A Family Is . . .

A deeply rooted tree with branches of different strengths all receiving nourishment from our Father in heaven.

 

Where character is formed, values are learned, and society is preserved.

 

Where all members contribute a share, cooperate and work, and accept their responsibilities toward the good of the group.

 

Where holidays are celebrated with feasting, birthdays are acknowledged with gifts, and thoughts of days gone by are kept alive with fond remembrances.

 

Where each can find solace and comfort in grief; pleasure and laughter in joy; and kindness and encouragement in daily living.

 

A haven of rest, a sanctuary of peace, and most of all, a harbor of love.

 

“And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:18)

Suggestions for Rearing Your Children for Christ [Part 2]

(6) Speak often of the joys of serving God (Philippians 4:4). Sing songs together about it (never with an instrument, Colossians 3:16). Instill in them a longing to go to heaven.

(7) Spend the necessary time to be the main spiritual teacher of your children, more than the preacher or teacher (Ephesians 6:4).

(8) Teach them that lying is one of the worst things they could ever do (Revelation 21:8, 27), and punish them firmly if they do (Proverbs 29:15-17).

(9) Train them early in principles of modesty, and you won't have to combat short shorts, scanty tops, and scanty swim suits in years to come (1 Timothy 2:9).

(10) Keep their speech pure by not allowing yourself or them to ever use profanity or even a substitute such as golly, gee, gosh, darn, and heck (Matthew 12:36-37).

Suggestions for Rearing Your Children for Christ [Part 1]

(1) Begin regular spiritual training now and continue through all their developing years (Proverbs 22:6).

(2) Clearly demonstrate to them at all times that God is the most important thing in your life, by never allowing other things to interfere with the worship and work of the Lord (Matthew 6:33).

(3) Let their early memories include daily readings of Bible stories and Bible discussions in the family circle (2 Timothy 3:15).

(4) Give them their own Bible even before they can read. Read to them from it at home and have them take it to church services (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). In their preschool years have them begin a lifetime habit of regular memorization and review important Bible verses (Psalm 119:11,16).

(5) Teach them to pray by having them repeat after you phrase by phrase. Pray audibly with them daily (Ephesians 6:18). [Never teach them to memorize a prayer.]

I Can Sleep When the Wind Blows

A young man applying for a job on a farm was asked what he knew how to do. He replied, “Sir, I know nothing about farm work, but I can sleep when the wind blows.” 

 

The farmer did not understand, but as he was desperate for help, he employed the young man.

 

A few nights later a terrible storm blew in. The farmer was wakened and ran to the young man’s room.

 

There, just as he had said, he was sleeping through the storm. Rather than trying to awaken the youth, the farmer himself ran out to the barn to check the animals and equipment. He found the doors to the barn tightly shut. The animals were in their shelter, properly secured. Then he remembered the pile of straw the wind would be blowing in all directions, but he found it covered with canvas and tied down. Everything was secure.

 

On the way back to the house, he remembered what the young man had said: “I can sleep when the wind blows.” And he understood.

 

What about us? Can we have the confidence to live through life’s storms? Are we fulfilling all our obligations to God? Are our “chores” done? - Olden Cook

 

“I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

ALL THE DOORS WERE OPENED

ALL THE DOORS WERE OPENED

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed (Acts 16:25-26).

As you read this, you may feel that life is passing you by. You often experience success in one area and gross defeat in others. You need a burning desire for the future, the kind of desire that overcomes past fear and inhibitions. You will remain chained to your past and all the secrets therein until you decide: enough is enough! I am telling you that when your desire for the future peaks, you can break out of prison. I challenge you to sit down and write 30 things you would like to do with your life and scratch them off, one by one, as you accomplish them. There is no way you can plan for the future and dwell in the past at the same time. I feel an earthquake coming into your prison! It is midnight - the turning point of days! It is your time for a change. Praise God and escape out of the dungeons of your past.

Don't allow the enemy to plug into you and violate you through his subtle seductions. He is a giver and he is looking for a receiver. You must discern his influence if you are going to rebuke him. Anything that comes, any mood that is not in agreement with God's Word, is satan trying to plug into the earthly realm through your life. He want you to believe that you cannot change. He loves prisons and chains! Statements like, "This is just the way I am" or "I am in a terrible mood today" come from lips that accept what they ought to reject. Never allow yourself to settle for anything less than the attitude God wants you to have in your heart. Don't let satan have your day, your spouse, or your home. Adam and Eve could have put the devil out!

T.D.JAKES

POWER TO THE WEAK

POWER TO THE WEAK

He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength (Isaiah 40:29).
The Bible says that God "gives power to the weak [faint], and to those who have no might He increases strength" (Isa. 40:29). He is saying, "I won't kill you because you fainted or are weak. I give power to the weak."

When you start losing the strength you once had, you are fainting. When you can hardly stand up and you begin to stagger in the throes of sin, lust, envy, and strife, God declares, "I give power to you!"
If you have looked inside yourself and cannot muster the strength to get up, God says, "I will increase your strength."

God will not only raise you up, but He'll give you enough power to pull yourself up if you stumble again. He won't help you up so you can be handicapped the rest of your life. No. He gives power to the faint, and to those who are weak He gives strength.

Are you weak with no willpower, no strength, no ability within yourself to resist the enemy? When your body gets tired, remember God and His strength. When satan begins to attack you, remember the power of God residing within your innermost being. Remember that God does not faint or grow weary. In fact, the Holy One does not even sleep.

T.D.JAKES

THE COMMANDMENTS

John 14:15

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

A Life of Gratitude

Jesus went to the cross and died for us. Shouldn’t we feel forever indebted to Him? Naturally we should, but how can we ever repay Him? The truth is we cannot ever repay Him for paying a debt He didn’t owe, for a debt we could never repay in a million lifetimes, so shouldn’t our natural desire be to do what He asks us to do (Matt 28:18-20)? The debt we owe is like that of the man who owed his master five hundred denarii (Luke 7:41). Which of them would the master love more: the one who owed only fifty denarii or the one who owed five hundred? Certainly the latter, so we ought to want to obey Christ and keep His commands out of sheer gratitude and love for laying down His life for us (John 15:13).

Don’t Hurt Yourself

The commandments are not so much don’t do this and don’t do that, but don’t hurt yourself because the commandments are given for our best interests. Just like speed limit signs are there so we won’t get hurt or even killed and others won’t hurt or kill us, so the commandments are given so that we won’t hurt ourselves or hurt others. These laws are not meant to stifle our joy, but to make us live a life that is more joyful. When we obey the laws of the land, we can have peace of mind that we’re not in any trouble with the law, but when we break these man-made but God- ordained laws (Rom 13:1-4), we have every right to worry. Worry robs us of joy, but obedience gives us peace of mind and increases the likelihood of having a life that is more joyful.

Happy is the Man or Woman

The man or woman who delights in keeping God’s law will be blessed (Psalm 112:1). The person who walks in them, which means the person who obeys them, will have God’s blessing upon them (Psalm 119:1). If you think that God’s law is important, consider that the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the entire Bible is about God’s law (Psalm 119). We gain understanding when we keep His law (Psalm 119:34). There is a delightful feeling in keeping His law (Psalm 119:70). It is more valuable than all the riches in the world (Psalm 119:72). We know that the law is perfect, holy, and true (Psalm 119:142; Psalm 19:7). It brings great peace (Psalm 119:165), and it restores or revives the soul (Psalm 19:7). Why shouldn’t we desire to keep it? It is for our own good.

A Closing Prayer

Great heavenly Father, please forgive me where I fall short of loving Your law because You and Your Word cannot be separated from one another, and I know that Your law is what is best for me. I thank You for showing us Your great love for us in Your holy and perfect law, and it is in the Great Savior’s Name I pray.

Amen