It happens to us all. Maybe it’s someone standing on the street corner with a cardboard sign, maybe it’s a friend or a co-worker or maybe it’s a grown son or daughter. They need a loan. Or another loan. Or just a little help. Maybe it doesn’t seem right, but there’s the guilt. You wonder … what is the right thing to do?
The future, it’s full of promise, but often mixed with uncertainty. Should I marry this person? Does he or she really love me? Is this the right job? Could my spouse be cheating on me?
The temptation to want to know what the future holds can be huge. But what does God say about knowing the future or seeking information about things He has not revealed?
And what about your heart? Do you have a wise heart? Are you teachable? Do you listen to godly counsel? Or do you first make up your own mind and then look for justification to believe and do what you want? What does it mean, “What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies”? Find out more in today’s Proverbs reading.
Are you tempted with discouragement? Do you feel like caving in or giving up? Do the news reports and other things going on around you have you anxious and worried? Maybe it’s your family’s finances and the general uncertainty of life? Maybe it’s health concerns, family problems, or something else. Or maybe it’s your own unsettled heart. What does God’s word say about discouragement and what will help?
Many people think their eternity is secure because they are pretty good people. They have some vague idea that God will weigh their misdeeds against all the good things they’ve done and they’ll manage to “get in.” Others believe they’re righteous because they were baptized as a child or have taken certain sacraments. Still others believe it’s because they belong to a certain church or have performed certain religious activities. But … Could this kind of righteousness, actually, keep you out of heaven?
The nation of Israel was repeatedly warned to remember God, to remember His commands and promises and, especially, to remember Who He is. We, too, are called to remember. Forgetting weakens our faith and our ability to trust in Him and can make their downfall ours.
So, what is one major way we can tell that we have ceased to remember God in all His fullness? And how can we be purposeful about “remembering” when we realize we have fallen into that trap?
Also, read about God’s view of animals in “Love Your Pets, But …”
God’s Word has so much to say about parenting. In fact, the Bible is full of God’s instructions, encouragement, and truth for His own children. Today we’ll look at 7 ways we can grow and become the parents we want to be and 10 ways we can put God’s principles to work with our children.
We will, also, talk about “Delighting in the Lord” from Psalm 37 and look at Mary, the mother of Jesus. There is so much confusion about her. Does she intercede for believers? Just how should a Christian view her?
But first, parenting principles.
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in your Christian walk? Do you look around and see other believers growing spiritually, experiencing peace and joy, being used in various areas of ministry … and wonder why it’s not you? Are you tempted to believe it’s because of your difficult marriage, because your spouse is not a believer, because you’re still single, because of your parents, or because of another person or circumstance? None of us is immune to those feelings. But could there be another reason and could making some adjustments in your thinking actually cause you to start growing exponentially?
The word rotten means something that is decaying or infected. Yet ladies, our Proverbs passage tells us we can be like rottenness to our husbands! But we have a choice. Each of us can, also, choose to be an excellent wife who is like a crown to her husband. We need to ask ourselves, which one describes us?
And men, what do you value in a wife? Is it what God values, what He says makes an excellent wife? Finally, parents, are you preparing your daughter to be an excellent wife and your son to value what God values?
Also, read about the hope found in the middle of Mark 16.6 in three little words, “He is risen.” What does it mean to us now and for eternity?
Easter and Holy Week are just around the corner. And our world has never needed to understand what Jesus accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection more than it does now. But sadly, bunnies and Easter baskets often overshadow the immensity of what happened at the Cross two thousand plus years ago.
Helping the next generation understand the basics of the Christian faith, and gain an understanding of sin, redemption, the gospel, and salvation is so important. While I don’t want to make light of the importance of good children and youth ministries, in some cases, children’s church or Sunday school has been reduced to Bible stories, a craft, and a snack. Children make professions of faith without a genuine understanding of their own sinfulness and the power of the gospel to save them.
Then they, too often, graduate into a youth ministry that is more concerned with pizza and entertainment than with growing young people into the image of Christ and preparing them for schools, universities, and the world in general that are all designed to undermine any religious convictions they might have.
But studies have shown that the influence of parents can make a huge difference. So, we must find time to teach our children and help them develop their own faith and devotional habits. Why not take some time with your family to read about the events leading up to that first Easter Sunday? Perhaps today’s post can serve as a starting point.
David, the Apostle Paul, and others in the Bible understood their need to trust in and rely on God and not their own abilities or anything else. What about you? In what are you trusting with the things going on in your life and the world around us? Whether it’s the images on the nightly news, the threat of continuing inflation, political issues, or worries about your family, health or personal finances, where is your trust? Is it in the government, in medical intervention, or in your own abilities? Or are you ultimately trusting God and God alone?
© 2025 · Your Website. Theme by HB-Themes.
