What does it mean that God visits the iniquity or the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation? Are those children doomed spiritually? Are they bound to repeat their parents’ sins? Will they bear the guilt or the punishment for their parents’ wrongdoings?
Find out in today’s post. Also, why is it so important to read Scripture in light of other Scripture? And is it wise to co-sign someone else’s loan?
Hypocrites! Jesus rebuked the religious leaders repeatedly with that accusation. But hypocrisy isn’t as obvious as it might seem. Those leaders certainly didn’t see themselves as hypocrites. Worse yet, they taught others to live and see God just as they did.
Even if our intentions are good, could we be guilty of hypocrisy, as well? And could we be in danger of unknowingly teaching our children to be little hypocrites? If our goal is to have well-behaved children, could that foster hypocrisy? How can we avoid hypocrisy ourselves and be better able to point our children to a genuine relationship with Christ?
We all sin every day, but there are some sins that God names as those He hates. One is “hands that shed innocent blood.” With the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade concerning abortion, we have reason to hope that laws can be passed to, at least, limit it. But laws don’t change hearts. There is only one real source of hope. We need to be sure we put our trust there.
Also … do you have someone in your life who is difficult? Maybe it’s your boss, your co-worker, your mother-in-law, or a child you dearly love. Whoever it is (and most of us have someone), how do you think about that relationship and how well do you deal with it?
We all want our children to grow up successful in their chosen endeavors and leaders in various areas of life. That might mean being a great mom or dad or in a career or both. But we need to be careful not to focus on success and leadership from a worldly perspective. God’s will in those areas is very clear. I’ve talked about success in other posts but today we’ll look at God’s kind of leadership … servant leadership. And there is a warning here, as well, because when we fail to teach these principles, we set our children up for failure in every area of life.
Have you ever felt like you have tried trusting God and things only got worse? Moses certainly did in today’s reading in Exodus. What did he do as a result and what can we learn from his response?
Proverbs has so much wisdom for us all but today’s reading from Proverbs 5 contains truths that, if heeded, can keep young men, in particular, from a lifetime of heartache and financial struggles.
And finally, from Matthew 18, we’ll talk about the seriousness of unforgiveness and its effect on our relationship with God.
The Bible, especially Proverbs, has a lot to say to us about parenting. We’ll talk about that subject today. We’ll also talk about whether or not we can question God and, from the New Testament, we’ll look at the church disciple process.
One of the most concise Biblical instructions for parents appears in the book of Ephesians where it says, “… do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Some of the ways we provoke our children to anger are obvious, but others may be less so. Could you be provoking your children to anger in ways you haven’t realized?
We are in a series called “Rock Your Faith.” The principle in this week’s post, Personal Accountability & Snowplow Parents” is at the heart of our ability to grow and change. Without it, our growth will be stunted at best. It’s something with which most of us struggle. It affects our relationships with God, with others, and our ability to parent well. Yet, much of what has been written about it is far from helpful.
Many people consider parenting to be the mother’s job and, even if they believe both parents need to be involved, mom often ends up with most of the responsibility. But parenting isn’t a one-person job. God intended for moms and dads to parent as a team.
One of the most important skills in overcoming anger and building good relationships is learning how to communicate in a loving, God-honoring way. Ephesians 4 contains some of the clearest passages on the subject of communication. The principles can be summed up in 4 easy to understand “rules” that you can apply and teach your children.
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