Almost everyone agrees that it’s a challenging time in America. But there is little agreement about who is at fault and what to do about it. Is it the police, the Democrats, the Republicans, systemic racism, our form of government, the rich, or the poor? Perhaps, the answer is “yes” to some or all of them to one degree or another. But the real answer lies somewhere else. What is it and what can we do about it?
Nothing breaks a parent’s heart more than to see our children make foolish choices that can result in consequences for years to come. But there are some things we can do early on so God doesn’t have to allow more serious consequences later. What are some of those things?
God’s commands and principles are not intended to limit our happiness but to protect us and lead to true joy and blessings. Wisdom is the ability to understand and apply those principles to our own lives. When we reject God’s wisdom, we often learn too late that doing things our own way or listening to the wisdom of fools leads to disaster and heartache. So, how can we recognize and avoid that trap?
Are you growing or drifting away from God?
We’re never standing still when it comes to spiritual things. Either we’re growing and becoming more like Christ or we are drifting away from God. Worse yet, like Solomon, we can get comfortable or even play around with sin, thinking we’re too smart to get caught in its snares. But if we do, we could find ourselves heading down a slippery slope.
And in our New Testament reading, Jesus rides into Jerusalem after a meal with His friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. As He does, the people welcomed Him by praising God and throwing palm branches in front of Him. But in five days, they would be yelling, “Crucify Him!” Have you ever wondered how people could be praising Him one day and crying for His death in almost the next breath? And could there be a parallel between that and some people we know who are excited about the things of God one minute and nowhere to be found the next?
When it comes to Christian parenting, I don’t believe there has ever been a time when it has been more challenging to make wise decisions. Goals that parents have had for generations may need to be rethought in light of the educational, professional, social, and business environment today.
In the area of education, I know I find it harder and harder these days to rejoice with friends when they tell me their son or daughter has received a scholarship or been accepted into a secular college or university. And frankly, some so-called Christian colleges are not much better. I’ve seen too many young people wooed away from the truth by worldly, liberal professors with unbiblical and in many cases anti-biblical agendas.
The combination of liberal secular ideologies wrapped in deceptive, yet appealing, packaging and our failure to properly prepare many of our young people for the all-out war for their souls has cost our families and the body of Christ dearly.
So, when it comes to Christian parenting, what do we need to consider?
Watch and listen to the Bible in a Year on YouTube! Get your FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark when you subscribe to my channel. Let me know here (so I can send the link)....
I will still be here in the coming year blogging through the Bible in a Year. But beginning this January, I’ll also be posting Bible in a Year videos on YouTube. You can view several of them right now including...
Why a fresh start through the Bible? Why “through” the Bible? Why not just read here and there, perhaps finding a subject that interests you? Or how about a short devotional? As long as you read something every day, isn’t that good enough? Today’s reading from the book of Psalms gives us a very good illustration of why it’s so important to read God’s Word in context.
The psalmist in Psalm 1 talks about a man who is like a tree planted on a riverbank where it gets plenty of water and is always fruitful. The psalmist goes on to say that God prospers whatever this man does.
I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be like that. But despite some who teach that God wants to make every believer prosperous, there are requirements for this prosperity. There are things we must do and other things we are to avoid. We also need to understand what the psalmist meant when he wrote about prosperity. If we don’t, we may find ourselves disillusioned, even angry, with God.
But this is just one example of the importance of understanding God’s Word in context, in its entirety. One of the biggest problems I find among believers is a failure to know God, to know His character, to know how He works through our tests and trials. As a result, far too many lead faithless, defeated lives.
But when we read through all of Scripture, we begin to see the big picture. As we go through the book of Genesis, we’ll look at the creation account and what it tells us about our incredible God. It will launch us on a journey through the history of God’s people and some of the most fascinating stories even recorded. As we go through the Prophets, we’ll see the many examples where their prophecies have already come to pass and our faith will grow. We will, also, come to better understand what was really happening in the book of Job, how much the psalmists were like us, and see the wisdom we can gain from Proverbs. In the New Testament, we’ll walk with Jesus and the Apostles, read Paul’s letters with fresh understanding, and marvel at the glories of eternity future.
So, why read “through” the Bible and not just here and there? So we understand the whole counsel of God and so we know the God of the Bible and not God as we think He should be.
Perhaps the question should be, “Why not read through the Bible in 2022?”
2022. A new year stands before us. 2021 and 2020 before that have been challenging to put it mildly.
Viruses. Bombings. Senseless murders. Shut-downs. Financial hardships. Crime. Dirty, partisan politics. Suicide. Sexual immorality. Anger. Road rage. Persecution. The loss of religious freedoms.
The world around us has been and continues to be in upheaval. Everything is changing right before our eyes.
Even within the church world, there are many false gospels.
So, how will we know truth from lies? How can we stand strong in a changing world, when life gets hard, or stays hard?
This year is fast drawing to a close and many of us are thinking about our goals for 2022. And there are many important goals and resolutions we can make as we look forward.
Certainly, these last two years have reminded us all that it’s important to take care of our health. And while, as believers, we shouldn’t live in fear, we should use wisdom in that area. Maybe you have career, financial, or other personal goals for 2022, as well.
But we should never neglect the most important area of life … our spiritual life. One of the most valuable goals is to read the Bible regularly. And I would like to suggest one of the best ways is to read through it in a systematic way. So, how about you? Do you want to grow spiritually in 2022? If so, what is your plan to do so?
Why is reading through the Bible so valuable? Can’t we get everything we need by going to church, reading a verse or two each day and listening to podcasts here and there? Isn’t it just too time-consuming? One more thing on a long to-do list?
Or what if you’ve tried in the past, only to fall behind and give up? How can you do it successfully in 2022?
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