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BEWARE

 2 Samuel 14:33b “Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.”

FALSE REMORSE

Have you ever had someone come to you and apologize, and you knew they didn’t really mean it?  You know they were either being forced to do this or they had an ulterior motive.  This is what we have here with Absalom.  He wasn’t sorry.  You can see that clearly if you continue to read in 2 Samuel.  Absalom just wanted to come home so he could be “the king’s son” again.

Position has its privilege, and Absalom wanted the privilege.  He was proud and cocky.  He had no sooner seen the king after 5 years of exile (3 away and 2 back at home) than he began his plot to overthrow his father.  You can’t always believe people.  But David kissed his son anyway.

TEACHING MOMENT

 Teaching our children to forgive is hard.  There is really no way to do that other than modeling it for them.  I am sure, as a parent, you have told your little Johnny to tell his sister he was sorry after hitting her.  And he probably reluctantly did that, but you and his sister knew he didn’t mean it.  Only time would tell if he really was sorry.

But we still have to teach them.  We still have to forgive others.  We still have to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Just think how many times the Lord forgives you when you are less than honest with Him.  He loves you and wants you to come to Him in repentance.  Only time will tell if you are truly remorseful.

Are you forgiving others?  Are you repentant yourself?  Try today to truly forgive someone.  Perhaps someone has wronged you in the past and you are holding on to that.  Let it go.  Maybe someone will approach you today and ask for forgiveness.  Give it to them.  Remember you too are in need of forgiveness every day.

Father in Heaven, forgive me today.  Give me the strength to forgive others also.  Help me model forgiveness and repentance to others.

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LOSING YOUR HEAD

2 Samuel 4:7 “Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him and beheaded him. And they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night.”

THAT CAN MEAN A LOT OF THINGS

 I am sure you have heard that expression “lost their head.”  Most of the time when we hear that it means someone just went crazy for a bit.  They got angry and spouted off.  But in this story, Ish-bosheth literally lost his head, but it wasn’t for anything he had done.  He was murdered.  And to make the matter worse, the two who murdered him thought they were doing David, the new king, a favor.

In fact, those two men are the ones who lost their heads.  They took matters into their own hands and acted on behalf of someone for whom they had no business representing.  And it cost them their lives.  David would have no part of an innocent man’s murder.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children can get upset and “lose their heads” sometimes too.  As parents, one of our jobs is to teach them to maintain their cool.  Emotionally stability is important.  No one wants to be around someone who is constantly blowing up and railing at others.  Your children need to learn to stop, breathe and ask the Lord for peace.

Now, this all sounds easy.  It is not.  But remember peace comes from within.  The Spirit of God gives our children, if they are believers, the peace they need to handle any situation.  The only real peace is that which comes from the Father.  He is the ultimate peace maker and peace sustainer.

Are you a model of peace in your home or are you the one who is always “losing your head”?  What will your children learn from you?  Does the peace that transcends all understanding control you?  Let His peace transform your mind today.

God, I know Your peace can fill me.  I have felt it before.  Help me stop and rest in Your peace.  Help me model that for others.

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WHAT A WITNESS!

 2 Samuel 3:36 “Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, just as everything the king did pleased all the people.

PEOPLE ARE WATCHING

 This verse follows the story of Joab, David’s army commander, killing Abner, Ishbosheth’s army commander, by tricking him to return to Hebron where David began his reign as King of Israel.  David was upset and wanted the people to know he had NOT endorsed this murder.  His actions pleased the people.

But look at the last phrase, “just as everything the king did pleased all the people.” This wasn’t a one-time thing.  David lived his life as an example of following the Lord.  Everything he did pleased the Father, so everything he did pleased the people.  Oh, to live that way.

TEACHING MOMENT

If we can teach our children to live to please the Father, they will please us.  There is nothing a Christian parent desires more than to see their children walking with God.  How can I argue with that?

So, how do we do that?  How do we teach them to walk closely with the Lord, thus pleasing us?  By consistently teaching and leading them to God’s Word.  That is the key.  There is no magic formula.  The answers to how to walk closely with the Lord lie right in the Scriptures.

Are you following the Lord daily?  Can your family say, “Everything you do pleases us”?  Can your employer say that?  Can the Lord say that?  Be like David.  Seek the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

O Lord, I desire to please You in all I do.  I want others to be pleased with me as I please You.  Help me lead my children to do the same.

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TICK, TOCK

 Psalm 90:4 “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night.”

A DIFFERENT CLOCK

Have you ever been awake all night listening to the clock tick?  Boy, I have.  Some nights I am awake more than I am asleep.  But I have found those nights to be sweet times with the Lord.  That’s a whole other story.

This verse, especially the last phrase, reminded me of that.  God’s clock runs different than ours.  He can see all of eternity at the same time.  Our finite minds can’t comprehend that, nor could we handle it if we could.  We simply have to trust that time is in His hands, not ours.

TEACHING MOMENT

 Teaching time to our children is a challenge, isn’t it?  Do you remember learning to tell time on the old analog clocks?  Now everything is digital, but the challenge of understanding time is still there.  Our children have to learn to look at time with Biblical eyes though.  Time isn’t just time.  It’s a spot on the line of eternity.

Do some math with your kids.  Count up the number of seconds in a minute, then an hour, then a day, then a week, then a month, then a year and then since they have been born.  That will blow their minds.  Every second counts.  Teach them to make the most of each second.

But, are you doing that?  Are you aware of how much time you waste watching tv or piddling around?  I am guilty of that.  Show your kids by your actions that time is important to you and to the Lord.

Maker of time, remind me of my place in eternity.  Every minute You bless me with is a minute I should use to glorify You.  Thank You for giving me this day.

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