Children are a blessing. When should a married couple consider starting a family or growing an even larger family? Should everyone have a “Fab Five” like myself and Grace?
Watch as I share how to navigate starting and growing your family with your spouse.
And if you have a question you’d like answered, email it to [email protected] today!
Some children are very rebellious. How should one navigate disciplining them? You don’t want to be the “Bad Guy” but you also don’t want your child to run the house.
Watch as Grace and I share how to be patient godly parents, keeping in mind the goal is never to punish them, but to correct them.
And if you have a question you’d like answered, email it to [email protected] today!
We are all familiar with the power of a grand finale. At the end of a concert, the band saves the best for last. When watching a firework display on a holiday, you need to make sure to stick around for the end. The final words of the Old Testament are these:
Malachi 4:4-6: “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.’”
God is here summarizing the Old Testament and getting the last word. The principle is key – don’t fret about all the shenanigans on the planet as one day God will get the last word. God reminds us that Moses brought us the Law to reveal God’s holiness, our sinfulness, and our need for a Savior to meet the demands of the Law for us. God also reminds us that the prophets, like Elijah, remind us of God’s Law and call us to turn from and trust in our Savior.
The next major event in human history from this moment was the coming of John the Baptizer. He would be anointed and filled with the same Holy Spirit as Elijah from His mother’s tummy and would come to do heart surgery on men (2 Kings 2:9-10; Luke 1:15-17; Matthew 11:13-14; John 1:21).
God is saying that there are two kinds of people – those who are cursed and those who are blessed.
How do we know that a people group is cursed? The fathers do not have a heart for their children and, as a result, the children do not have a heart for their fathers. Practically, this looks like men who love sex but not God, marriage, or children. So, they worship sex as their god, use and abuse women, and murder their children. If their children live, they live without their father involved or invested in their life. This is what Jesus told some men in John 8:44: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning…” The old adage is true – like father like son and the devil’s boys look like their dad. Make no mistake, many, if not most, of our social problems would be solved by dads living, loving, and leading with the Father heart of God.
How do we know that a people group is blessed? The fathers have met God the Father, received a new heart that is the Father heart of God, and love their children like their Father loves them. This is the miracle that God does in the hearts of men. As men learn to become sons of the Father, they learn to father others starting with their own children.
If you get the men, you win the war. If you lose the men, you lose the war.
God ends the Old Testament with men, because change starts with men. God starts with men’s hearts because the ‘want to’ precedes the ‘how to’. Only when a man ‘wants to’ can that man apply the principles of ‘how to’ live, love, and lead like his Father.
The next stage of human history is now set. God does not inspire the writing of another book of the Bible and for 400 years, people wait for the Father to send the Son. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and revelation of the Father heart of God. Jesus turns our hearts toward the Father and gives men new hearts to love the Father and live in love like the Father. When this happens, the Kingdom of God begins to overtake the death of this world starting with blessing at home, flowing out to the church, and from there out to transform the culture that is cursed.
Parenting – especially when you’re a Christian – is a big responsibility.
Not only do you have to get your kids through the day alive and in one piece, but you also want to help them know and love Jesus. In fact, that’s your most important job as a parent!
So check out some tips from Grace and me and learn how you can nurture your kids spiritually, and help them to grow in their faith this year.
As a Christian parent, you want your kids to come to a faith of their own – and not rely on yours.
So should you treat them as Christians before they are? How do you encourage them to grow their own relationship with Jesus?
Watch as Pastor Mark and Grace share some tips – and explain why sometimes the boring testimonies are the best ones!
Trying to get the whole family in the car to get to church on time is hard – and it’s even harder when your kids complain that they don’t want to go. Many families face this problem, especially as the kids get older.
So when they don’t want to go to church with you, should you force them, or give them the responsibility to make their own decision?
Check out how Pastor Mark and Grace approach this situation – and get some tips on how to resolve any underlying conflict.
Do you have a question you’d like answered? Send it to [email protected] today!
Remember when you were a kid and you discovered that the Earth orbits the Sun? Mind blown!
Did you know that your soul was made for orbit, too? But not around the Sun – around the Son. As in, Jesus: the ultimate expression of God’s love.
Watch my video above to see why God’s infinite love is the only thing that keeps your soul in its correct orbit – and what happens when you try to replace Him.
Got a question you’d like me to answer? Send it to [email protected] today!
Have you ever found yourself asking your child, “Why’d you do that?”
As parents, we often think of our kids’ behavior as being good or bad – but it’s not that simple. And asking “Why?” is actually a really good question, because their answer will show you their heart.
So check out my video above to learn about the Four Kinds of Hearts – and how understanding your children’s heart can help you love them and bring out their best behavior.
Got a question you’d like me to answer? Send it to [email protected] today!
We wanted to take the final daily devotional of this series to honor Jesus Christ for his impact on children. No one in the history of the world has done more good for children than Jesus Christ. Tragically, the plight of children in the ancient world was horrendous. Both child sacrifice and child abandonment were … Read more
Sometimes, parents can think that their immature young children will become mature when they are older. However, when considering maturity, we have to also consider the age of the child. Our hope, prayer, and goal should be to help our child be mature for their age, no matter the age. At 2, we help them … Read more
Your child needs you to lead them. They are born into a fallen world with a sin nature, know nothing, have to learn everything, and would have a painful life filled with tragedy if left to themselves.
The Bible emphatically commands both parents and children. We read in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:12 that children must “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” It is good in God’s sight for parents to lovingly instruct, direct, and correct their child. The motive for parents must be the glory of God and the good of the child. This is what God means in saying that the goal of parenting is to raise children to live a long and good life.
In the New Testament, Ephesians 6:1-3 echoes the Ten Commandments, saying, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’” Therefore, as parents we must always seek to lead our children with the long view of the future in mind. In a moment, we can with frustration look down at our child and be short-term in our thinking. In the next moment, we must look up at the child’s future and see the fork in the road. On one path, rebellion and folly lead to death and destruction. On the other path, obedience and wisdom lead to a long life. As we constantly look into the future, we must help the child to do the same, walking with them into that future God intends for them.
The child must also submit to their parent and obey both their mother and father. Practically, this means that mom and dad need to be fully unified in the leading of the child. Furthermore, the child is expected by God to follow the parent into a future that is good.
Did you know that Jesus Christ, as a child, did just this? Even though he was perfect and had imperfect parents, he obeyed them. We read in Luke 2:51, “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” God obeyed his parents. Your child needs to obey you if they are to grow to become more and more like Jesus.
How good are you at leading your child? How good is your child at obeying and following your leadership? How can things be improved?
God became a child. At every age, children can relate to Jesus, because Jesus was their same age at some point. Jesus was a baby who had to learn to walk and talk. Jesus was a young child who had to learn to read and write. Jesus went through puberty where his voice started to deepen and he started to grow a beard. Jesus had to take out the garbage, do the dishes, obey his parents, and get along with his siblings.
What is also curious is that Jesus needed parents. Yes, Jesus is perfect and was the perfect child while on the earth. However, even a perfect child apparently needs a mom and dad. His mother Mary and father Joseph were hardworking, godly, rural, teenage peasants. If Jesus needed parents, your children do too–even more so. And, if Mary and Joseph could raise Jesus with limited resources, God will help you to do the same.
We know very little of Jesus’ early life as a child. The Scriptures are nearly altogether silent, although there are a few short passages that reference his childhood. We read in Luke 2:39-40, “And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” Luke 2:51–52 adds, “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
How did Jesus grow in every way? By the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what is described as being filled and living in God’s favor. This is a theme throughout Luke’s Gospel: “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14) and said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Luke 4:18). The power of the Holy Spirit is the key to raising a child. Ideally, a child would be filled with the Holy Spirit from a young age and grow in the grace of God as they age. This was the pattern with Jesus. As parents and caregivers, helping our child understand the ministry of and relationship with the Holy Spirit can help them live by the same power and grow in the same sort of character as Jesus Christ.
How is your personal relationship with the Holy Spirit? How is your child’s personal relationship with the Holy Spirit?