elders in my life who taught me respect.  Thank you for a Father and Mother who wouldn’t let me get away with disrespecting them or others.

1 Timothy 1:5: “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 

THIS IS WHY WE TEACH

Every teacher I know is tasked with preparing and carrying out a lesson plan for their students.  Most of the time these plans are formulated to meet existing school guidelines.  What if every lesson plan prepared by every teacher in the world had the goals specified in our verse today?

What if everything we taught our children had these three goals in mind?  As you taught little Gertrude how to cook, you had in mind love, good conscience and faith.  As you taught Elrod how to mow the lawn these three goals were forefront in your mind.  What if?  Do you think the outcome of the “lesson” would be different?  I bet it would.

TEACHING MOMENT

How about today, as you show your child how to do something, you keep love in mind?  Can you teach them how to have that good conscience by raising your voice and screaming at them?  I think not.  As you teach them God’s Word, faith grows in you and them.

Our goal as parents should be the same as what Paul tells Timothy here in this verse.  We should not attempt to teach one single thing without putting these three goals in place.  But as with most everything we teach our kids, we have to model it for them.  This is especially true with this lesson.

Father, you have given me the greatest lesson planner ever written. Teach me how to use it to teach others how to have that love from a pure heart.  Show me how to teach them to live with a good conscience.  Finally, Lord, show me how to model a sincere faith.

Psalm 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”

NO FEAR

Are you afraid of the dark?  Were you as a child?  It’s a pretty normal thing.  When you can’t see what’s going on around you it can be a little uncomfortable.  Aren’t you glad the Lord is called light?  He can light the darkest places.  His light is bright, unlike that flashlight you pulled out of the drawer when the power went out, only to find the batteries were just about dead.  Lol.

David says in this Psalm that he is confident in Whom he trusted.  He calls God his light, his salvation and his defense.  So, there is no fear.  There is no need to dread.  That brings peace.  Don’t you want peace?  That God who was all those things to David is the same God who is those things to us.

TEACHING MOMENT

The next time you put your child to bed, turn off all the lights.  Make it as dark as possible.  Then read this verse to them by flashlight.  Talk about how the Lord is the only light we need.  The only danger your child has in the dark is if they are walking and trip on something.  There is NOTHING that can touch them unless God allows it, and if He does, it’s for their good.

Now it is important for little Johnny to know, however, that he should not intentionally put himself into dark places, unless the Lord has directed him there.  Believers should never choose darkness.  We should be drawn to light.  But there may be a time when the Lord sends us in a “dark place” with His light.  If He does, rest assured He will be our salvation and defense.

Are you in a dark place right now?  Do you feel like the darkness is closing in around you?  Don’t you think it’s time to let the light of the Lord shine?  He can light the darkest days.  He can shine through you, if you let Him.

O God, be my light today.  Shine through me so others will be drawn to You, like moths to a street light.

GOD CAN EVEN USE YOUEsther 9:32 “The command of Esther established these customs for Purim, and it was written in the book.”

AN ORPHAN QUEEN

This little verse may seem inconsequential.  I mean what’s the big deal about a queen establishing a custom.  Well, you have to remember who Esther was.  She was an orphan who had been raised by her uncle.  She was a nobody who had been chosen to be one of King Ahasuerus’ wives.  She became his favorite wife whom he made queen.  Quite a rise from nothing, don’t you think?

And who do you think was behind this?  Yep, God.  He knew that the wicked Haman would plot to kill the Jews, so the Lord placed Esther in a position to protect them.  God used an orphan queen to rescue her people and then establish Purim so all Jews in future generations would remember the faithfulness of God.

TEACHING MOMENT

God loves to use children.  He can use yours!  Our job, as parents, is to prepare them to be used.  We need to saturate them with the love of God.  We need to build them up in the Word of God.  So, when God speaks, they will recognize His voice.  Who knows what God may choose to do with your child?  He may use little Gertrude to cure cancer.  He may use Elrod to be the next great evangelist who preaches to that last people group which ushers in the return of Christ.

But it is so important that we tell our children that God wants to use them in just the right way.  God created them in His image and knows exactly how He has gifted them.  He doesn’t call them to do someone else’s task. He has already prepared a path for just them, if they will follow.  Their path will be like no one else’s.  God is an exact God who does exactly what is necessary at exactly the right time in the exact perfect way.

So, are you where this exact God wants you to be?  Or have you decided you know better than Him?  That is a dangerous path.  Surrender afresh to Him and allow Him to put you back on the right path.  He wants to use you, just like He used that orphan queen.

You are a Father to the fatherless.  Thank You, Lord.  Be my Father. Direct my path today.

JUST TOUCH ITEsther 5:2 “When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.”

FAVOR EXTENDED

Can’t you just picture this scene in your mind?  Queen Esther dressed in her royal robe approaches the inner court of the king.  She knows this action is risky.  She hasn’t seen the king in a month and there is no telling in what kind of mood he will be.  She could be dead in minutes.

It doesn’t say, but I believe Esther probably sent a prayer up to the Lord.  “Oh God, please don’t let him kill me.  Please let him extend the golden scepter.”  She approaches and sure enough, the king smiles and extends the scepter.  Esther reaches out and touches the scepter accepting his offer of grace.

TEACHING MOMENT

When was the last time you extended your child grace rather than law?  Many parents are so focused on keeping the rules that they forget the importance of teaching grace to their children.  Sure, we need to be consistent and hold our children accountable.  But there are times when giving grace teaches so much more.

This is a wonderful passage to use to teach that to our children.  Stories like this in Scripture paint a picture in such a way that the image is burned into their little brains.  You could even use a prop as you read this to them.  Let them reach out and touch a golden scepter.  More importantly, let them experience grace when you could give punishment.

Do you remember the last time God gave you grace instead of law?  Boy, I do.  It was, well, TODAY.  All I deserve is death, but He gives me life.  All I deserve is eternal punishment, but He gives me eternal reward.  Why?  It’s not because of anything I have done.  It’s all because of Jesus.  Don’t forget that.

Father, as I approach Your throne room each day, I thank You that Jesus is right beside You.  He is the golden scepter which You extended to me on the day of my salvation, and He is the same one that is extended to me today.

Esther 3:5-6 “5 When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.”

JEALOUSY AND RAGE

Don’t you just love the story of Esther.  It would really be a good movie, don’t you think?  There’s intrigue, love, jealousy, revenge, danger and rescue.  And of course, we have the villain, Haman.  He hated the Jews.  Why?  Because of one Jew – Mordecai.  Mordecai refused to pay homage to Haman, and that burned Haman up.

Haman was a proud man who thought he deserved unquestioned admiration.  Obviously, Mordecai recognized something in this scoundrel that did not deserve respect.  So, he took a stand which could have cost him his life.  Mordecai would bow to no man, only God.  Haman would have none of that.

TEACHING MOMENT

Okay, so how do we apply this passage to our kids?  Our children need to learn to respect those in authority.  There is no doubt about that.  But there may come a time in their lives when they are faced with a tyrant whom they must stand up against.  Taking a stand could cost them their job.  It is doubtful their life would be in danger, but the way this world is going, that could happen too.

Taking a stand and being true to your beliefs is never risky, in the eyes of God.  Mordecai knew, as do we, that God had his back.  He trusted that God would handle his enemies.  Our children must learn that too.  God will deliver His children, sometimes in very creative ways.

What are you facing today that threatens you?  Are you facing a Haman in your life?  Just trust the Lord.  He will see you through.  Be true to God’s Word and allow Him to work in and through you to glorify His name.  Let Him direct your decisions.  Let Him lead you through this trial.  He promises He will.

Father of all, I trust you to see me through.  Give me the courage to stand for you, no matter the cost.