3 John 4
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
There are many things that fill us with joy. Some of them are quite simple, like seeing a rainbow, or when our team wins. Others are much deeper, like our wedding day, or the birth of a child. John lived a long life and, no doubt, had his share of experiences that produced joy, making his statement here all the more valuable. He states, of all the things that have brought a smile to his face, nothing can compare to knowing his children are walking with the Lord.
As parents, we desire what is best for our children. It is natural for us to want them to have what we have, and more. We want them to have a happy childhood, get a good education, and make healthy choices as adults. While it is natural for us to want our children to succeed in life, making a decision to follow Christ, is the most important goal.
If we want to see our children walking with the Lord, we cannot leave it in the realm of the desire. Passing on Biblical values and a Christian witness, must be our chief priority. However, each individual must make his own decision for the Lord. Even the best parents have children that walk away from the Lord (Adam and Eve backslid, as did the Prodigal Son). That being said, there are things we can do to increase the odds, and provide an atmosphere which is more likely to produce godly children. Below is a list of ideas that should be demonstrated in our homes.
1. A godly example – Children learn more by what they see, than what they are told.
2. A healthy marriage – One of the best things you can do for the spiritual health of your children is to invest in your spouse.
3. Daily devotions – First, you need to have them yourself. The more you grow in the Lord, the better you will be at instilling godliness in others. Second, find a way to share the things of God with your children. Read the Gospel stories to them before bed.
4. Church attendance – God designed the church as a place for us to grow in Christ. Get the children plugged into age appropriate classes at church. They might not enjoy sitting next to you in service, but will love being in class with other children.
5. Serve the Lord as a family – Don’t force the children to do what they hate. Find an area of service they will enjoy, and commit to serving as a family.
I understand there are some parents who are grieving because, even after all their efforts, their child has chosen to walk away from the Lord. Do not live under condemnation for all the things you think you did wrong. Instead, receive the forgiveness that Jesus provides, and PRAY DAILY for your child. God is in the business of reconciliation, and He loves our children more than we can ever imagine.
Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Pastor Jim
Life can cause us to misunderstand God. In the midst of difficulty, it is common to respond like the disciples who cried out, “Lord don’t you care that we are perishing” (Mark 4:38)? It is during those times, we need to cling all the more to the promises of God. Circumstances are often misleading. If we want to know how God truly feels about us, we need to look into the pages of His Word. Isaiah declares that God rejoices over us. I have had the privilege of performing quite a few weddings. My favorite part of the ceremony is to look at the face of the groom as his bride appears. The sheer joy on his face is electric. God declares his love for us is like that of a groom with his bride. Whatever difficulty you are in the midst of, take some time to sit with the Lord and look at His precious promises. Allow His Word to do the work of washing, reviving, and empowering you to keep pressing on. There is nothing more powerful in all the world than the voice of God. With it, He spoke the world into existence, and with it, He will speak strength and comfort into you.
At the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, Israel was resisting the Lord. They decided following God restricted them from really moving forward, so they began a quest pursuing the gods of other nations. Sadly, their pursuit not only left them empty, but at odds with God. Part of the Prophet’s ministry was to remind the people of the blessings that would become theirs once they returned to the Lord. One of the greatest of these benefits was experiencing grace.
Isaiah paints a beautiful picture to illustrate salvation and its benefits. He writes it is like a well from which the waters of life can be drawn, and the child of God can be filled with joy. He goes on to say that we should declare this to all people.
It is often difficult to watch someone whose spirit is broken. They had once been so full of life but now seem to be a shell of their former self. They lack enthusiasm, vision, and the will to press forward. As difficult as it may have been to watch Job in this condition, as a reader we can certainly understand why he felt this way. His circumstances had crushed his spirit and brought him to a place where life seemed hopeless.
Chapter 8 brings us to the climax of the book of Nehemiah. After the grueling task of building the walls was completed, the people gathered together to celebrate the Lord. Ezra the priest, stood on the a stage and began reading and explaining the Word of God. One by one the people began to weep as their sins were exposed in light of the Word.
A few years back, a good friend of mine was applying for a new job. When he returned from his interview he was very excited. Naturally, I asked him how it went. He replied, “It is such a good job! Because of the company’s connections, I will get deals on hotels, flights, cruises, and be able to travel for a fraction of normal rates.” After describing, in much greater detail, many of the peripheral benefits of his new job, I did not have the heart to ask him what he would be doing everyday; or to remind him he would only have one week of vacation to enjoy all these benefits. Sometimes, a reminder of the benefits is all we need to keep us pressing on through the difficult times.
This chapter records the successful military endeavors of King David. We read of his defeating, or subduing, at least eight separate kingdoms, as he established Israel among the strongest of the nations. His military exploits resulted in peace and prosperity for Israel, and the entire region. However, I think it is worth noting that while we read, “David attacked, David defeated or David subdued”, scripture makes it clear, he did none of these things on his own. His exploits were accompanied by both the presence of the Lord and a host of faithful men. As the chapter concludes, we read of Joab, Jehoshaphat, Zadok, Abimelech, Shavsha, Benaiah and David’s sons, all of whom served alongside the king, making this success possible. David started out as a Lone Ranger, stepping into the valley of Elah when no one else would, but as time went on, a host of others teamed with him to accomplish the work of God.
Jim Gallagher 