Monthly Archives: April 2023

What’s Your Goal?

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Do you have goals for raising your children? My brothers, it is important that you have a target to compare all your decisions with. You can then ask yourself: Will the result of this decision keep us on track or take us off course? A target doesn’t guarantee you will arrive “there,” but you most likely won’t if you aren’t focused on the outcome you desire. (That was the primary topic in the session we presented called Building a Vision.) 

Consider David’s prayer request in Psalms 144:12. “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.” David wanted children who were grown up (Gadal H1431) in character, desires, and conduct while at a young age. That goal is not popular today as evidenced by the spiritual condition of our country. 

Do you desire boys who will become real men of God? If so, that will require purposeful parenting. You want to bring things into their lives that will achieve the goal and eliminate the chaff of the world that prevents them from maturing. 

As Spurgeon said in The Treasury of David, regarding Psalms 144:12, “that the young men are, the older men will be.” Might that explain why the average professing believer/church member is more interested in having fun and a good time than serving and sharing Christ? 

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

How Committed Are You?

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Our neighbors are beginning to plant their gardens. No one plants without the hope of a harvest. How earnest they are in fertilizing, watering, and defending against weeds and pests will determine the quality of their produce. The parallels are striking between gardening and raising children.

Some (few?) Christian parents want to raise children to become dynamic followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously, we can’t know any parent’s heart, but we can clearly make assumptions based on the actions and choices that are observable. This is similar to observing what a gardener does with his garden. Optimism isn’t enough. It takes making hard decisions, denial of self, and the right investment in your children. Bad choices = bad harvest.

Foolishness is bound in the heart of children (Proverbs 22:15). You don’t just start with a clean slate. Children begin as fools. Then the work must begin.

Our Lord wants us and our children to love Him and forsake the world. How our hearts yearn that this is the desire of all Christian parents. That is why we write these articles and offer our resources. Through them you have someone encouraging you to be in the Word, forsaking the love of the world and all the enticing things it offers. 

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

One Word

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Every time I read one particular word in John 20:16 I am flooded with deep emotion. Why? Mary has brought spices to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning and is weeping and  broken-hearted because she discovered Jesus’ body was missing. Then, she turned around and was surprised to see a man she didn’t recognize behind her. She explained to him Who she was looking for. The man spoke that one word, and it caused her to fall to the ground. The word was her name, “Mary.” 

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I live for Him Who died for me. He is the propitiation for my sins. By faith I’m brought into a relationship with God the Father. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

I plead with you, do you know Him? Not do you go to church, or merely believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but do you know Him? Do you live for Him Who died for you? 

Frankly, even more important, does He know you? He knew Mary and with the sound of His voice saying her name, she fell to the ground in love, relief, and adoration. 

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).

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Children’s Soul Health

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I believe Christian homeschool moms have a deep desire for their children to become adults who are born again, lovers of God’s Word, and followers of our Lord. “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). What can you do, as a mom, to facilitate this?

Model

What do your children see that you love? How much do you love the Word compared to other things? Your children’s love for the Word will likely emulate your love for the Word. What are you modeling for them? Are you reading it daily? Do you talk about it and tell them what you read, what you learned about God, what you learned about what He wants from you, and how excited you are about it?

I wish I had done better with this when my children were growing up. These are precious opportunities to set all our minds on things above, but it is easy to let the busyness of the day push those thoughts away. Then our conversation gravitates to the mundane of daily life. Be vigilant to make discussion of the Word your first priority.

They may not see you having your Bible time early in the morning when they are still asleep, but when you share with them from it, they know. 

Time

You can make it a normal, habitual part of your children’s days to read their Bibles by creating a schedule where that happens each day. When the schedule sets that time aside, and you follow the schedule, each day your children will have personal Bible reading. 

Before breakfast is an excellent time for Bible reading because then what was read can be the topic for breakfast-time discussions.

Right now the family of one of our sons has all the children (6 that are ages 3-10) do their Bible time together in the living room right before breakfast but after getting dressed. The reading children have their Bibles on their laps. There is an audio Bible playing that the readers follow along with in their Bibles, while the pre-readers listen. Even though they are all in one location, each child is having his personal Bible time. There is no adult instruction going on. This does have the added benefit of accountability. 

Provision

For children to have personal, daily Bible time, they need to have their own Bibles with a font easy for them to read. You can provide them pens and highlighters. Sometimes that is a additional motivation in Bible reading when they can make some notes and highlight things that stood out to them. Pre-readers can participate by having a set up for an audio Bible time.

It is important to instruct your children in how to have their Bible time. You might suggest specific books of the Bible to read. Then you could encourage them to look for what they learn about God in the chapter and what God says for them to do or not do. Those notes could go well in little notebooks that could be brought to the breakfast table to facilitate the biblical, spiritual discussions.

Time in the Word is our daily spiritual bread and the nourishment for our souls—helping us know and discern God’s will (Rom. 12:2), filling us with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), giving us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Who wouldn’t want that? Are you helping your children toward it?

For more in-depth information about children’s Bible time, here is a Mom’s Corner from several years ago about it: https://articles.titus2.com/childrens-personal-bible-time/

This is a Mom’s Corner on preschoolers having Bible time: https://articles.titus2.com/how-to-do-bible-time-for-preschoolers/ 

Premeditated Yet Innocent

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This week includes a “celebration” of the results of the greatest injustice ever committed since the beginning of the world. The Creator, came to earth in man’s flesh, sinless, proclaimed the offer of a relationship with His Father, was tried, condemned, and executed for committing no crime. The Ultimate Judge, Himself, knew that the condemned was innocent. Furthermore, every detail of the situation was carefully scripted. He would be condemned and executed at precisely the right time fulfilling Old Testament prophesies. On top of that the Judge, the ultimate Executioner, was the Father of the condemned, Who He desperately loved. 

Why would God the Father do such a thing as pour out His wrath on His Son? He did it to pay the debt of sin that you and I could not pay. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We deserve eternal hell, and Jesus paid that price (Rom 6:23) so we could have fellowship with the Father in heaven instead. He bought us with His blood (1 Peter 1:18,19). It wasn’t for us to have a good, happy life, but that we might serve Him.

 May we follow Him my Brothers, every day, all day. Is that your daily purpose? We must be steadfast. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).