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A TONGUE WORKOUT

Psalm 35:28 “And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness and Your praise all day long.”

BETTER START EXERCISING

I have the privilege each year to go to Uganda and Kenya to help train Pastors through AMG, International. (Google this awesome ministry.) These conferences are full days of training, often lasting 10 or 12 hours each day.  Teaching and talking that long can be tiresome for the tongue, and I enjoy talking.

But one day, just like David in this Psalm, we will declare His righteousness and praise all day.  Can you imagine being in heaven and being in continuous praise of our God?  But there it won’t be tiresome. We will never run out of praise.  In fact, we could stand there simply saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” That would be just fine.

TEACHING MOMENT

 Is your child a talker?  Does your little Susie pass out at night with her lips moving? Some children seem to never stop talking.  Their little tongues would be a whole inch longer if they would just rest it once in a while.

Read them this verse.  Give their tongue a purpose.  Talk about our praise does not have to be verbal.  They can declare His righteousness and praise by the way they treat their siblings or the friends.  Our tongues are just one tool God can use, but don’t limit yourself.

What is on your tongue today?  Are you praising or complaining?  Are you declaring His righteousness or yours?  Take a minute and examine the words that have come out of your mouth today.  Do they honor God or you?

I give my tongue to You today, O God. I will put words of praise on my tongue to point others to You.  Thank You!

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IN HIS HANDS

Psalm 31:5 “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.”

COMMITMENT

Do you recognize the first half of the verse?  Jesus said those words on the cross when He gave up His last breath. He voluntarily gave it up.  No one took it. In the same way, we have to voluntarily give up our lives to the Father.  He won’t just take it.

And why do we do that?  Look at the second part of the verse.  He has ransomed us.  Because Jesus gave up His life for us, He paid the ransom so we can give up our lives for Him.  How cool is that?  Are you committed to Him today?

TEACHING MOMENT

 Do your children have commitment problems?  Some kids have a real problem sticking to something.  They start playing a sport and drop it when it gets hard.  They may begin a new hobby but get bored quickly. They may even drop friends.

Learning to be committed is something that we parents must teach them.  We need to hold them accountable to their commitments, especially when it affects others.  But the main commitment we need to teach them is being committed to the Lord.  And that is best modeled by us.  As they see us living up to our commitment, they will learn.

Are you living up to your commitment? Are you following Jesus each day? If you aren’t, that lack of commitment could cause someone else to turn away.  They may see you saying you are a believer but not living like it.  Don’t do that.  Live for Him today and draw others into His presence.

Lord, I am committed today to follow You.  I know I have said that a lot and fallen flat on my face.  But today, Lord, I recommit myself to You, knowing others are watching.

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CRYING WON’T LAST

Psalm 30:5b “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

 JOY WILL

Let me be quick to say that I know that grief is real.  I have lost both of my parents, an infant child and scores of close friends.  I am a weeper.  I cry easily and when these loved ones passed, I wept for them openly. I am not ashamed to cry.

But I also know, as a follower of Christ, just as David knew so long ago that “joy comes with the morning.”  You could even say as Christians that joy comes with the MOURNING.  Isn’t that great?  No matter how deep the grief His joy goes deeper.

TEACHING MOMENT

Many parents want to shield their children from grief.  They seem to think they are sparing them from harm.  Listen to me carefully.  Teach them how to grieve.  When they lose a pet, cry with them.  When a grandparent dies, help them grieve.  When a close friend moves away, let them cry on your shoulder.

But then, point them to Jesus.  Teach them that through the lowest moments in life, Jesus is always there.  He will be there to hold them and love them.  He will hug them tighter than you ever could.  Teaching proper grief is important for your child.  Don’t shield them.  Embrace the grief, knowing joy is coming.

Perhaps you are suffering grief today.  Perhaps you have not let the passing of a loved one go. Let it go today.  Revel in the joy of Jesus.  Live your life to bring joy to others by the very way you handle grief. Point them heavenward.

Because of Your joy, Lord, I can face the losses of life.  I know You know the depth of my sorrow and can bring me to the brink of joy. I praise You because of that.

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LEVEL GROUND

Psalm 26:12 “My foot stands on a level place; In the congregations I shall bless the Lord.”

SURE FOOTED

I love to take hikes.  I don’t do it a lot, but I love it.  In Tennessee, where I live, there are tons of places to hike. A lot of them have hills and gorges. The views are normally breathtaking, but there is one drawback – the ground isn’t level.  You have hike up and down these hills, sometimes on pretty treacherous ground.

It is much easier to walk on level ground.  David knew that.  He knew it was better to be sure footed.  God is that place.  He is always sure.  He is always a firm foundation.  We should do as David and set our feet on a level place.  It is there we are able to stand against the enemy.

TEACHING MOMENT

Have you ever played “King of the Mountain” with your kids?  What fun! Find a good hill and see who can stay on top the longest while the rest of the group tries to push them off.  It’s not a game for the faint of heart.  Lol

But this game can be used to teach this verse.  It’s hard to stay on top of that hill when the ground beneath your feet isn’t level. It’s hard to advance up that hill and try to push someone off who is above you.  Childhood games can teach such great life lessons.

What hill are you trying to climb right now?  What hill are you trying to defend on your own?  Step down on level ground.  There’s a saying I love – “The ground is level at the cross.”  In other words, we are all equal there.  Set your feet there.

Father, thank You for giving me sure feet.  Thank You that I can depend on You for my support. Help me show others the value of resting on Your foundation.

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BEHAVE YOURSELF

1 Timothy 3:15b “I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

PROPER CONDUCT

I love the way Paul wrote this.  In verses 1-13 Paul gives instructions about choosing elders and deacons.  He says all of this so they will know how to behave.  Proper conduct is important for Christians.  It is especially important for Christian leaders.

How will the world know we are different if we don’t act different?  I am far from perfect.  I have made and will probably still make a lot of mistakes in my life.  I don’t always live “properly.”  I sin.  I wish it wasn’t true, but it is.  But I know God’s Word will direct me, if I will let it.

TEACHING MOMENT

This is why we must teach our children to live lives that honor God.  We want them to honor the family name and not do anything to bring shame on it.  But how much more important is it that they not bring shame on the name given to them by their Heavenly Father.

That name is “Christian.”  They are a child of the King, if they have asked the Lord into their lives.  While mistakes in life may shame their earthly name, no one is going to lose their salvation over that.  But if we bring shame on God’s name by our lifestyle of sin, we could possibly turn someone away from the Gospel.  That would be tragic.

How’s your conduct?  Do others know you are a follower of Christ?  Do they see you as different?  If not, perhaps you need to take a fresh look at your walk with Him.  Walk in such a way that others will WANT to meet your Jesus.

Forgive me, Father, when I fall short of Your commands.  I do want to please You.  I do want to lead others to Your throne of forgiveness.

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FORGETFUL GOD

Psalm 25:7 “Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.”

REMEMBERING GOD

Why do you think David was asking God to forget his youthful indiscretions?  Probably the same reason we do.  Don’t you have stuff in your past which you wish you could forget?  Don’t you have things you wish God would forget?  Who doesn’t?

Well, there’s good news.  He does.  Once we confess those as sin and ask for forgiveness, they are gone.  God extends His lovingkindness to you and me and all is forgotten.  Pretty awesome, right?

TEACHING MOMENT

We forgive our children for their wrong doings.  We confront them and possibly discipline them, but we forgive them.  The difference between us and God though is we can’t forget them.  The next time your little Susie does the SAME thing again, what do you say?  “Susie, I told you before that you would be in trouble if you did that again.”

Just like that, they are reminded of their failure.  Now, children need to be reminded of the rules and your expectations.  But we, as parents, need to work on not holding things over their little heads.  Believe me, they know they have done this before.  They don’t need reminding.  Just deal with it and forgive.

I bet there are things you need to confess today.  Do that right now.  There are probably people you need to forgive today.  Do that too.  Ask the Lord to give you the ability to forget those things.  Only He can do that.

Jehovah God, forgive me and forget my sins.  I claim the blood of Jesus over all my transgressions. I am secure knowing that He has paid the price for me.

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LOVE THAT’S VISIBLE

2 Thessalonians 1:3 “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater;”

GROWING LOVE

What a beautiful tribute to the Thessalonian believers.  Paul is thanking God for them.  He is grateful for their growing faith and their love for each other.  Wouldn’t you love for someone to say that about you?  How about your church?  Could that be said about your church?  If not, how can you change that?

I believe their growing faith is the very reason their love for each other is growing.  Be honest!  There are some people in your church that are hard to love.  But as your faith grows, so does your love for them.  You see them as Jesus does, and you know He loves them.

TEACHING MOMENT

Your little Susie will love others more as she loves Jesus more.  Your little Johnny will see others with “Jesus eyes” only after he knows Christ personally. You can model this love for others, but you really can’t make it happen.  This only comes through the growth of their own faith.

But you definitely can show them how you love others.  Be careful what you say about others.  You don’t want little ears to pick up the negative comments in your head.  And when they start to complain about someone, ask them how they could be kind to them.  And then help them do that.

I am sure there are people in your life whom you would rather avoid than talk to.  We are only human.  But today, look at them with the eyes of Christ.  Would He talk to them?  Would He listen to them?  I think so.

Lord, I can’t love others as You do.  But I can allow You to love them through me.  Help me to yield my life to You today and show someone in need the love You have for them.

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LIFE

Psalm 21:4 “He asked life of You, You gave it to him, length of days forever and ever.”

ETERNAL LIFE

You really need to read this whole Psalm.  David is thanking the Lord for giving him life.  But there’s so much more.  David was bold enough, secure enough in his relationship with Jehovah God, to ask Him for life.  That caused me to ask myself a question.  Do I have that kind of relationship?

Now, I know that I have eternal life promised to me through Jesus.  But am I bold enough to ask the Lord to lengthen my days?  Of course, that request must be asked with the right motive. I must ask, not for me, but for others. Will the Lord lengthen my days so I can be used longer?

TEACHING MOMENT

Children come into this world with no promised number of days.  The Lord knows that number, but we don’t.  We, as parents, need to pray for the Lord to lengthen their days.  We should ask the Lord to remove their enemies.  We should pray Psalm 21 over them.  We should be as bold as David.

“Well Carl, that’s kind of presumptuous, isn’t it?”  No, not at all.  We are told to bring our requests to the Lord.  What better request than to ask the Lord to bless our children and use them in His kingdom work for years and years?  What better way to honor the Lord?

Are you that bold?  Do you dare to approach the throne of God and request life? I am.  You should be too.  Let Him hear you cry out for life abundantly.  He loves you and wants what is best for you.

Lord, thank You for giving me life. Thank You for extending my days.  Let me use them to honor and bless Your name.

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MY STRENGTH

Psalm 20:7 “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.”

 OR HIS

It seems there are a lot of verses on bragging and boasting.  We are warned again and again about not being conceited or “stuck up.”  We have plenty of examples of individuals in Scripture who did just that.

But here in this verse we are given the very thing to brag and boast about – the name of the Lord, our God. Now that is something to brag about! Why?  Because He is eternal.  He is never going to change.  He ALWAYS wins.  His name is comforting.  His name is “I AM.”

TEACHING MOMENT

Try this!  Keep a brag book.  That’s right, I said keep a brag book.  But here is the guideline.  Only write down things that the Lord has done in your family.  Every night at dinner ask your family what the Lord did that day. Now some days it will so easy to name something, and other days it will be hard. It will be hard, not because the Lord hasn’t done anything, but because we weren’t watching.

Right now, take a moment and write down one thing the Lord has done for you in the last 24 hours.  Go ahead…I’ll wait. – Got it?  Good.  Now start your book.  You will be amazed when you go back and read your entries.  You will have forgotten a lot of these blessings.  Remind your children of some of them when they are struggling. God is always at work.

Are you doubting God?  It’s okay.  We all go through times when we feel closer to Him than at other times.  Reflect on His past blessings in your life.  Thank Him for being faithful to you.  He loves to hear our praise.  Boast in His name today!

O Lord, our God, I will boast of You today.  I will brag on You to others.  I will give thanks for all You have down in and through me.

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THE APPLE OF HIS EYE

Psalm 17:8 “Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.”

SPECIAL

Isn’t this a special verse?  You’ve heard it said, maybe even about you or your child, that someone is the apple of their father’s or mother’s eye.  You know what that means, right?  It means they are the center of their universe.  That child is all the world to them.  God says that about us.  We are the apple of His eye.

Don’t you feel special now?  Come on, don’t you?  Maybe you are having a bad day and are not feeling very special. Read this verse again.  It says, “Keep me…”  That implies that we already are.  If that is true, how can you feel bad.  God is focused on you today.

TEACHING MOMENT

Now, let me warn you about something. Don’t make your children “the apple of your eye.”  Now hear me out!  Don’t put all your attention on your children to the detriment of your relationship with the Lord.  Don’t substitute your devotion for your spouse for that of your child’s.

There is an order to things.  We love God first and family second.  And the order in the family must be your spouse first and then your children.  You don’t love your children less, but you love your spouse first.  After all, isn’t that how it all got started?

 So, today focus on the Lord.  He’s focusing on you.  You ARE the apple of His eye.  Pay special attention to your spouse today.  Make them feel like they are the apple of your eye.  And finally, give that child the extra hugs they need today. They will always receive that.

Father, I am amazed that You even look at me, much less call me the apple of Your eye.  I am not worthy, outside of Christ, for any such attention.  But I thank You for “seeing” me that way.

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