Legacy

Hope for Your Family

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Who do you know and care about and are concerned because they do not know Jesus? Which family members are you concerned about because they do not have a healthy relationship with God and assurance of eternal life?

There is hope for your family to be found in the story of Jesus’ own family. In John 7:5 we read, “not even his brothers believed in him.” For a season, Jesus’ own family, including his half-brothers, did not believe in Him or support His ministry.

Thankfully, after Jesus’ resurrection, His family began believing in Him and serving in His ministry. We read that His mother Mary was part of the early church (Acts 1:14). Jesus’ brother James became a leader in the early church and wrote a book of the Bible bearing his name. Jesus’ brother Jude became a pillar of the church with Peter (Galatians 2:9), helped oversee an early church council (Acts 15), and also wrote a book of the Bible bearing his name.

Sometimes, people grow up in a godly home and are exposed to lots of healthy teaching and modeling but do not embrace all of it for themselves. This was the case for Jesus’ own family. There is great hope, however, for your family members in the story of Jesus’ family. Eventually, they came around to deep and true Christian faith and once they did they remained devoutly devoted to Jesus for the rest of their life. Don’t lose hope, but keep on praying for and speaking to those you love in hopes that their story is like the story of Jesus’ family.

Make a list of the people you care for, starting with family members, who you can be praying for and speaking to about Jesus.

How do you make time to study the Bible together?

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You know that studying the Bible together would be good for your family – but life keeps getting in the way.

It can be hard to make time to sit in the Word together, but the results are always worth it!

So get some tips from Grace and me on how you can figure out what works for you – and build habits to help you grow together in God’s Word.

John #3 – Start with Jesus to Understand God’s Will for Your Life: John 1:35-51

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How do you discover God’s will for your life? Jesus first disciples had jobs they worked and a life course they had plotted. All of that changed, however, when Jesus came along and asked them to follow Him. The same is true for Jesus’ followers today. By understanding who Jesus is and what life in relationship with Him looks like, you too can begin to uncover God’s will for your life and walk with Jesus.

How do you bring God into your home life?

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Modeling a real faith for your kids is a tough job. You don’t want to wait for something to go wrong and then start telling your kids how much God loves them; it just won’t work.

It’s better to make God the center of your home life and your everyday routine and a normal part of your family conversations.

But that can be hard, too, especially if you didn’t grow up in a Christian home.

Watch as Grace and I discuss how you can bring God into your home life – and help your kids’ faith flourish!

If you have a question you’d like answered, email it to [email protected] today!

Law #4 – The Law of Knowing God’s Will

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When I was younger, I loved playing baseball. I especially loved pitching. Today, as the father of three boys who all pitch, I love sitting under the sunny skies of Scottsdale, Arizona, watching my boys take the mound for year-round baseball.

If you know much about baseball, you know that there are multiple kinds of pitchers. Some are left handed, others are right handed. Some throw fast, others slow. Some can pitch many innings, others are only good for a few batters.

A good coach takes all the pitchers and puts them together into something called a bullpen. The coach then calls in each pitcher to meet the needs of a specific situation during the game. Why? Because a bullpen is far more effective than just one pitcher.

In life, you are a coach. What you need is a bullpen. This is more than a mentor. I believe that having a mentor is actually a myth. There is no one person who can help you get through every situation of your life. As you make plans for your life, it is good to assemble a bullpen of specialists – various people who are wise at finances, marriage, parenting, health, business, legal, theology, and so on, respectively. When you need them, you can then call them in to your life to help you get through whatever you are facing without wearing one person out to be there for you all the time.

The Bible speaks of this kind of a bullpen as wise counsel. Proverbs 13:20 says it this way, “Walk with the wise and become wise,” and Proverbs 15:22 says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Also, Proverbs 24:5–6 says, “The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.”  

How can you benefit from wise counsel to help you make your plan for this year? To start, Proverbs 12:15 teaches us to listen and learn: “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” Here are some very practical things to consider to maximize your bullpen of wise counselors:

Prayerfully and carefully choose wise counsel
Formally schedule a time with them at their convenience
Show up prepared, with your questions and a way to write down what you learn
Listen and learn – do not say a lot
Ask them for any resources you could use for further study
Thank them
Pray for them before leaving
Act on their instruction
Send a follow-up thank you
At MarkDriscoll.org there is a special four-part series this month called Four Biblical Laws That Change Your Life, available for a gift of any amount. This brand-new content is a series of lectures and accompanying homework by Pastor Mark Driscoll to help you make this a godly and great year, by God’s grace.

Law #3 – The Law of Wise Counsel

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When I was younger, I loved playing baseball. I especially loved pitching. Today, as the father of three boys who all pitch, I love sitting under the sunny skies of Scottsdale, Arizona, watching my boys take the mound for year-round baseball.

If you know much about baseball, you know that there are multiple kinds of pitchers. Some are left handed, others are right handed. Some throw fast, others slow. Some can pitch many innings, others are only good for a few batters.

A good coach takes all the pitchers and puts them together into something called a bullpen. The coach then calls in each pitcher to meet the needs of a specific situation during the game. Why? Because a bullpen is far more effective than just one pitcher.

In life, you are a coach. What you need is a bullpen. This is more than a mentor. I believe that having a mentor is actually a myth. There is no one person who can help you get through every situation of your life. As you make plans for your life, it is good to assemble a bullpen of specialists – various people who are wise at finances, marriage, parenting, health, business, legal, theology, and so on, respectively. When you need them, you can then call them in to your life to help you get through whatever you are facing without wearing one person out to be there for you all the time.

The Bible speaks of this kind of a bullpen as wise counsel. Proverbs 13:20 says it this way, “Walk with the wise and become wise,” and Proverbs 15:22 says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Also, Proverbs 24:5–6 says, “The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.”  

How can you benefit from wise counsel to help you make your plan for this year? To start, Proverbs 12:15 teaches us to listen and learn: “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” Here are some very practical things to consider to maximize your bullpen of wise counselors:

Prayerfully and carefully choose wise counsel
Formally schedule a time with them at their convenience
Show up prepared, with your questions and a way to write down what you learn
Listen and learn – do not say a lot
Ask them for any resources you could use for further study
Thank them
Pray for them before leaving
Act on their instruction
Send a follow-up thank you
At MarkDriscoll.org there is a special four-part series this month called Four Biblical Laws That Change Your Life, available for a gift of any amount. This brand-new content is a series of lectures and accompanying homework by Pastor Mark Driscoll to help you make this a godly and great year, by God’s grace.

Law #2 – The Law of Planning

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The country you live in has founding documents that guide the decisions that are made for its citizens. The business you work for has vision, mission, and strategic plan to provide clear goals that all resources are positioned to achieve. The sports team you play on has clear rules and a method by which a score is kept and a winner is pronounced. Unfortunately, many—if not most—people, don’t really have any of these sorts of plans for their personal life. As decisions and opportunities arise, we just do our best to make a good decision. The problem is that such decisions are often made in isolation from the rest of life.

Jesus speaks of this very problem in Luke 14:28–32:

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.”

What Jesus is appealing to is the Law of Planning. As the old adage goes, when we fail to plan we plan to fail!

When it comes to making a plan for your life and family, it is helpful to start with your priorities. I believe the following is a good guideline for our priorities:

Relationship with God
Relationship with Spouse
Relationship with Children & Grandchildren
Work
Ministry
Hobby
Two things happen when we have our life out of alignment from God’s priorities for us. First, God gets jealous. God does not like it when something like our job overtakes Him as the priority in our life. Second, the people in our life become jealous because someone or something has taken their place. Jealousy is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, jealousy is simply how a person rightly feels when someone or something else has taken their place as a priority. To help guard against this, we need a plan for our life that considers our priorities.

One of the greatest planners in the Bible is a man named Nehemiah. The books of Nehemiah and Esther are largely devoted to him making and implementing a plan for the urban renewal of the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah did research, drew up specific construction and architecting plans, and had a budget, legal plan, public relations plan, security plan, travel plan, fundraising plan, business plan, ministry plan, and communications plan. Throughout the project, he prays, plans, and pivots. By praying, he gets his plan from God. In sharing his plan with others, he invites them to do their part in the plan. As circumstances changed, when needed, he pivoted from his plan.

This is a great example for you. Do you have a prayerful plan for your life?

At MarkDriscoll.org there is a special four-part series this month called Four Biblical Laws That Change Your Life, available for a gift of any amount. This brand-new content is a series of lectures and accompanying homework by Pastor Mark Driscoll to help you make this a godly and great year, by God’s grace.

Law #1 – The Law of Seasons

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Some years ago, I was travelling with someone during the winter. Our trip started in sunny Southern California, then continued on to windy and snowy Illinois. Unfortunately, my travelling partner was so excited about going to California that he forgot to pack for the winter weather in Illinois. I was humored when he was trying to hike over a snow bank with freezing feet because the only shoes he packed were flip-flops.

This is the law of seasons. The same God who made the natural world with seasons has also woven seasons into our life. When we do not pay attention to and honor the season, we end up making life more painful and difficult than it should be. This is what Proverbs 20:4 means: “Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.” 

God wants your life, year after year starting this year, to be like a healthy tree that honors the seasons and flourishes. This is what Psalm 1:1–3 means:

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

As we honor the seasons of life and dig our roots into healthy circumstances and relationships, our life becomes fruitful year after year.

When we fail to recognize that our entire life, and each year of our life, has seasons, we become confused and frustrated. Something that used to work, no longer works. What used to deliver positive results, no longer does. In this way, the flip-flops that were perfect for the summer become a problem in the winter.

How do you know when the season of your life is changing? Transition. When a major life transition comes, you are leaving one season and entering into another season of life. Consider your life. Have you recently experienced any of these seasonal transitions?

Divorce
Death of a Spouse
Death of Parent or Child
Relocation
Job/Career Change
Bankruptcy
Major Job Loss
Illness (Personal or a Close Family Member)
Empty Nest
If any of these transitions, or others like them, are part of your life, you need a plan for the next season of life, which we will consider in the next devotional entry.

At MarkDriscoll.org there is a special four-part series this month called Four Biblical Laws That Change Your Life, available for a gift of any amount. This brand-new content is a series of lectures and accompanying homework by Pastor Mark Driscoll to help you make this a godly and great year, by God’s grace.

Want to help your kids grow?

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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.

Should you force your kids to go to church?

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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!

Born Again (Part 16): You Can Leave a New Legacy!

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People who are justified by Jesus and born again by the Spirit have a life in which their faith manifests itself in good works. In this way, the faith is seen in the good works that are birthed from regeneration.

Jesus’ word picture in Matthew 7:15–20 is wonderfully clear in explaining how born again people live:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Jesus’ point is that a Christian is like a healthy tree that bears fruit in the form of good works done as acts of worship out of a new heart that loves God. He contrasts the regenerated person with a diseased tree, the unregenerated person who bears bad fruit because his life is simply the harvest of his heart. That is what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 7:21, which was part of the original question on which this chapter is based, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

We are not saved by but to our good works. Ephesians 2:8– 10 says it this way: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Therefore, you do not have to do good works so that God will save you; rather, if you are justified and regenerated, you get to do good works because Jesus already has saved you.

Why? Because you cannot meet Jesus without changing. And, that is what being born again is all about!

Have you given your self and sin to Jesus Christ and been born again? If not, please make the decision to become a new person new a new relationship with Jesus starting today!

Your soul’s orbit

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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!