Phillip's Phunnies - Pragmatically Speaking

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

File it under Fads, pragmatically speaking:

Immanuel: God with Us

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Luke 2:1-7
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

John 1:1-5; 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christmas Eve Services 2006

We are pleased to have several sermons to post online today as a result of the services at our churches on this Christmas Eve. The first is a message by Pastor Way titled Why Did Jesus Come? This examination of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus recorded in Luke 19:1-10 reveals several key truths about the gospel, the reason behind Jesus coming to be born as the Son of Man, and about our responsibility to be a constant and faithful witness to the lost. Jesus tells us that He has come to "seek and save that which was lost" and we know from the teachings of Paul found in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are ambassadors of Christ, working with Him as He seeks and saves the lost. Our role in this endeavor is that of one who represents Christ and pleads with sinners to be reconciled to God. To listen to this message, click on the sermon title above.

Mr. Jonathan Hunt was privileged to speak at both services today at his church. This morning he preached a message titled Zacharias: One in A Thousand. The text is found in Luke 1:5-25 and Jonathan explains that the message involves learning lessons for Christian life from Zacharias and his encounter with the Angel Gabriel.

This evening's carol service was concluded as he preached a message titled The Virgin Birth: Myth or Vital Fact? taken from the text in Luke 1:26-37. This is a brief evangelistic message which explores simply the reason for the Virgin Birth and shows the futility of our faith without it.


TIME in the Word Ministries hopes that you and yours have a Merry Christmas, remembering that we celebrate the Incarnation - that day when God became and Man and came to ratify the New Covenant with His own blood, redeeming us from the curse of sin and the wrath of God and giving to us eternal life in His presence forever.

Joy to the World
(click for music)
by Isaac Watts

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love

God's Plan for Parenting - Part 4

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Daily Scripture Reading - 1 Samuel 15

Puritan Catechism
Question #49 - Which is the fourth commandment?

Answer - The fourth commandment is, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Ex 20:8-11).

Devotional Thoughts
Before moving on in this study we need to go back to Proverbs 22:6. While we have touched on the ways and means of training up a child in the way he should go, and while we have even defined what "in the way he should go" means, we have not looked at the last part of the verse. The verse tells us "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

To TRAIN is to Teach (disciple) our children through Restraint, Admonition, Instruction, and Nuturing. To train him in the "way he should go" is to be sensitive and discerning, recognizing God’s call, gifts, and talents in the life of our child so that we might work along side God as His steward over our children, preparing them to be effective ambassadors for Christ and helping to spread the Word and Kingdom of God throughout the world. This is no small task. It is also a task specifically commanded for the parent to fulfill. Parents are God's tools for training their children and parents will give an account to God for what their children are taught.

But what does it mean then to say "and when he is old he will not depart from it"? This verse has been used to say so many things that it does not say that it really boggles the mind to see how easy it is to twist Scripture. Many who misunderstand this verse use an application and explanation that if parents take their kids to church, Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, church camp, and read to them Bible stories before they say their prayers and go to bed each night, then their children will be safe. Safe from what? Well, as the verse is usually and erroneously taught, it is said that this verse makes a promise and that promise is that since all teenagers rebel against their parents and against authority then if they have been exposed to Bible stories and faithfully taken to church as youngsters then they will eventually outgrow their rebellion and come back to God and their family and church.

Have you heard this? It sounds good. It is noble to hope in God for the rescue of backslidden children. And the truth is that far too many young people in the church go off to college and in the face of the false religion of secular humanism and the doctrines of Darwin they "lose" their faith. What hope can a Christian parent have then? Well the hope given in that if they did their part in training up their children in the way they should have gone then when they are old they will come back to it.

But let us look closely at this verse and see what it says and does not say:

Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it.

First there is the responsibility of parents to train their children. And this is so much more than taking them to church and reading them Bible stories. It is, as we have explained, discipling our children in the faith. Have we discipled our children? Really? Or have we relied on Sunday school teachers and others to do what God called us to do?

Second, the child must be trained in the way he should go. Not in the way he wants to go. Not in the way you want him to go. But in the way he should go, that is in the way of holiness before God and love for Him and His Word above all else.

Third, it says that when he is old he will not depart from this way in which he has been trained. Notice, it does not say he will depart and then come back! It says he will not depart from it. When rightly trained, a submissive, humble heart does not rebel. You see, we have fallen for a lie, even promoted by Christian authors and ministers - this false idea that teenagers will indeed rebel.

The Biblical evidence and the testimony of many parents can be offered to show that while rebellion is a serious sin it is not a forgone conclusion for teenagers. If I had the time I could offer argument after argument from the Scripture and testimony after testimony from parents and children to prove that rebellion is not a guarantee!! In fact, this verse we are looking at today is the place to start. If we have trained our children properly they will NOT depart, they will NOT rebel, they will NOT stray or lose their faith when tried and tempted.

Fourth, notice that it says when he is old he will not depart from it. Unfortunately we hear the term and think elderly, senior citizens with gray hair, blue hair, or no hair. We think that when he is old though he has strayed from God all his life he may yet come back. Now, it is true that God may call him back at any point in time. But the key to understanding this verse is found in this word "old." What does it mean?

It is best understood to say that when the child is "old" it is that time at which he has grown up or become mature. At times the word is used to denote the age at which a young man begins to grow whiskers on his chin - he needs to start shaving! So this does not mean old age, but denotes maturity. This is when a child is growing up to be a man. When a child grows up and is mature, if he has been trained faithfully in the ways of God then he has a sure footing and is able to stand fast.

The best way then to understand this verse is to see that parents are responsible to train up their children in the ways and Word of God so that as they mature they have a solid doctrinal and practical foundation upon which to stand. How serious a task is it then to see that God calls and equips parents to be preparing their children to succeed in the Christian life? Do we even think about parenting in those kinds of terms? Sadly parenting has as its goal most often simply the conforming of our children's outward behavior to fit cultural norms when in reality our children have been given to us as blessings from God and as weapons, arrows to be used to defend the truth and spread the gospel of Christ around the world, starting right in our own homes.

If we want to know how to think about the task of parenting we must start with the understanding that we are responsible before God to make disciples of our children! We do this by training them so that as they mature they will walk in the way that has been set before them all their life.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Directives for Avoiding Dissention in the Home by Richard Baxter
A Word to Parents by AW Pink

Bible Reading For Further Study

• Psalm 32:8; 50:16-18; 94:9-12
  
• Proverbs 1

Recommended Songs for Worship

• Let Children Hear the Mighty Deeds
  
• Come, Children, Learn to Fear the Lord

God's Plan for Parenting - Part 3

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:4
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Daily Scripture Reading - Deuteronomy 6

Puritan Catechism
Question #49 - Which is the fourth commandment?

Answer - The fourth commandment is, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Ex 20:8-11).

Devotional Thoughts
God has created us as male and female. Why? Part of the answer is that God has created us so that we might have a lifetime partnership through marriage and a lineage through parenting. We have seen in the last few devotionals that God has a purpose for children and that He has a plan for parenting. Our last two devotionals have focused on Proverbs 22:6 which tell us, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Today we will continue that study and add to it Ephesians 6:4, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

We train up a child in the way he should go by being sensitive and discerning, recognizing God’s call, gifts, and talents in the life of our children. Picking up where we left off last time we will examine a few specific steps for training our children in the way they should go. Remember, we all need to be trained! We all need to be taught. And we all need to know the difference between right and wrong. This absolute truth brings us to our need for a Savior, because without Him we cannot do what is right and will only do what is wrong, bringing shame upon our family and our lives.

How then do we train up our children in the way they should go? Simply put, we TRAIN them. We can use the word itself to serve as an outline to remind us and teach us how to do what we have been commanded to do. Let us see then what each letter in the word TRAIN stands for as we apply God's Plan for Parenting.

So far we have seen that the T stands for Train - that is, it is God's plan for parents to disciple their children. This involves mentoring, guiding, teaching, and instructing them. The R we saw stands for Restrain, wherein is the responsibility of every parent to restrain their children from evil! This speaks of discipline - not punishment, but instruction for right living and correction for sinful actions and attitudes.

Now we will see what the A, I, and N stand for as we train our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

A

The A tells us that we should Admonish our children in the Lord. The word means to encourage. Often we think of encouragement as attempting to make someone feel good or regain a proper perspective after a let down. But the word actually means to warn, instruct, and counsel.

We warn about the danger of sin. We instruct in how to avoid sin. And we counsel so that our children are wise when it comes to knowing the difference between good and evil. This is critical, because many parents and many Christians think that in order to know that something is wrong we must have all the dirty details. In reality though all our children need to know to recognize evil and sin is the truth! If they are familiar with the truth then they will recognize the lie.

Do we admonish one another in the church and in the home? Do we even know how?? It is a command you know. We admonish even in the corporate worship of the church. Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." So if we do not know what it is to admonish one another then we must deal with the hard truth that we do not know how to worship God!!

Part of teaching in the home and the church is that the older are to admonish the younger - to encourage and instruct them in holy living, to teach them their duties and respective God given roles. We must teach our boys how to be godly men and we must teach our girls how to be godly women. Being holy and being mature in godliness does not just happen - it is taught. And this is part of God's plan for parenting.

I

The I in TRAIN stands for a word that we have already used quite a bit to describe the role of parents - it is that we Instruct in Righteousness, that is we teach our children how to be right with God. Have you considered that your primary mission field on this earth is your own family? Do your children know Jesus Christ? Are they growing in grace and being discipled by you so that they might follow after, love, and obey our Savior?

To understand how it is that we are to instruct our children we need to look at the tool for instruction that we have been given. The tool is or should be rather obvious - it is the Word of God. 2 Tim 3:16-17 tells us, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Do we approach parenting as if the desired end result was that our children were mature and equipped for good works done in obedience to God? Too often our goal is outward conformity to societal standards. But God is more concerned about the heart! And it is our task as parents to teach our children not just how to act, but how to BE. And the Word of God is the inspired and all sufficient tool that He has given us to teach our children how to live and be godly.

We must also pause here to note that it is the clear teaching of Scripture that parents are primarily responsible for the teaching of their children - in all areas of life! While we may assign part of that duty to schools and teachers, we must never lose sight of the fact that God will hold us accountable for what our children are taught. This means more than that we should be involved and aware of what our children are learning - it means we are called and equipped by God to be their primary teachers. This is God's plan for parenting. Parents are the teachers and children are their students.

Consider these verses, as they need no comment:

“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. - Deut 6:1-8

Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ - Deut 4:9-10

“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. - Deut 11:18-21

To be clear here, God has assigned parents to be the teachers of their children – Prov 1:8; Eph 6:4; Prov 22:6 - and God’s program for education is discipleship - Deut 6:5-7.

N

To conclude here then we see that the N represents Nurture. This is tender care as we serve as Guardians for our children. Nurture is not hard to understand but it is difficult to implement! Too often we parent with an attitude of superiority, even thinking condescending thoughts toward our children. They are after all needy, and we cannot pursue self gratification and be good parents both at the same time!

Perhaps the best I have even read on this topic is by JC Ryle in his message, "The Duties of Parents (linked in its entirety below). Point #13 deals with nurture. Here is what he says:

Train them remembering continually how God trains His children.

The Bible tells us that God has an elect people, — a family in this world. All poor sinners who have been convinced of sin, and fled to Jesus for peace, make up that family. All of us who really believe on Christ for salvation are its members. Now God the Father is ever training the members of this family for their everlasting abode with Him in heaven. He acts as a husbandman pruning his vines, that they may bear more fruit. He knows the character of each of us, — our besetting sins, — our weaknesses, — our peculiar infirmities, — our special wants. He knows our works and where we dwell, who are our companions in life, and what are our trials, what our temptations, and what are our privileges. He knows all these things, and is ever ordering all for our good. He allots to each of us, in His providence, the very things we need, in order to bear the most fruit, — as much of sunshine as we can stand, and as much of rain, — as much of bitter things as we can bear, and as much of sweet. Reader, if you would train your children wisely, mark well how God the Father trains His. He doeth all things well; the plan which He adopts must be right.

See, then, how many things there are which God withholds from His children. Few could be found, I suspect, among them who have not had desires which He has never been pleased to fulfill. There has often been some one thing they wanted to attain, and yet there has always been some barrier to prevent attainment. It has been just as if God was placing it above our reach, and saying, "This is not good for you; this must not be." Moses desired exceedingly to cross over Jordan, and see the goodly land of promise; but you will remember his desire was never granted.

See, too, how often God leads His people by ways which seem dark and mysterious to our eyes. We cannot see the meaning of all His dealings with us; we cannot see the reasonableness of the path in which our feet are treading. Sometimes so many trials have assailed us, — so many difficulties encompassed us, — that we have not been able to discover the needs-be of it all. It has been just as if our Father was taking us by the hand into a dark place and saying, "Ask no questions, but follow Me." There was a direct road from Egypt to Canaan, yet Israel was not led into it; but round, through the wilderness. And this seemed hard at the time. "The soul of the people," we are told, "was much discouraged because of the way" (Exod. 13:17; Num. 21:4).

See, also, how often God chastens His people with trial and affliction. He sends them crosses and disappointments; He lays them low with sickness; He strips them of property and friends; He changes them from one position to another; He visits them with things most hard to flesh and blood; and some of us have well- nigh fainted under the burdens laid upon us. We have felt pressed beyond strength, and have been almost ready to murmur at the hand which chastened us. Paul the Apostle had a thorn in the flesh appointed him, some bitter bodily trial, no doubt, though we know not exactly what it was. But this we know, — he besought the Lord thrice that it might be removed; yet it was not taken away (2 Cor. 12:8,9).

Now, reader, notwithstanding all these things, did you ever hear of a single child of God who thought his Father did not treat him wisely? No, I am sure you never did. God’s children would always tell you, in the long run, it was a blessed thing they did not have their own way, and that God had done far better for them than they could have done for themselves. Yes! And they could tell you, too, that God’s dealings had provided more happiness for them than they ever would have obtained themselves, and that His way, however dark at times, was the way of pleasantness and the path of peace.

I ask you to lay to heart the lesson which God’s dealings with His people is meant to teach you. Fear not to withhold from your child anything you think will do him harm, whatever his own wishes may be. This is God’s plan. Hesitate not to lay on him commands, of which he may not at present see the wisdom, and to guide him in ways which may not now seem reasonable to his mind. This is God’s plan.

Shrink not from chastising and correcting him whenever you see his soul’s health requires it, however painful it may be to your feelings; and remember medicines for the mind must not be rejected because they are bitter. This is God’s plan.

And be not afraid, above all, that such a plan of training will make your child unhappy. I warn you against this delusion. Depend on it, there is no surer road to unhappiness than always having our own way. To have our wills checked and denied is a blessed thing for us; it makes us value enjoyments when they come. To be indulged perpetually is the way to be made selfish; and selfish people and spoiled children, believe me, are seldom happy.

Reader, be not wiser than God; — train your children as He trains His.

Tomorrow then we will take a quick look in review at a few practical ways that we can carry out God's Plan for Parenting. Until then, remember that the best book on parenting ever written is the Book of Proverbs!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

The Duties of Parents by JC Ryle
Come Ye Children by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study

• Prov 3:11-26; 4:10-27; 5:1-2
  
• Titus 2:1-8; 1 Tim 3:4, 12

Recommended Songs for Worship

• Thou Art My Hiding Place
  
• Father of Mercies, In Thy Word

Phillip's Phunnies - Postmodern Letters to Santa

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Postmodern Letters to Santa





Going Door to Door to Spread the Word

Sunday Sermons - 12/10/2006

There are links for 2 messages today! Both Pastor Way and Jonathan Hunt were able to preach the Word today and both will be linked below for you to download or listen to for free online at our TIME in the Word Ministries Sermon Audio site.

Jonathan Hunt, a new contributor for TIME in the Word Ministries, preached a message from Psalm 115 titled Giving Glory to God Alone. The message is timely, encouraging, and convicting as Jonathan shows us from the Scripture who God is and who we are. In doing so he gives us many reasons to focus our attention onto God and away from ourselves as we learn to give God the glory alone.

Pastor Way preached the fifth message in the series Making Disciples. This sermon, titled Endure finds us moving from 2 Timothy 2:1-13 into Hosea 1-3 in order to examine what it means when we are told in the Scriptures to endure. Endurance is difficult and as a result often absent in the church today. It seems we would rather flee suffering and hardship instead of diligently enduring the trial for the strengthening of our faith and for the furtherance of the gospel.

Here is the outline from this message:

Endure
2 Timothy 2:1-13; Hosea 1-3

A. An Amazing Picture of Love and Endurance – Hosea

1. The Marriage – Hosea 1:1-9

a. Hosea – the husband/God (Eph 5:22-31)
b. Gomer – the wife/God’s People (Eph 5:32)
c. Children – 1:3-9

1) Jezreel – a son, “God will scatter”, predicting judgment
2) Lo-Ruhamah – a daughter, “no mercy, not pitied” - Note 1:7 – defeat of Assyrians by Angel of the Lord 2 Kings 19
3) Lo-Ammi, a son, “I will not be your God”, the broken covenant

d. The New Covenant – 1:10-11

2. Unfaithfulness – Hosea 2:5-23
3. Redemption – Hosea 3

Sermon Guide - Jonathan Hunt

This guide will provide links to sermons that are available online at our TIME in the Word Ministries Sermon Audio site and are available to listen to or download for free. These messages have been preached by Jonathan Hunt at Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church, Cheltenham, UK.

For the sermons listed by series title - once you follow the series title link, all sermons in that series will be available.

Sermon Series:

Genesis

1. In the Beginning - Genesis 1:1-2:3
2. Four Firsts - Genesis 2:4-25
3. The Fall of All - Genesis 3:1-24
4. Two Approaches to God: Cain and Abel - Genesis 4:1-16
5. Noah Found Grace - Genesis 4:16-6:13
6. A New Beginning with a Faithful God - Genesis 8:1-9:17
7. Confusion at Babel - Unity in the Gospel - Genesis 11:1-9
8. By Faith, Abraham - Genesis 12
9. Lot's Choice, Abram's Reward -Genesis 13-14
10. The Covenant is "Cut" - Genesis 15
11. Small Faith, Great God! - Genesis 16
12. The Covenant Sign - Genesis 17
13. Sodom: Destruction and Salvation - Genesis 18-19
14. Abraham and Abimelech - Genesis 20
15. Isaac and Ishmael - Genesis 21
16. The Lord Will Provide - Genesis 22
17. The Death of a Saint - Genesis 23
18. Rebekah - Genesis 24
19. Abraham's New Beginning - Genesis 25:1-11

Evangelistic Ministry

1. The Virgin Birth: Myth or Vital Fact? - Luke 1:26-37
2. Fearful Felix - Acts 24:25
3. A Shock Sabbath Healing - Mark 3:1-6
4. How Firm Is Your Life's Foundation? - Luke 6:46-49
5. Naaman's Fatal Disease - 2 Kings 5:1-19
6. The King Leads the Way - Luke 19:8-40
7. Does the Resurrection Matter? - 1 Cor 15:17
8. Remember Your Creator...NOW! - Ecclesiastes 12:1-14
9. Almost a Christian? - Acts 26:28
10. The Challenge of the Ascension - Luke 24:50-53
11. The True Power of Pentecost - Acts 2
12. Rise Up and Walk - Acts 3
13. Are You Lying to God? - Acts 5:1-14
14. Do You Understand What You Read? - Acts 8:26-39
15. Destination Damascus? - Acts 9:1-22
16. The Jailor Set Free - Acts 16:16-34
17. A Great Invitation - Luke 14:16-24

Teaching Ministry

1. Giving Glory to God Alone - Psalm 115
2. Zacharias: One in A Thousand - Luke 1:5-25
3. Resisting Temptation - Luke 4:1-13
4. Living for Jesus - 2 Cor 5:15

Bible Basics

1. Children of God - 1 John 3:1
2. The Privilege of Prayer - Matthew 6:5-13
3. What is Worship? - John 4:24

Special Occasions

1. Remember. Repent! - Proverbs 14:34 (Remembrance/Armistice Day)
2. The Everlasting Son of God - Micah 5:2 (Christmas)
3. Time to Get Real about Christmas - Isaiah 40:4-5 (Christmas)

God's Plan for Parenting - Part 2

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Daily Scripture Reading - Hebrews 12

Puritan Catechism
Question #48 - What is required in the third commandment?

Answer - The third commandment requires the holy and reverent use of God's names (Ps. 29:2), titles, attributes (Rev. 15:3-4), ordinances (Eccl. 5:1), Word (Ps. 138:2), and works (Job 36:24; Deut. 28:58-59).

Devotional Thoughts
We are learning this week why God has created us as male and female. Part of the answer is that God has created us so that we might have a lifetime partnership through marriage and a lineage through parenting. We have seen in the last few days that God has a purpose for children and that He has a plan for parenting. We started in our last devotional to look at Proverbs 22:6 which tell us, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

We train up a child in the way he should go by being sensitive and discerning, recognizing God’s call, gifts, and talents in the life of our children. Picking up where we left off last time we will examine a few specific steps for training our children in the way they should go. Remember, we all need to be trained! We all need to be taught. And we all need to know the difference between right and wrong. This absolute truth brings us to our need for a Savior, because without Him we cannot do what is right and will only do what is wrong, bringing shame upon our family and our lives.

How then do we train up our children in the way they should go? Simply put, we TRAIN them. We can use the word itself to serve as an outline to remind us and teach us how to do what we have been commanded to do. Let us see then what each letter in the word TRAIN stands for as we apply God's Plan for Parenting.

T

The T stands for Train. Simple enough. We are to train our children. Training means that we treat our children as if they were students, or learners. The Biblical word used to describe this is the word "disciple." Our children are our disciples! The word disciple means literally, "a learner, student, or apprentice."

In the day to day reality of family life we will teach our children to be like us, either by trying, or by not trying! They will learn from us how to act, speak, and even how to think. Children are more observant and teachable than we often give them credit. They can mimic us in ways that would shame us. This is often illustrated with stories about things children say when the pastor is invited over for dinner. And the humor is there because of the element of truth behind those stories. Children have no inhibitions. They are brutally honest. And often they give us a very good glimpse of ourselves if we would take the time to look and listen.

What are you teaching your children? What are you teaching them actively and what are you teaching them with the way you act? We cannot train up our children to be godly if we are not godly. It does little good to take our kids to church with the hopes that something good will rub off on them all the while we tell them to do as we say not as we do.

To train a child is to teach a child to be like us, to follow us. Luke 6:40 tells us, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." To perfectly train, that is to really teach someone means that they will share in our knowledge and experience. Those we disciple in the church and in the home will be like us. Do we really want our children to be completely like us? If not, then there are things we need to change!

Jesus of course is our best example of a Teacher. His disciples learned to be like Him. He came to "seek and save that which was lost" and He said to His disciples "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Luke 19:10; Matt 4:19). Paul also taught Timothy and Titus and others how to "follow me as I follow Christ." He asked the church at Philippi to "join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." And he said to those in Thessalonica, "you became followers of us and of the Lord" (Phil 3:17; 1 Thess 1:6).

What kind of example are we setting? The example we are for our children will do much to train them in the way that they should go. When they watch us do what is right no matter the cost they will know how important it is to do what is right. When we teach them from Scripture and then live out before them the truths they have learned we will reinforce to them how it is that they should live to the glory of God.

We must be careful though, for the Bible warns us about being a bad example! Peter writes about false teachers telling us that "They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children." (2 Peter 2:13-14) Further the Book pf Proverbs tells us that when we fail to train our children they will remain full of foolishness and will bring shame to their families (Prov 17:25; 19:13).

To train our children then we start by setting a good example. So the first step to fulfilling God's plan for parenting is that we walk with God so that we might be godly - for unless we are holy and godly then we cannot set a good example for our children.

R

The R tells us that it is part of God's plan for parenting that we should Restrain our children from Evil. This refers to discipline. Discipline Biblically has several components, three of which we will apply to parenting. Before we look at these components though we need to make one thing clear. Discipline is not the same as punishment. Listen to that carefully, please. Too many parents think that it is their job to punish their children and they miss opportunities to discipline them!

What is the difference? Discipline is in fact training! It is teaching, through both positive and negative reinforcement. Punishment on the other hand is inflicting the cold hard consequences of an action. To punish is to make someone pay for what they have done. So many parents misunderstand their roles here and so many are confused by what the Bible teaches about spanking because they have substituted punishment for discipline.

Punishment is often carried out in anger. There is a score to settle and a point to be made as a consequence to an action. But parents are never told in Scripture to punish their children. In fact, Jesus does not punish His children! Think about this for a moment - Jesus promises us that He has paid for our sin and while there may be consequences, He never threatens us with punishment. Romans 8:1 tells us that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. He was punished in our place! He paid for our sin. But let us not forget, God does disciple those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-6). God chastens, He disciplines His children.

So what are the elements of discipline? For this study we will look at three elements of disciple. They are instruction, restraint, and correction.

Instruction is just that, instructing our children in how to think, talk, and act. It is positive in that we model this for them and also instruct them giving them steps to follow in order to be obedient. This involves teaching our children. We teach them through catechisms, through activities, through the parables we find in daily life, through family worship, through discussing the sermon from Sunday, though taking every opportunity to use daily life to reinforce the truths of Scripture. We will speak more to this later in our study so for now let us move to the second element of discipline.

Restraint is keeping our children back from sin. Think of it in terms of a busy street. If your child is playing in a park near a busy street would you for a moment take your eyes off of him and let him wander anywhere near the street? Of course this assumes we truly love and care for our children - but we would do whatever it takes to keep them from playing in the street. Why? Because we do not want them to experience the street? No! It is because we do not want them to experience the bumper of a fast moving car that will severely injure or kill them!

Restraint is teaching them to avoid things that will harm them. It is positive and negative, for at times they must learn the hard way and at times there must be swift action to keep them from harm. Discipline restrains our children from those things that will hurt them.

Correction is also a part of discipline. It is pointing out what we have done that is wrong and working to correct it - to make it right. Just as a teacher corrects homework, we as parents must correct our children. When we see areas out of line we need to work with our children to correct them, to steer them in the right direction. This is also done at times by example, but usually this is the most negative type of discipline. At times the corrective action is a consequence and it is usually unpleasant. But the end result, the goal is to teach our children what is right and what is wrong.

Remember we do not discipline to express anger or frustration. We do not intend punish our children. Instead we work to motivate them toward right actions and right thinking.

We will pick up with the AIN in our next devotion. But for today, let us remember that we are expected and equipped to train up a child in the way he should go, and that starts with our own relationship with God. If we are not right we cannot lead by example. And if we are not walking with God ourselves then we will mislead our children!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Secrets of a Happy Home Life by JR Miller
The Christian Family by John Bunyan

Bible Reading For Further Study

• Luke 6:40; Luke 19:10; Matt 4:19; Phil 3:17; 1 Thess 1:6
  
• 2 Peter 2:13-14; Prov 17:25; 19:13; Hebrews 12:5-6; Romans 8:1

Recommended Songs for Worship

• Attend to My Word
  
• The Man is Blest Who, Fearing God

God's Plan for Parenting - Part 1

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Daily Scripture Reading - Romans 3

Puritan Catechism
Question #48 - What is required in the third commandment?

Answer - The third commandment requires the holy and reverent use of God's names (Ps. 29:2), titles, attributes (Rev. 15:3-4), ordinances (Eccl. 5:1), Word (Ps. 138:2), and works (Job 36:24; Deut. 28:58-59).

Devotional Thoughts
To review, we have in this series of devotionals asked the question "Why were we created?" The answer provided was that God created us for fellowship, stewardship, and worship. In looking then at an even more specific follow up we are now examining the question, "Why were we created male and female?" We began by showing first that God created us male and female for Lifetime Partnership.

The second part of our answer, started yesterday, is that God created us in His image as male and female so that we might have a Lineage through Parenting. This involves understanding 1) God's Purpose for Children, 2) God's Plan for Parenting, and 3) God's Providential Exception: The Barren Womb. Psalm 127 revealed to us God's Purpose for Children. He builds our families in order to establish a generational influence as the gospel spreads throughout our families.

What then is God's Plan for Parenting? With all the books written on the topic and with all the self-proclaimed experts telling us how to raise our children successfully where is it that we can turn to learn the truth about parenting? We turn, of course, to the Word of God. It is this Word, His handbook for us, that tells us specifically and practically how to fulfill our role as parents faithfully and effectively.

Is it simple? No. It is not. But it is plain! God's Word does not make a mystery out of it. And as we work through a few verses today and tomorrow we will see that God has given us a positive plan for parenting that can be followed despite all the things the world has to say about the topic. The Bible tells us, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." As we study to understand how it is that we train a child, we must start with a question specific to child rearing. As we think about training up a child in the way he should go we must ask, "Why does a child need to be trained?"

Foolishness

Proverbs 22:15 tells us, "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him." “Ah ha!’” you say, “There it is - immediately when talking about parenting the first thing you bring up is spanking.” Yep, you just knew it didn't you....being all fundamental and believing the Bible you knew I would start with the rod! You knew it was coming. But slow down just a minute. Let us look at this verse. Before we discuss discipline we need to see the truth that is often missed. "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child." This is true. Without learning and without wisdom and without the experience of age we know that the hearts of our children are full of foolishness.

What is foolishness? The Bible defines a fool as one says in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 14:1). Foolishness then is the idea that there is no accountability. In other words, the fool is his own god. He does as he wishes with no thought of his responsibility to God. Is this not true of all of us? We are born sinners. David tells us that we are even conceived in sin, that is, we are sinners by nature from conception because of the imputed sin of Adam (Psalm 51:5; Rom 5:12). And we arrive believing the world revolves around us!

Children then need to be trained so that they might learn that they are not the center of the universe. How many teaching and training techniques reinforce the idea and appeal to a child's self esteem to the point that they are nothing but spoiled self-centered brats? Here we see that the Bible teaches us that training for children, and even discipline is necessary in order to free them from the foolishness that is bound up in each of our hearts. So training a child has as its goal not just conforming outward behavior, but indeed, it is pointed at bringing our children to Christ, where they will be forever and finally freed from the bondage of sin and self.

Depravity

We also see that training is necessary because if we are left on our own we will bring only shame. Proverbs 29:15 tells us, "The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother." If a child is not trained or disciplined then that child will bring shame to his mother, to his parents, to his family, and to all who know him. There is nothing more harmful to a child than to leave him to his own devices. This is true because we are, as was already stated, born sinners by nature. Another way to say it is that we are depraved.

We are born lost, separated from God by sin and in need of salvation. Here are a few verses that reiterate this truth - we are depraved and we need saving. We need God to save us!

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. – 1 Cor 2:14

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.- Rom 8:7-8

As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes."

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, - Rom 3:10-18, 23

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. - John 6:44-45

The Way He Should Go

We see then that it is necessary to train up a child because we all, as children, started this earthly life as sinners, estranged from God, and in need of a Savior. Sin leads to more sin, and as sinners we find that we are not only dead in sin, but bound in sin and unable on our own to escape. Training, as we will learn, involves teaching our children about God and about Christ. It is the parent’s first duty, their most important duty to teach their children about the gospel. How else will our children be effective as arrows pulled from the quiver and fired at the enemy in order that the Kingdom of God might advance?

Before we look at the specifics for how to train a child I want to finish today by taking a look at the fact that we are told to train up a child "in the way he should go." This has been taught often that the phrase means that we are to train up a child in the way he wants to go. Some have taught that the phrase here refers to a child's natural "bent" and that we as parents must learn his talents and gifts and so encourage him and help him reach his potential in the areas for which he shows proficiency.

The truth is though that this verse is telling us that as parents we are responsible for training a child in the way he should go - not the way he wants to go, and not necessarily even the way he is inclined and gifted to go. No, this is very clear - because we all, like sheep, have gone astray (Rom 3:23) and have fallen short of the glory of God, we from birth do not know where to go or how to get there! Our natural "bent" is away from God and away from righteousness. Left on our own we will walk further and further into sin and shame.

To train up a child in the way he should go is to do just that - train up our children so that they know which way to go! It is teaching right and wrong, based upon Biblical truth. So much that the Bible says we find modern psychology and modern parenting gurus teaching us to ignore. Truth is denied as an absolute. The only thing many today think is absolute is that nothing is absolute. We need to teach our children the difference between right and wrong. We need to train them to refute the rationalism of the day so that they might stand for truth and be firm in their convictions.

We train up a child in the way he should go by being sensitive and discerning, recognizing God’s call, gifts, and talents in the life of our children. We will pick up here tomorrow then as we examine a few specific steps for training our children in the way they should go. Until then, remember, we all need to be trained! We all need to be taught. And we all need to know the difference between right and wrong. This absolute truth brings us to our need for a Savior, because without Him we cannot do what is right and will only do what is wrong, bringing shame upon our family and our lives.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Ramifications of the Fall by AW Pink
Little Innocents? by Sinclair Ferguson

Bible Reading For Further Study

• Psalm 14:1; Psalm 51:5; Rom 5:12; Prov 22:15; 29:15; Rom 3:23
  
• Proverbs 22

Recommended Songs for Worship

• Ye Children, Come, Give Ear to Me
  
• Teach Me, O Lord, Thy Way of Truth

God's Purpose for Children

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Daily Scripture Reading - Psalm 127

Puritan Catechism
Question #48 - What is required in the third commandment?

Answer - The third commandment requires the holy and reverent use of God's names (Ps. 29:2), titles, attributes (Rev. 15:3-4), ordinances (Eccl. 5:1), Word (Ps. 138:2), and works (Job 36:24; Deut. 28:58-59).

Devotional Thoughts
We have asked the question "Why were we created?" and while the answer was brief and not nearly as in depth as it could have been we have seen that we were created for fellowship, stewardship, and worship. God created us to worship and glorify Him, to fellowship with Him, and to care for His creation and act on His behalf in the world. In looking at an even more specific follow up question, we are now examining the question, "Why were we created male and female?"

We have started to answer the question by showing first that God created us male and female for Lifetime Partnership. The second part of our answer is that God created us in His image as male and female so that we might have a Lineage through Parenting. This then introduces three statements that we will spend a day each studying:

1. God's Purpose for Children
2. God's Plan for Parenting
3. God's Providential Exception: The Barren Womb

We in the church need to be reminded that Jesus loves the little children..... Attitudes today that stem from feminism and liberalism have given birth to ideas that children are a curse, a burden, a bother, a chore, and therefore undesirable. Children we are taught - whether we know it or not - intrude upon our personal liberty. They infringe on our rights over our own lives and our own bodies. These attitudes are obvious, even in the church. While we may stand against abortion, especially when it is used as an after-conception form of birth control, we do not even blink an eye when we decide to use chemical contraceptives that will either prevent conception or prevent implantation (abort) once conception occurs. And even if we attempt to use natural family planning we still miss the whole point. We still see children as something to be planned or prevented as we see fit.

But the Bible teaches us a few things and we need to pay attention. Let us settle these things right from the start. We must understand and embrace these points as truth, because this is what the Bible tells us about children: God gives children as a blessing (Psalm 127:3), God causes conception and crafts each child in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16), God even causes the time of delivery and birth for each child (Isaiah 66:9). If these are true statements then what business do we have trying to prevent conception? If only God can bring a new life into being then what are we really trying to prevent by any form of contraception? We are in fact trying to prevent God from blessing us!

There is so much more that can be said - and should be said - about this in the church today. But for now, I want to spend our time looking at what the Bible tells us about God's Purpose for Children. Our views about the family and family planning will reveal the truth about what we believe about children, so let us make sure today that we believe what the Bible says instead of falling for the lies of the spirit of the age that would have us view children as a burden instead of a blessing.

God's Purpose for Children

What then is God's Purpose for Children? Let us examine Psalm 127 for the answer:

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Building a house here refers to building a family. It is not about a habitation, but about a heritage. God builds families. He makes the husband and wife one flesh, telling us that what He has joined together no man can separate. He also actively creates life in the womb and brings children into our homes. The truth is that unless God builds our family we will have no family. We will work in vain to build it ourselves because only God can build a family - giving us the covenant of marriage and blessing that covenantal relationship with offspring.

Further we see that there is no protection unless the Lord guards us. What good is a watchman if God is not watching over us? God is sovereign. Life without Him is vain and all attempts to keep ourselves safe from harm will fail unless He watches over us.

Do we then trust God to build our families and to keep us safe? Do we walk by faith in these matters, for we know that the Bible tells us that whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Do we take God at His Word and trust that He knows what is best for us? In order to understand God's purpose for children we must first confess and admit that it is God who alone is capable of building the family and keeping us safe from harm. This puts the focus then on the growth and well being of our family specifically on God. He is in charge. He does as He wills for His own good pleasure. And He tells us to trust Him.

Psalm 127:2
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,
to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

This verse reveals for us another vanity, something else that is useless. Just as it is useless to try and build a family without God and useless to try and stay safe without God's care and protection, so to it is useless to try and get a good night’s sleep without the blessing of God! The focus here is restful sleep. The goal is to be rested, refreshed, and ready to go the next day.

Some tell us that if we just get up and get going then we will surely come home and get a good night’s sleep. An early start is supposed to ensure that we are sufficiently tired when bed time rolls around. Others tell us that if we work hard and exhaust ourselves through labor then we will sleep good at night. This is to "eat the bread of sorrows" for we know that part of the curse for sin was that God told Adam that it would be through the sweat of his work that he would eat bread. And even others tell us that if we put things off until later in the day and then stay up late, we will eventually tire out and be ready for bed.

But the Bible tells us here that all of these things are vain. We could probably all give testimony to the fact that there are times when we get up early and still cannot sleep later that night. Likewise, we have all worked through a hard day and come home with such energy in our system that we simply cannot sleep. And surely you have suffered with me, staying up late only to stay up so late that it is actually early!

Why are these things useless when it comes to sleep? Because the Bible teaches us that sleep is a blessing from God. Often lack of sleep is shown to be from God in order to cause us to reflect on the day or deal with our sin. At other times God would take sleep away from us so that we might spend the time praying or praising, or ministering to those in need. Whatever the case, we can affirm that sleep is a blessing from God and unless He gives us restful sleep nothing that we do can bring us rest.

The underlying truth here in the context of this Psalm is that it is vain and useless to think that there is anything we can do to bless ourselves with the blessings that only God can give. His blessings listed thus far include a family, safety, and a restful sleep. We cannot do anything on our own to bring these about if God would will otherwise. And we are foolish to think that we should stop Him from blessing us with these things. Who in their right mind would reject God's blessing as if His blessing was ill-timed, inappropriate, or unappreciated?

Interestingly we see in these verses God's definition of prosperity! In God's eyes for us to prosper means that we have a godly family, safety, and restful sleep. And this is all a blessing from God. We cannot manufacture it, we cannot counterfeit it, and sadly we often settle for a substitute - the world's prosperity, those things which rob us from the prosperity God gives us.

Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Now it gets interesting! Now we see how God views children. He has already told us that a family is a blessing that He gives as He chooses and now we see how specific this is - He gives children as a blessing! There are two things we need to understand here, first, what it means that children are a heritage, and secondly, what it means that they are a reward.

Children we are told in this verse are our heritage from the Lord. We first note that the heritage comes from the Lord. There is no other place to get it or find it. God gives children as a heritage and a reward. The word heritage refers to a number of things. It can mean:

1. Something passed down through generations
2. A Possession or Inheritance – Property, Share, Portion
3. What you leave when you leave

To understand the term we must look past our immediate family. This has at its core a generational view. We must look far past ourselves! How sad it is that the things that influence us the most about our view of children all revolve around self. We give little thought for the long term impact we can make through the generations of our family and our church and instead we think only of ourselves. God views children through the lens of generations and wisdom is seeing these things from His perspective.

Often the things that are passed down generationally in the Bible are negative things, sins and curses. Yet God gives us children so that good things might be passed down. This involves more that possessions given as part of an inheritance. It goes straight to the truth of what we leave when we leave - what will be left after us when we go on to be with Jesus in glory? Our family. Our children. Our grandchildren. These things will go on after us and will either enhance and continue our influence for the Kingdom of God or they will destroy what we have done and bring sorrow and pain to others.

The most important thing we can leave when we leave is changed lives - not stuff, but disciples! Part of our inheritance then given to us by God as He prospers us is our children. Do we view our children as God giving us an inheritance - something to be passed down through the generations for the benefit of the family and church?

Every child is given by God. Every child is conceived by God, crafted in the womb by God, brought to delivery by God. And every child is a blessing from His hand, an inheritance with which we will either bless of curse the world depending on how we teach and train that child!!

Looking at this verse, He even refers to children as a "reward." A reward is a favor, not a penalty. Children are gifts of God's grace! But do we see God's viewpoint? He gives children as a blessing. Why then would we think that children are a burden, a curse, or an accident? Is there such a thing as an "unwanted blessing" or a "rejected reward"? But then, how often do we as fallen human beings reject the grace and blessing of God choosing instead to embrace our self indulgent sins and sorrows?

Psalm 127:4-5
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
so are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
they shall not be ashamed,
but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

The Bible talks about children in terms of arrows, enemies, and elders. Our children are weapons in spiritual warfare!! They are arrows to be fashioned and used in spiritual battle, launched against the world, the flesh, and the devil. This gives us an illustration that shows us that we have a three-fold duty to our children as we receive them as gifts and rewards from God. If we understand God's purpose for children then we will follow His Word in order to 1) fashion them, 2) aim them, and 3) let them go, thereby make a lasting impact for the Kingdom of God and a lasting name in the community.

Fashion Them

How we view and accept our children will have direct bearing on the way in which we train and discipline them. If we believe that children are a burden and that discipline is simply a tool to make them conform their behavior to acceptable social norms then we miss the whole point that our children are given as blessings by God to be fashioned and molded and taught and used to further the Kingdom of God of His glory. Tomorrow's devotional will deal with how we fashion our children as we examine God's Plan for Parenting, but for today we need to know and understand that parents are responsible to take the blessings that God gives them and use them for a maximum impact for the gospel on the world.

Aim Them

In having a proper view of children we see that we must aim them. We must give them direction. In order to do this we must be sensitive to God's working in the lives of our children. What is He doing in them and through them? What plans does He have for them? How has He gifted and called them? This does not mean that we decide for our children what they will be "when they grow up." It means that we equip them to be godly and holy as they grow up.

An arrow in a quiver that is not taken up and aimed is useless in battle. We must learn to fashion and aim our children so that God is able to use them to further the gospel. We do not just give them goals, or an aim - we actively aim them!

Let Them Go

Again, an arrow left in the quiver, or held in the bow, is ineffective in battle. The arrow must be fashioned, aimed, and released in order to strike its target. Our children must be trained in such a way that when it is time for them to be released we know that they have been God's all along and that we have simply been used to prepare them for effective use in His hands.

Notice, by the way, that the man who has a quiver full of arrows is happy! This means he is contagiously rejoicing. A man and woman who are allowing God to build their family and who are resting in Him, who receive blessings of grace from His hand accepting them for what they are and purposing to fashion and use them according to the Word of God will be happy - full of joy. Life then has abundant meaning and usefulness.

Those who are raising a godly family also will not be ashamed. Literally, this means that life will not be wasted. They will influence people, many of whom they will never meet. Their life and the lives of their children will impact even the lives of the enemies of the gospel.

How many people seem so depressed and think their lives are so unfulfilling? And they refuse to have a family! They reject marriage and children as if either were a hindrance to their personal goals and ambitions. No wonder they feel the way they do - true and lasting joy is found in resting safely in God's will as He builds our family for a multi-generational impact on the world around us.

We must take our eyes off of ourselves and allow the Spirit of God to reset our vision to see God's purpose for children and the family. We must willingly and gladly embrace His calling and purposes by working with Him instead of against Him when it comes to rejoicing in the blessings He plans for us. Are we living and believing that God will build our family? Are we willing to let Him? Do we view children as a blessing, a reward, and an arrow to be raised for the glory of God and the furtherance of the gospel in this fallen world? Do we understand God's purpose for children?

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Treasury of David - Psalm 127 by Charles Spurgeon
A Plan for Your Family: God's vs. the World's by John MacArthur

Bible Reading For Further Study

• Gen 1:27-28; 9:1; 17:6, 20; 22:13-19; 28:3; 35:11
  
• Rom 14:23; Rom 9:6-13; Gal 3:16; Eph 5:22-6:4

Recommended Songs for Worship

• All Good Gifts Are Sent From Heaven Above
  
• Happy the Home When God is There

Keep

Our fourth message in the series Making Disciples finds us working through 2 Timothy 1:13-18 in order to learn what Paul meant when he wrote to Timothy telling him to "hold fast" to the standard of God's Word. He was discipling Timothy by teaching him how to relate to the Word of God in every part of his life and ministry. Timothy had to be reminded that the Word of God is our pattern, our standard for how to think, feel, talk, and live.

Further, Timothy is encouraged to "keep" the Word as it had been committed to him. To keep means both to guard and to obey, and Paul tells Timothy that in order to do this he must rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit who has indwelt him.

Paul closes this paragraph by giving examples of those who have abandoned him and those who have ministered to him demonstrating the truth that if we are to hold fast and keep the Word of God then we must be loyal to Christ, to His Word, and to His body - upholding one another even in times of trials and hardship.

Through this message we learn that when we TEST the Scriptures we find that the Word of God is True, Effectual, Sufficient, and Timeless. Because it is each of these things we find that the Word of God reveals to us Christ and gives to us all that we need to follow Him. Through the Word we are convicted, converted, given faith, sanctified, and given assurance. This explains then why we must keep the Word whether we are making disciples or being discipled, for without the Word we have no power, no foundation, no standard, and no truth!

Here is the preaching outline. You can listen or download this message for free by clicking on the title below:

Keep
2 Timothy 1:13-18
Making Disciples

A. Hold Fast (vs. 13)

1. The Pattern of Sound Words – the standard
2. Which You Heard from Me
3. In Faith and Love
4. Which are in Christ Jesus

B. Keep – Guard (vs. 14)

1. The Good Thing
2. By the Holy Spirit
3. This is the Word of God

a. True – Psa 12:6; 119:140; Prov 30:5
b. Effectual - Isa 55:10-11; Rom 10:17; John 17:17
c. Sufficient - Psa 19:7-11; 2 Tim 3:16-17; Psa 119:9, 11; 2 Peter 1:2-4
d. Timeless – Psa 119:128, 160; 1 Peter 1:25

C. Be Loyal (vs. 15-18)

1. Those in Asia Turned Away
2. Phygellus and Hermogenes
3. Household of Onesiphorus, the Faithful

a. Refreshed
b. Was Not Ashamed
c. Sought Me Zealously
d. Found Me
e. Ministered to Me

4. Acts 2:40-47