Thu, Jun 3rd - 10:46AM
Asking the Right Question
The story is told about a rich woman who lived back in the day of horse drawn carriages. It seems that her faithful carriage driver of many years was retiring and she was interviewing others for the prestigious position. The first driver came in and boasted that he could drive her carriage within 3 feet of a shear cliff and never fall over. The second drive entered and boasted that his horses were so good he could drive them within 18 inches of the cliff and not fall into the canyon below. The third driver came in and explained that he tried to stay as far away from the edge of the cliff as possible. Guess which one she hired? The third driver, of course! He is the one who placed her safety as his utmost concern.
A similar dichotomy happens in our spiritual lives as well. There are times when we flirt with sin by seeing how much we can get away with before it becomes sin. Though flirting can be fun, it can also be very dangerous.
Parents, we need to teach our children (and grandchildren) that it is not how close they can come to sinning without actually doing it...the question should be, “How far away from sin can they stay?”
Teens, when you ask the question, “How far can I go with my boyfriend/girlfriend?” you are asking the wrong question. The question should be, “What can we do to keep us as far as possible from falling into sin?”
Have we forgotten that God hates sin?! So, why do we treat it as something so harmless. Why we do so often say, “Who is it really harming after all?” we hear.
Parents, living the lives God desires of us takes discipline, but it’s worth it and teaching our children how to practice self-control...now that will prepare them for success in this life and afterward.
The Bible says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...” (I Peter 5:8-9a)
Doing it yourself...and teaching this principle to your children...will keep you and your family safe from those cliffs in life that cause certain destruction.
Comment (2)
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Wed, Mar 31st - 11:35AM
What Must Your Children Think?
Children are smart! Even if they don’t do well on the MSA’s, SAT’s or any other exam they’ll take during their years in school. They are smart! They learn much about life by simply watching and listening. When children see a mom in the kitchen for hours preparing great meals for her family they learn something about what is important to her. When they see dad reading car magazines, going to car shows, always talking about and tweaking his car they learn something about what is important to their dad. They learn about priorities by observing how their parent(s) spend their money and their time.
If their dad claimed to love the outdoors, but spent every free minute inside...the children are smart enough to realize what their dad said didn’t match what he did. If their mom avowed a love for reading, but spent all her leisure time in front of the TV...well, the children would certainly have good cause to doubt her claim to love reading. You get the point. What we do speaks so much louder than what we say and our children are plenty smart enough to know the difference. Let’s consider this truth in light of spiritual things. What must your children think if they seldom see you read your Bible, attend church or pray? What do they learn about the proper way to speak to others when they hear the language you use when you are angry? Parents...your children’s view of God is largely determined by what you model to them. If He is not important to you...then He won’t be important to them. Actions do speak louder than words. What are your actions teaching your smart children?
Something to think about!!!
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| June 2010 |
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Name: Douglas Courter
