Why I still need Grace

I had a rough day the other day…I guess I’ve had a number of rough days recently for different reasons.  But the other day was particularly hard.  And its not for any one reason.  I didn’t get much sleep the night before so was tired.  I didn’t have much sleep because I was up late finishing something that was due the next day.  Because I had things due the next day I didn’t get to spend the time with my family in the morning that I ought to have.  Throughout the day things just didn’t seem right.  My service to the Lord was off, I felt distracted, not quite “with it” as my father in law says.  I  misunderstood some things on a number of occasions that took conversations that I had in the wrong direction.  I felt pretty awful most of the day.  Things just didn’t seem right.  You ever had a day like that?

I guess I still haven’t quite recovered from that but have taken to listening to a particular song recently that encouraged me a great deal.  (Sometimes I feel like Saul whose only help from a distressing spirit was song…not that I feel like I have a distressing spirit attacking me or anything like that, though I guess you never know with those sorts of things).  Anyway, this particular song is about the “long way home.”  The songwriter sings about a great adventure that he started out on when his Father took him on a journey.  And that he didn’t know when he started how deep the valleys would be and how high the mountains would be.  But what he did know, because of his Father, was that he was going to make it…that he’d make it there soon and that he just needed to keep pressing on to that time.  Thats some good theology.  Theology is not only found in text books, sometimes its in a song (in fact it should be in all of our songs to one another in the body of Christ Colossians 3:16).  Regardless its what I needed to hear.

Couple that with an exhortation that my prof gave in class a couple of weeks ago going through I Corinthians 10.  “No temptation has come upon you but such as is common to man.”  When I was in the midst of my gloomy day I felt lonely.  I didn’t feel lonely because I was physically alone or because I didn’t have support available from family or friend.  But I felt lonely because I was thinking that no one else really understood what was on my heart and in my mind, even if I did explain it either they still wouldn’t understand or else whatever I said would just be making excuses or complaining and so I should just keep my mouth shut.  I mean, I really wanted to do the right thing by not complaining or making excuses, its far easier to do that then to simply hold your tongue when you know you’re not having the best day.  At any rate, the Lord reminded me by that passage that there really is no temptation, no trouble, no problem that has come upon me but what is common to all men.  Whatever you are facing today, I am 99% sure that someone else in the history of others has gone through it before…and made it through.  And odds are that you’ve experienced the same, or similar things before in your life and made it through.  And so its really not as bad as you think it is.  Of course going through a long, dark tunnel, walking through a deep valley or climbing a steep mountain will always feel like a long dark tunnel, a deep valley and a steep mountain.  But the fact that we can call it a dark tunnel, deep valley or steep mountain means that someone has gone before us (to the other side) in order to identify it and distinguish it from the eternal Abyss that it feels like.  And that also means that we too can make it through.

I don’t know what it is for you.  I know what it is for me.  Life is busy and many things are difficult.  But they are not insurmountable because I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to keep me through it all.  I know that He is coming for me soon (though soon may be 5 minutes or 50 years), I know that He is coming.  And I know that the uncomfortable, distasteful change and trial that I endure is really only for a short time in comparison to the immeasurable richness of His Kindness that He has in store for me.  If you know Jesus…this is for you.  Until then, remember when you have those hard days, when you are not quite right, remember that this is why He gives greater grace.

Maranatha (Our Lord, come!)

Trayvon Martin

The case of Trayvon Martin is both sad and tragic.  Certainly there is much that we simply do not know concerning the events that took place that evening.  Many will assume that they know based on the limited information that has been slowly leaked from the media.  But the only ones who really know what happened on that night were Trayvon Martin, Mr. Zimmerman and God.  Besides that as much as we like to speculate, amateur arm-chair detectives that we are, we simply don’t have the first hand knowledge of what happened.

What do we know?  We know that it is a tragedy and that this dear family is mourning the loss of their son who at the end of the day will not be returned to them no matter what the exact circumstances were at the time, or no matter the outcome of the investigation.  We know that some things were likely not handled correctly nor with equity for all who are involved.  We also know that there are many who would seek to use this tragedy as a platform for increased visibility and as an opportunity to ride their soap box of choice.   Furthermore, we know that the apparent racial prejudices surrounding this tragedy are had on both sides.  Neither side will admit but both still harbor feelings of prejudice.  And it takes situations like this (which would not likely breach the news if both parties were either black or white) to bring out those apparent and remaining prejudices.

What does this tragic event in the life of our theoretically socially advanced society remind us of…those of us who desire a heart of wisdom and not merely a heart that holds on to bitterness and pride?

1.  Sin is still a problem.  That is a no brainer…at least it should be.  Any death is a reminder for us that sin is still a problem.  The Scripture says that the wages of sin is death.  Thus all die because all sin.  The tragic nature of death only intensifies the reality of the sin problem.  Whether a person dies of old age, cancer, a car wreck or a gunshot wound, death is both tragic in itself and a tragic reminder that mankind, the human race has a sin problem that has not yet been resolved.  But there is One who has been appointed to resolve this problem.

2.  Race is still a problem.  The way that we use race is really misleading.  If you are a person of faith then we understand that there are no separate races, for we are all born from one man, Adam.  And even if that were not so (I am speaking in foolish terms because it is inconceivable to me that we would have come from an animal which is much lesser in significance than we are in the eyes of our Creator) even if it were true that we evolved from monkeys we would still only be one race of people…all having the same ancestry, all having the same blood pulsing through our veins.  If we have all come from different places in the world or have all had different tongues in recent years, these things are not enough to makes such a grandiose claim that there is more than one race.  Thus in my mind race should not be an issue.

Furthermore, to those who have faith, in Christ there is no distinction to be made between those who are from one people group or another.  All who are in Christ are a part of God’s family and thus are brother and sister.  That ought to be our attitude.  “Our people” are God’s people.  The color of your skin, the culture of those who are closest to you in relation should not matter.  Christ should.  Now I don’t expect for those who are without the faith to understand nor to consent to this latter point.  But it saddens and sometimes deeply disturbs me to hear those who would profess to be followers of Christ quick to claim their allegiance to skin color rather than Christ.  Racial inequity continues and will continue because men are sinners.  We who have faith ought not respond as if we are just like them, without knowledge, without faith.  Continuing to focus on racial inequity, using it as a platform to further hatred and division does not help to solve the problem and it dishonors the Lord who died so that we (people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation) would have peace together in Him.

Christian, do not marvel at the sin of the world.  Magnify the glory of Christ in His Church of diverse peoples.  Use these tragic days, not as a means of perpetuating hatred but rather as a means of propogating the gospel of Christ that reconciles sinners one to another.

3.  Injustice is a problem.  This is related to the first point.  Injustice is as a result of sin.  Between a man and his neighbor, between the accused and the judge in the courtroom, between citizen and King; injustice abounds.  And this is so because of sin.  When men do unjust things to one another (whether by fist or by gunshot) we ought to mourn.  And we ought to mourn because a man has lifted up his fist against another who is also made in the likeness of God.  Both men are made in His image and thus both ought to be honored.  And yet dishonor is done between one man and another and this ought not be so.  It dishonors our collective human race when men act unjustly towards one another.  Besides which who is competent between two sinners?  Would you be a just judge between those two men who lifted up their hands against each other?  Are your hands innocent of shed blood?  Have you never hated another man in your heart?  Let you who are without sin cast the first stone against Zimmerman.   Who among men is able to do such a thing?  We dare not use our own fallen, wicked, sin stained judgment against a man whom we do not know, in a situation in which we have incomplete knowledge to judge his wickedness when we have our own.  You who call for justice, what about the justice due concerning your sin against others?  What about the hatred that you’ve had in your heart against your mother, father, brother, neighbor?  What about the times when you’ve lifted your hand in anger against another?  What about your infidelity?  What about your foolish pride?  Who will bring justice against your wickedness against the God of Heaven?  There is One who has been appointed and who is worthy to resolve this matter of injustice.

4.  Whatever happened to compassion?  We – bystanders – pride ourselves in having the “right” response of outrage, awe and are quick to judge.  I could certainly understand the response of shock, disbelief, grief, perhaps hatred, and a desire for justice from the family who lost their son in a such a senseless way.   These emotions are quite natural when we go through such trials.   But beyond the initial shock, what ought our response be to Mr. Zimmerman?  No matter what the circumstances his life is now ruined.  Do we dare think that he took lightly to murdering a young man in the street?  Do we think that he failed to consider the ramifications of this to his family?  Perhaps the answer to those things is yes.  Perhaps he was so callous as to murder a young man in cold blood.  Perhaps he simply didn’t care what ramifications it would have on him or his family.  Should we respond to him with hatred or with pity?  Whether he took these things lightly or carefully considered and did it only as a last resort as he claims, we ought not respond to him with hatred but with pity.  When he pulled that trigger he changed the lives of many.  Each one of us will give an account one day before The Judge.  The One who has All Authority to cast both body and soul into Hell.  And each one of us will stand before Him and have to answer for what deeds we’ve done in the body.   This man will have to one day give an account to the Judge, of all flesh, for why he chose to take the life of that young man on that day.  And His judgment then will be final and severe.  We do not have to seek revenge for this young man’s death.  Scripture says clearly “leave room for His vengance, ‘vengance is mine I will repay, says the Lord.’”  Rather we ought to pity him.  And we ought to, as we are also exhorted, “love our enemies.”  Whatever was his reasoning, in times past, perhaps today, (perhaps even now while you are reading my post disagreeing with my every word) you have had hatred enough in your heart to pull the trigger against another.  Bottom line…you are no better.

I recall the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death where many, including many Christians, were almost rejoicing at his death.  I wrote a post about that here  The Death of the Wicked.  My thoughts then are essentially the same as they are now.  I am speaking to you believer.  We ought not join with them in the folly of their judgments on matters too great for our limited wisdom to discern.  The Lord will Judge.  The Day is coming soon enough when justice and equity will be brought upon the Earth.  In that day, every lofty heart, every foolish thought, every bit of hatred, every ounce of prejudice, all strife, wars and rumors of wars, everyone who has ever thumbed their nose against the All Mighty God will be silenced.  And He will have His Day.  The race of men will fall.  Only those who are in the 2nd Adam will stand.

I am saddened for Trayvon, his family, Mr. Zimmerman and his family.  It saddens me that death still reigns, and that inequity and injustice are still part and parcel in our day.  What is sadder yet is all of those who presume to have a handle on how to judge others when they haven’t considered in what way they themselves will be judged by the Lord.   But I am hopeful in a God who has provided both a Savior to remedy the problem of death by taking away our sin (including our pride against others), and a Lord who will some day soon return bringing justice and equity to all.

Maranatha

A humbling reminder…

I had a bad attitude today…a sinful attitude.  Its easy to justify a sinful response to someone, particularly when you feel that you have rightly discerned their heart and motive in the matter.  But that justification is just as wrong as any justification that they might render concerning their own behavior; furthermore my discernment is not infallible.  So what makes the difference between them and I?  As far as I know, from their behavior they are not a follower of Christ.  And yet based solely on my own heart response (even if I suppressed foolish behavior) some might wonder if I were a follower of Christ.  So what makes the difference?

I guess the difference comes in what I do with that sinful response.  For the one who follows Christ sin must be dealt with.  Really there are two issues involved in a situation like this.  First is what do you do with a person who has sinned against you?  How do you respond to such a thing.  Second is – if you haven’t responded well – what do you do with your sinful attitude.  Really the other person has probably gone on about their business for the day, they aren’t even thinking about you but you are still fuming.  I’m trying to be real with this because I struggled with it for quite a bit this afternoon.

Concerning the first issue, what do you do when a person sins against you.  My first response today was to become agitated.  Part of the issue is that I was already a bit agitated from something that happened yesterday (both of these issues transpired around work…).  So I should have dealt with it yesterday before the LORD but I did not.  BIG PROBLEM.  When you let a sinful response fester in your heart it is bound to take root and grow into something worse.  So when someone sins against you deal with it immediately.  If you are not in the place to where you can address the person as a believer, and they won’t respond otherwise, then you may need to simply right it off.  I was thinking on a passage in Psalm 37 about not fretting because of evildoers…ceasing from anger and forsaking wrath because it will only lead to evildoing.  In other words, when you become angry about an evildoers actions and respond in anger that response is itself evildoing and leads to further evildoing.  Furthermore we are to follow the lead of Christ who when reviled did not respond in anger but kept entrusting Himself to the One who judges rightly (I Peter 2:23).  This is the example that we have, thus we ought to follow it in all of our doing.

One further thing, when we are sinned against by someone else, our first response is often characterized by a preoccupation with ourselves and how we feel that we have been wronged.   Its not necessarily about justice, though we may say that it is.  Its often about retribution and/or seeking to be recompensed for some right of ours that we feel has been violated.

Sin is a violation against the LORD.  And the LORD is gracious.  He has been gracious to us in Christ, thus we ought to seek to be gracious to all others, regardless of what offense they make.

Titus says

Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,  2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.  3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,  5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,  6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (3:1-7)

We are to show every consideration for all men, we are to be kind, to malign no one, to be peaceable and gentle to all, because we were all once foolish…and because God showed us His kindness and love by sending Christ to die for us, not because of our good deeds, but because of His mercy.  If God has done this for us in Christ, we must do no less.

Furthermore God is the One who exacts vengeance, who brings justice.

Romans 12:19-21

19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.  20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”  21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Thus we must leave room for God to bring justice, because His justice is righteous.  Ours is often selfish.  And it is His alone to give as He is the Judge of all things.

Concerning the second issue, if you haven’t responded well, what do you do with your sinful response?  My sinful response was in the heart.  Thus I had to deal with it before the LORD first.  I had to realize that it was sinful.  When I thought a little longer about it and reflected upon some passages of scripture that I had been praying through recently, I was convicted.   Thus I had to seek Him for forgiveness because ultimately any offense is an offense against the LORD who Himself is righteous and expects righteousness from all.  Because some cannot, and we all do not live up to His standard does not require that He lower the standard.  He has provided Christ to help us to be acceptable to God because of Christ and not ourselves.  Thanks be to God!  Seeking the Word was crucial in that step because the Word of God is that which brings conviction to the heart and correction.  It also gives wisdom to know how to respond in the future.

The next step would have been to seek forgiveness from this other person because of your sinful attitude toward them.  Regardless of whether or not they were privy to your sinful attitude.  Especially if it is a believer.  Seeking forgiveness from them for your sinful attitude towards them helps to restore your relationship with them.  If you are not able to seek forgiveness because they are separate from you geographically or otherwise then you must entrust that situation to the LORD.  But be humble and seek the forgiveness.  In my case, the individuals against whom I sinned I will not likely see again.  That is sad because I fear that I may have left a negative view of myself behind for them.  Of course this is not for my sake alone but for the sake of the name of the LORD by whom I am called.  We often (myself included) forget this.  We don’t merely represent ourselves, thus we don’t always have to be right or to “save face” in a given situation.  If we know the LORD, if we follow Christ; then it is His glory that we ought to seek to preserve.  And often the best way to do that is not by retaliation or an angry sinful response, but by humility, being “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger” as James says, and by entrusting ourselves to the LORD, the Righteous Judge.

 

I pray that this confession and exhortation would be a blessing to you today.  Until He comes…

 

Psalm 37:1-11

Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.  2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.  3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.  4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.  6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.  7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.  8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.  9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.  10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.  11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

James 1:19-20

19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;  20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

Pressing Forward…

“I urge upon you communion with Christ, a growing communion.  There are curtains to be drawn aside in Christ that we never saw, and new foldings of love in Him.  I despair that I shall ever win to the far end of that love, there are so many plies in it.  Therefore dig deep, and sweat and labor and take pains for him, and set by as much time in the day for Him as you can.  We will be won in the labor.”

- Samuel Rutherford

This has become my new favorite quote.  I’m always finding new quotes that are great like this.  I remember coming to my present fellowship and hearing my Pastor give a quote and saying without hesitation that (paraphrase) “these are not my words, but God has revealed truth to others and that I am content with saying what they said.”  After all, its all God’s word anyway.  Now I’m not one to champion the phrase “all truth is God’s truth” simply because you have to define what truth you are referring to.  If the one making that comment says that truth is defined absolutely as what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture then I would say yes.  But if by truth they mean what they perceive to be truth, or else some other standard of truth that God has given in some way to man but not through His Word, then I would have to say no thank you.  But I believe this quote to be quite frankly a true principle and standard of godliness to which we all ought to attain in this life.

Paul said it this way:

“I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;  in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.  Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:8-14

The goal, the prize is to know Christ and to know Him better until the day when we will know Him perfectly (at the resurrection).  And in order to attain to that goal, to make it a goal indeed in our own hearts, we must be purposeful to press towards it.  The word for “press” in the text has the idea of persecuting something as a hunter would press hard after his hunt or as a runner presses towards the finish line, sprinting and stretching to reach the goal before anyone else.  Furthermore that the pressing towards it is a mark of maturity, for he goes on to say later “let us therefore, as many as are perfect have this attitude…”

In order to attain to that level of maturity of heart, pursuing the knowledge of Christ (a deeper communion with Christ as Rutherford said), we must count “all things” as loss.  He says in accounting terms that we must reckon all things (both gains and losses in life) as a loss in view of the value of knowing Christ.  Let go of those things that you may have gained in this life, those things that you may have earned, that make you someone in view of the world, that cause you to boast in your flesh.  And let go of your losses.  Don’t cling to those things that you have lost in this life.  No matter how great or insignificant.  Holding on to things that you might boast in your accomplishments and holding on to things that you have lost in this life will cause you to lose your fervor for seeking Christ.  It will inhibit your love for Him.  It will take your focus off of the value of growing in deeper communion with Him and persisting in that until the resurrection.

Press toward the goal.  “Dig deep, sweat, labor and take pains for Him.  Set aside as much time for Him during the day as you can.  For you will be won in the labor.”  Make it your ambition daily to take pains to commune with Christ as often as you can.  Fix your eyes completely on Him and on the grace to be brought to you at His revelation.  Set your eyes on the things above where He is seated at the right hand of God, for your life is hidden with Him.

This is a difficult but necessary doctrine.  A fruitful, vibrant Christian life does not come easy.  It is not enough to name it and claim it.  It is not enough to sit and soak up all that is spoon fed to you.  You must desire meat and no longer milk.  You must pursue the painful task of plumbing the depths of the riches of Christ’s love, if you will ever be won by that love.  You must be committed to stripping yourself (and being stripped by the Lord’s refining fires) down to nothing in yourself so that you may gain everything in Him.  Will you commit to this Christian?  Will you daily commit yourself to pursuing the One who first pursued you, and striving to take hold of that for which He has first laid hold of you?  Or will you be content with mediocre, sub-par, ordinary, nominal faith?

I for one desire more.  I want to be able to say, at the end of my life with Paul “I have struggled the good struggle, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”  But I cannot say that from the sidelines.  One who says this is not one who has laid in a bed of roses all their lives.  One who confesses this is not one who has gone through life unscathed, without having lost, without having suffered.  But on the contrary those who confess such things have been stripped of all that they may be tempted to cling to.  They have been through the fires of God’s refining – having been burned but not consumed.  They have learned obedience by what they’ve suffered.  They know that true value and good is not merely found in convenience and comfort.  True value and good is not found in recreation and rest.  True value and good is not found in gain and glory.  True value and good are found only in the person of Christ.  Thus if you possess Him, though you lose everything for His sake, you possess all things.

I began with a quote and will end with a couple more.  This one is from A.W. Tozer in his book “The pursuit of God” as he reflects upon the experience of Abraham in his testing to offer up Isaac.

“If we would indeed know God in growing intimacy, we must go this way of renunciation.  And if we are set upon the pursuit of God, He will sooner or later bring us to this test.  Abraham’s testing was at the time not known to Him as such, yet if he had taken some course other than the one he did, the whole history of the Old Testament would have been different.  God would have found his man, no doubt, but the loss to Abraham would have been tragic beyond the telling.  So we will be brought one by one to the testing place, and we may never know when we are there.  At that testing place there will be no dozen possible choices for us – just one and an alternative – but our whole future will be conditioned by the choice we make.”

To get closer to God, we must be willing to work and to let go.

And another from Jerry Bridges, as he contemplates the sovereignty of God in suffering,

“I realized anew that just as we must learn to obey God one choice at a time, we must also learn to trust God one circumstance at a time.  Trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will…our first priority in times of adversity is to honor and glorify God by trusting Him.  We tend to make our first priority the gaining of relief from our feelings of heartache or disappointment or frustration.  This is a natural desire and God has promised to give us grace sufficient for our trials and peace for our anxieties (2 Cor 12:9, Phil 4:6-7).  But just as God’s will is to take precedence over our will (Jesus Himself said, ‘yet not as I will, but as you will’ Matthew 26:39, so God’s honor is to take precedence over our feelings.”

To be willing to work and let go, we must be committed (willing) to trust Him because of who He is.

And again Rutherford,

“I urge upon you communion with Christ, a growing communion.  There are curtains to be drawn aside in Christ that we never saw, and new foldings of love in Him.  I despair that I shall ever win to the far end of that love, there are so many plies in it.  Therefore dig deep, and sweat and labor and take pains for him, and set by as much time in the day for Him as you can.  We will be won in the labor.”

To be willing to trust Him because of who He is, we must be committed to get closer to Him, that is to know Him more intimately.

 

Pursue Christ, keep yourself growing in His love.  Surround yourselves with others who do the same.  Keep yourselves from idols of the heart.  Look forward to His return.  Maranatha!

Pain

I think that we have been conditioned to think (and rightly so to some degree) that normally pain is an indication that something is terribly wrong.  When I touch my hand to a hot pan or stove and the nerves in my hand send pain signals to my brain which in turn instruct me not to leave my hand where it is on account of damage that will inevitably come to my body.  Pain says “stop.”  Pain says, “you are going in the wrong direction.”  “Something has gone awry.”   We’ve learned from pain that this world is not as it should be.  We’ve learned that our lives aren’t often as they should be.  We’ve learned that life just isn’t fair.   It doesn’t always deal us a great hand.  We’ve learned that all people are not (despite popular deluded opinion) inherently good, but to the contrary are as wicked as any could be if left up to their own devices.

We Christians are not above pain.  We are not above difficulty, strife, heartache, disaster, sometimes despair, unrealized expectations, sickness, disease, famine and the like.  We, as the rest of the world, know pain.  And yet there is something about pain in the life of a Christian that is completely different for him/her.  There is a principle (or numerous principles) at work in the life of a Christian that moves us to view pain in a different way.  Perhaps it takes us a while to get to this point when pain comes.  Perhaps it is with great difficulty and labor of the mind, heart and soul, striving together with God to come to this conclusion; but sooner or later it must happen because for the Christian life is never lived alone.

For those who are without Christ, pain is a great evil.  It is not necessarily the ultimate evil, but it is a great evil nonetheless.  Because for them, this life is all there is with regards to pleasure and the enjoyment thereof.  Their pleasure and joy consist, persist and terminate with this life.  It revolves around their feelings, emotions, wishes, aspirations and deepest longings.  And those things are merely temporal, tied to the same fleeting hope that defines the vain glory of their own short lives.

However for the Christian life is much greater than our temporal existence.  Life for the Christian is much fuller.  It does not consist in mere religious or other physical exercises, as if value and worth could come from doing alone.  Furthermore the fullness of life doesn’t merely consist in the enjoyment of those exercises of themselves.  Nor does it consist in some emotional attachment or fulfillment as a result of having these things.  Certainly there is much over which we rejoice.  There is much about this life that we can take pleasure in.  But many of those things in which we take great pleasure, in which many find fulfillment are nothing more than mere exercises of created beings (things that we share in common with mere beasts).  What makes us different?  The thing that makes us (as humans) different, yes the thing that makes us as Christians different is the fullness of life found in knowing and being known by God and His Son Jesus Christ.  He makes the difference.  In Him is life, in Him is the fullness of life.  He is the One through whom all life came into being and He will be the final Judge of all that is living.  Knowing Him is life.  Not knowing Him is not having life.  But knowing Him is the fullness of all that is life.

The possession of and enjoyment of so many of life’s pleasures can amount to nothing in comparison to knowing Him.  Thus for the Christian the loss of these things (even the greatest and most fulfilling things about this life) can never be sufficient reason for despair.  Because the Christian has Ultimate Life.  The Christian has the Fullness of Life simply by knowing and being known by Jesus Christ.  Furthermore the pain of losing these things takes on a different meaning.  It is not pain for pain’s sake.  It is not loss for loss sake.  It is not mere chance that brings about this pain, it is no accident.  It is not one’s own ability or inability nor is it ignorance, judgment or impotence of the Almighty.  On the contrary, for the Christian, pain is a part of the design that God the Father has designated for His children.  And as a part of His design it is good on two accounts (perhaps there are more, but these two seem apparent to me at the present).

First that pain has a way of reminding us that we are His children.  The Father is said to “discipline those whom He loves.”  And illegitimate son, a step-son, an unloved son is often left alone. He is left to fend for himself.  He is left up to his own devices and left alone to do whatever he wishes.  But a beloved son, a cherished son, a treasured son is carefully tended to.  He is watched over.  He is guided, he is prodded, he is even redirected when taking a misstep.  The beloved son is rebuked, corrected and disciplined as is necessary for his good at the discretion of the father.  We are often tempted to think that certain pains indicate that God doesn’t love us or that He is unaware of the trouble that we encounter or that is is simply angry at us for one reason or another.  But for the Christian, we must know that this can’t be farther from the truth.  For the Christian is a beloved son of God in Christ. Thus God’s intentional and eternally loving care for us includes discipline for those times that we need to be humbled, corrected or reminded that we are His.  Thus His discipline for us is a reminder to us that we are His children and in fact children “in whom He delights.”

Second pain has a way of purifying us to be His perfect children.  The Father doesn’t desire for us to stay as we are.  In fact He has predetermined that we should “stand before Him Holy and without blame” in the day to come.  And yet we know that we aren’t “holy and blameless”…yet.  The step(s) in between now and then involve purification.  A wise goldsmith intensifies the fire before refining his gold.  And he often places the gold into the fire throughout the refining process in order to burn off the dross and other impurities.  He might have need of placing his gold into the fire numerous times, each time removing it to inspect it until he is able to see his own reflection in it when its reached its highest purity.  So our heavenly Father, our gracious God, has our greatest good in mind in not only often turning up the fire; but often placing us in the fire in order to continue to burn off impurities that inhibit His reflection in us.  For as He is better reflected in us, He is Glorified (displayed in all His Splendor, even as the Sun on a bright and clear Summer day).  As He is better reflected in us, we are glorified (made to be more like Him, even as the Moon has no glory of its own but rather reflects the glory of the Sun).  As He is better reflected in us, others around us are enlightened (even as the moon provides light by night).  Thus for the Christian pain has a purifying effect.  And this effect is good in his/her life because it makes us more life Him, it prepares us to be with Him, it increases our longing to lay hold of Him and to let go of this world.  It makes us more fit to testify to His goodness, attracting others to His light and also makes us adequate to help others through even as He makes us to persevere through the tough storms of life.

Pain is difficult.  And it will be until we are taken from this life.  However without Christ, your pain will continue on for eternity.  And not only that but it will increase all the more as the wrath and indignation of the LORD is poured out upon you in its fullness for eternity, consuming but never destroying your soul and body.   Let him who has ears to hear, hear and be warned.

However for the Christian, God has not destined us for wrath (thus the pain which He brings can never be considered wrath), but for salvation.  And that unto the riches of His grace for all eternity.  God has promised to show how rich His grace is to us.  Not because of anything in us, not because we’ve earned it, but on the basis of what His Son Jesus has already done in dying for our sins, rising again from the dead and granting life to those who have faith in His name.  Christian, remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead.  Remember the confession of faith that you made and your allegiance to Him.  Remember that your life is more than good and bad, ups and downs, gains and losses.  Remember that your life is Christ. Trust Him.

Colossians 3:1-4

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

1 Peter 1:3-9

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,  7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

James 1:2-5

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,  3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Romans 5:1-10

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.  3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;  4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;  5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Simplicity and Joy from the Toilet

Life is difficult, frustrating, sometimes confusing and often extremely complicated.  I felt that way today on my way home from work.  Of course I know that I must trust in the Lord, I know that the Lord is in control, I know that He is good and that He has my best in His perfect, unalterable plan.  But I felt frustrated at myself for some things that I don’t really have control over at this point…

Then I got home and as soon as I walked in the door my kids blasted me with “hi daddy’s” and “look at my snake” – from Hannah or “look at my (something unintelligible but cute)” from Neriah.  I saw that they were playing with playdoh and showed some sense of interest and greeted them with kisses then went on to greet my dear wife who already knew of my frustration.  She had some hang out time planned so was about to leave out right when I got home (myself having gotten home late because of my thorn in the flesh).  So, she left and the girls were still playing with playdoh while I was eating at the table.  They had no idea what was going on in my mind so of course they kept on playing.  I had the whole world on my mind, but to them there was playdoh.  And they discussed all that they were doing (seems like a vague memory now that I at one point was able to contrive of so many exciting things to do with a lump of …whatever playdoh actually is).  They shaped, they molded, they giggled, they made, showed, told, broke apart and remade.  And that was it for them.  Their only care at that point was figuring out what to make next and making sure they showed it to me.

But none of it really hit me until I was getting them ready for bed, still in a partial frustration-stupor.  My second little sweetheart is learning to use the potty (doing quite well, thanks to my wife).  I put her on and gave her some time.  And when she was done, she excitedly responded to me asking if she was done “yes daddy!, I went stinky and peepee!”  That was it.  That was her excitement.   And when I encouraged her and congratulated her, she was thrilled.  She had a great big smile on her face and was so pleased to get positive feedback about one of the more distasteful, disgusting and yet necessary functions of the human body.  Success in using the potty to perform multiple duties was it for her.  Thats all it took to excite her.

Man I wish that did it for me.  But then it hit me.  For her, that did it because life is not so complicated.  And why should it be?  She has all of her needs supplied and she knows it.  And not only that but she’s just done something to please daddy.  We make life so much more complicated than it should be.  We get busy with details, with problems that we can’t solve, difficulties that we have no control over or else trying to reign in people (sometimes ourselves) who may have less self control than a piranha at an underwater meat market.

Life can be simpler.  Life can be more joyful, even when things around you (and others around you) are in chaos.  It can be so when you recognize that you have a Heavenly Father who does and will supply for your every need.  And beyond that things are much simpler and the joy of the Lord is much more delightful when you simply seek to do what is pleasing to Him.  Don’t try to please everyone else.  Don’t worry about what others think or say they need from you.  Certainly this doesn’t allow you a free pass from your responsibilities, but even those ought to be done to please Him.  Don’t worry about societal, familial or even your own expectations.  Simply strive to please your Heavenly Father.  Seek Him first and everything else, including peace and joy for your troubled heart, will be added to you.

When you’re brought low…

When you are upright, you tend to look around; you look before you, you look behind and also at your sides. However when you are low to the ground, you tend to look up. Everything is higher than you so you are really forced to look up. And being on your back really puts you in the position of needing to literally look up to the heavens.

Sounds like a strange introduction but it has context. I’ve been thinking about the nature of difficulty and distress in our lives. What is the point, what does it do for us? Clearly God has His purposes in sanctifying us. We all know that. But how does it sanctify us? Why is it necessary that we be brought low? Perhaps we know the reason. Perhaps we assent to the fact that God is working out something in our lives through our trials. Then why is it so difficult to rejoice in the midst of them? Sometimes, perhaps God is gracious and He gives us a particular grace that allows us to rejoice in seeing Him work through our trials. But that doesn’t always happen. And when it doesn’t happen, when we don’t feel the joy of our salvation as we ought, why? Shouldn’t our lives as Christians be characterized by joy? We should rejoice always! Joy is a fruit of the spirit.  Is there something wrong with us when we don’t feel joyful and happy as Christians?

Well, I don’t pretend to have all the answers to such questions but I do know this. Being brought low is not merely a matter of circumstance. Sometimes we have need to be humbled in our heart. Sometimes we grow accustomed to merriment and frivolousness. Sometimes our hearts grow accustomed to the feeling of happiness such that we crave it merely for the sensation of it.  Seeking joy as a Christian is not wrong.  Seeking the feeling of joy or happiness for its own sake is.  God, Christ and His Kingdom is who we are to seek, and all other things will be added to us.  But if we are seeking the feeling for its own sake, then we have lost sight of what is true.  And we have need of a reminder.

Thus if we are ever to be shaken out of our happiness induced high, we must be brought low. We must be brought to a place of weeping. We must be brought to a place of sorrow and destitution. When all is well we have no reason to look up. For we anticipate that what is around the corner will only serve to increase our happiness because we know God to be good. Except when we say that God is good, often it is in response to some good (that we perceive to be good) that we have received from Him. But the goodness of God is not limited to what we understand to be good. If it were then there would be no need for the word or concept of suffering. For God would only give that which is good in our minds to us. But there is suffering. And there is discipline that the Lord allows, brings about, causes (however you want to phrase it) in His Sovereignty in order to bring us low. Sometimes He deems it necessary and good to put us on our backs. For when we are brought to such a low estate we are forced to look up to Him. When you’re in the darkness, you look for light. When you’re in the intense heat of the Sun, you look for shade under which to take refuge. When you’re in the midst of a storm, you look for a stronghold, an anchor upon which to keep yourself from being shaken apart.

Fear not. Despair not at those times when God brings you low. Do not seek to stay in that place of weeping.  David said “weeping endures for a night…”  However, accept your low estate as a part of God’s wisdom in order to remind you to look, not to your troubles, not to relief, not even to the feeling of joy or happiness, but to Him.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

1 Peter 5:5-7

“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”

Think long, drink deeply, rejoice!

Paul prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.  He demonstrated this power in raising Christ from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens far above every ruler and authority and power and dominion, and every title given not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church which is His body the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.” (HCSB)

Paul here unlocks the key to one of the greatest needs in the Church of our day…and really of any age.  We need to know the grace of God better.  He just finished exhorting the believers to praise the God of our Lord Jesus Christ because of all of the spiritual blessings that He has bestowed on those whom He chose from before the foundations of the world.  Praise Him!  Rejoice in Him!  Praise the glory of His grace!

Often our praise is dull and lifeless.  It is ordinary, feigned, lip-service to our God and benefactor.   Why?  How does our praise become dull and lifeless?  How is it possible that a Christian could engage in empty praise, vain worship? Paul answers in the prayer that he offers up on our behalf.  “That God would grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him so that our hearts may be enlightened to know the hope of His calling, the glorious riches of His inheritance…and the surpassing greatness of His power toward us”…which is the same power that He used in raising Christ to His exalted position above all created things.

My exhortation is very simple.  Pray that God would grant that the eyes of your heart be enlightened to know the glories of His grace and power within you.  If you are a Christian, this is true of you.  God has given you immeasurable grace, has and continues to work His immeasurable power in your life to conform you to the image of His Son and to bring you to glory.

May He fill our hearts with joy in reflecting upon His grace.  May He fill our hearts with wonder at the vast chasm that once separated us from Him and the bridge of His love and grace that now exists because of Christ.   May He fill our hearts with peace and rest as we ponder how He is continually working His great power in us, how great that power truly is – that He also working in raising Christ from the dead and exalting Him.  Think long, drink deeply, rejoice!

May He be glorified as we are not only satisfied but overflowing with joy in rejoicing over His abundant grace to us!  Happy rejoicing today dear brothers and sisters

Parenting, 3 reasons why we must not give up!

Reason #1 why we must not give up. It is the will of God.  God has destined us for this purpose.  He brought both husband and wife together in marriage.  He enabled their bodies to conceive.  He appointed each child to the family.  If it is thus God’s will that we are the parents and they are the children and if God has thus called children to parent; then we must parent, and we must not give up.

Parenting is at times discouraging, frustrating and down right disheartening.  But God has appointed us to this.  He has appointed us as parents, weak, lacking wisdom, easily frustrated and tired as we are.  And He has appointed these children to us, foolish, stubborn, sinful and childish as they are.  And God never errs.  He never makes mistakes.  He did not forget that you were weak.  He did not forget that you too would struggle with sinful inclinations and responses.  He did not forget that you might be tired or that it might be hard.  He also did not forget or fail to realize how difficult this child would be.  Nor did not overlook that you would have many sleepless, teary eyed nights over this unrepentant, sometimes belligerent soul.  In fact He planned it all.  He planned it all first for His glory and next for the good of the two of you.  Yes, He gave you two to each other for the sanctification of each of you.  And perhaps if your child is yet to believe, then He has planned them first for your sanctification.

Furthermore in His mercy, in His plan, with His call, He provides greater grace.  For God always gives grace to the humble and He always gives grace sufficient for the weaknesses of those whom He calls to service.

Reason #2 why we must not give up. This is why children need parents.  Children are born sinners.  Thus their intellect, their capacity for “reason,” their ability to know their limitations and to discern right from wrong is all corrupt.  It is tainted with sin.  Thus children need guidance.  They need wisdom.  It is not inherent in them.  What is inherent is to sin.  What is inherent is to choose what is most pleasing to them alone, whether it is wise or right for them to do.  Children are never taught to sin.  They never need to be taught to cry for something that they want.  They know instinctively how to become angry when a perceived need is not met.  However they do need to be taught to delay gratification.  They need to be taught discipline.  They need to be taught that food is for the belly and not the belly for food.  They need to be taught that fun isn’t always safe.  They need to be taught the nature of action and consequence.   They need to be taught boundaries.  If parents do not teach them these things then their folly will ensnare them.  Their desires will overwhelm them until they become utter slaves to their lusts, whatever those lusts may be.  They need to be taught these things or else they will perceive no boundaries, either human or divine; thus incurring both the judgment of man and eventually the judgment of God.

Reason #3 why we must not give up. The Lord is patient with us.  If we would but count the times of our stubbornness, the times when we’ve scorned the reproof of the Lord, the times when we’ve ignored His chastening and rebuke, the times when we’ve returned to the vomit of our sin even in light of His discipline, the times when we’ve shaken our fists at God’s law in pursuit of our own passions…we would be ashamed at our lack of patience with our children.  For the Lord God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness towards us…and that so beautifully and bountifully displayed on a wooden cross on which He hung His Son to suffer, bleed and die for our sins while we were sinners and His enemies.  He did that for us.  And He rose Him from the dead and gave Him glory and the promise of new life and glory to us as well, though we were His enemies.  If God has thus done so for us, how can we not do so for our dear (sometimes wicked) sweet children, the fruit of the womb, the blessing from the Lord?

Certainly there are more reasons.  These have been the most outstanding in my own heart recently as I’ve considered this stewardship of parenthood which the Lord has thus given us.  May they be a blessing to your soul as well.  Remember these principles when you are at your last, remember that the Lord is Sovereign, even over the course of their young, seemingly uncontrolled lives, and often seek the Fountain of Grace whenever your cup runs empty.

Maranatha!

Pleading for their good…

Proverbs 2:1-22

My son, if you will receive my sayings, And treasure my commandments within you,  2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;  3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;  4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;  5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD, And discover the knowledge of God.  6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,  8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones.  9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course.  10 For wisdom will enter your heart, And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;  11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you,  12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things;  13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;  14 Who delight in doing evil, And rejoice in the perversity of evil;  15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;  16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words;  17 That leaves the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God;  18 For her house sinks down to death, And her tracks lead to the dead;  19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life.  20 So you will walk in the way of good men, And keep to the paths of the righteous.  21 For the upright will live in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;  22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land, And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

There is a subtle undertone to this passage in Proverbs that you could miss if you weren’t looking for it.  I’d say for that matter you could miss it if you weren’t a parent.  Certainly before I had children I had no idea of this perspective on parenting.  It is the pleading of a parent’s heart for their child to learn wisdom.  You say, of course it is.  No, I mean it is a child pleading for their child to know wisdom for their good. I found myself pleading with my daughter this afternoon when I had to discipline her for something.  I knew that she understood that she was wrong.  And I thought that she understood why she was wrong.  But that she is wrong and why she is wrong doesn’t keep her from doing wrong again.  She could tell me that she was wrong and why she was wrong, but I know that she would still do it again in the future.

I find that often as parents we get stuck, with regards to discipline, in the mode of correcting behavior alone.  We see something that they are doing and our sole goal in the situation is to stop the bad behavior.  Perhaps we go the extra mile and explain to them what the right behavior is but that’s it.  Once we’ve effectively stopped the negative behavior that is it, we feel like we’ve done our part.  And perhaps if we see that they can verbalize what and why then we feel that they’ve learned their lesson…at least until the next time.  But we should learn from this that its not enough that they know the what and the why.  Because they still have wayward thinking.  The root issue in disobedience is never the act of disobedience.  The root issue in disobedience is a foolish, sinful heart.  It is a heart which thinks waywardly and therefore acts waywardly.  So if you only address the behavior and correct the behavior, the child’s heart will still be wayward.  Tedd Tripp calls this “shepherding a child’s heart.”  Great book, I’d recommend it.  The point is that children need more than just a lesson on doing it daddy or mommy’s way.  They need to know that in their heart there is a disconnect.  They need to know that in their heart they have sinned which leads to external actions of disobedience.  And they need to know that the only One who can truly help them with their heart issue is the LORD.

They need to feel their need as only that which God can provide.  Because that is true.  “From His mouth come knowledge and understanding…”  He needs to be the One to whom they turn when they feel their hearts going wayward.  He needs to be the One on whom they depend even when Dad and Mom are not around.  We must teach our children to love wisdom and to seek it from the LORD “as for silver and [to] search for it as for hidden treasure.”  And we need to teach them that when they seek Him for it, they “will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.”

When God is sought with the whole heart, wisdom is given.  And it is a wisdom which will truly benefit.  “Discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you, to deliver you from the way of evil…” and then he goes on to list a number of examples of the way of evil:

1)  “from the man who speaks perverse things”

2) “from those who walk in the ways of darkness, who delight in doing evil, and who are devious”

3) “from the strange/adulterous woman” [and from her ways - to those who have daughters]

These are things that the wisdom which the LORD gives will guard our children from.  And this is the truth that we must impress upon their hearts.  “Make your ear attentive to wisdom…search for her…then you will know the fear of the LORD…for wisdom will enter your heart…to deliver you from the way of evil.”

Three things that we must strive to teach our children, yea even plead with them to understand:

Your children must respect your words as important and necessary for them.  If they don’t respect your words – because you have shamed or angered them with the way in which you correct them – then they won’t learn wisdom from you.  Because when you try to teach the wisdom of the LORD, they will not pay your words any attention.

Your children must view wisdom as necessary for their lives.  You can teach your children to aim for many things.  Even by what they see you aim for.  You can teach them to aim for a good education, a good job, a good husband/wife, a good social/economic status or whatever it might be.  But if you don’t teach them to aim for, to strive for, to desire wisdom as more precious than silver or gold; then all you’ll have is an intelligent, well adjusted, successful, rich fool.  Whose life will have been wasted, not having lived for the LORD.

Your children must view the way of the LORD as necessary for their lives.  Don’t hide evil from your children.  I don’t mean to take them into the roughest neighborhoods and let them watch crime or else to give them every video game that they want to be taught the intricacies of warfare and violence.  But I do mean that we should point out evil when it is seen.  I mean that we should use terms that the Bible uses in correcting our children.  They’re not just having a bad day.  They are sinning and doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD.  They disobey.  They act foolishly.  And if they continue in the path of foolishness they will receive the LORD’s punishment.  “The wicked will be cut off from the land and the treacherous will be uprooted from it.”  The way of the LORD is the way of “good men.”  It is the way of the “righteous.”