Category Archives: Dad’s Corner

Got Fruit?

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Consider the farmer who fuels up his combine and heads out to the field for his fall harvest. When he arrives at the field, he is devastated because he sees no standing corn, only weeds. What happened? More accurately the question is: “What didn’t happen?”

As absurd as it sounds, he has no harvest because he didn’t want to take the time to plow and prepare the soil prior to seeding. Or he didn’t cultivate so the ground would accept rain. Or he wasn’t vigilant in dealing with pests and weeds. 

Isn’t it amazing the work it takes for a good harvest? Hmm, sounds like what it takes to raise children who will love the Lord. Even with all the work, there are no guarantees with farming, but still the farmer invests. Yup, sounds even more like raising children in Christ. 

“A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:5-8).

What is the Difference?

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Every loving parent has had a time when words of encouragement for a child to follow your instruction weren’t enough. You explained clearly, and they repeated back to you what was expected. Yet the child simply would not choose to do it, therefore chastening was necessary. “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not (Hebrews 12:5-7).” 

I don’t like to receive chastening, yet I’m grateful the Lord loves me and wants His best for me. I want to learn as quickly as possible when He sends chastening my way. How do I tell the difference between the problems of life and chastening? How do I discern if something is chastening and if it is, what might be the area of disobedience God is trying to correct?

In verse 7 we are told that “God dealeth with you as with sons.” Our God is the ultimate good father and a good father tells his son why he is being chastened. We can be sure that God has been “telling” us via His Spirit or the Word about an area of disobedience in our lives. We sincerely need to ask Him with an open mind. If still in doubt, our wives might have an idea too.

Not Motivated?

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For followers of Jesus, the question is: Who will we obey—self or the Lord? “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14).

Do we always feel like obeying the Lord? If we don’t feel like it, does that mean we shouldn’t obey? Consider this. What if your child doesn’t want to obey you? You would love for him to have a cheerful desire to obey, but wouldn’t you still want him to obey even if his heart isn’t in it? Scripture shows us the Lord requires obedience regardless of how a person feels about it. The command is to obey. Interesting how when we obey, over time, the will follows. 

Isn’t it hypocritical to do something that we don’t agree with (John 12:43)? If we do something because God’s Word says to do it, we can never go wrong if we are seeking to please God. 

Whatever it is, obey the Spirit: 
– Read your Bible and pray when you first get up every day (1 Peter 2:2, Psalm 5:3)
– Have family Bible time each day (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
– Be kind and loving (Ephesians 4:32, 5:25)
– Attend and be involved with your church (Heb. 10:25)

No Sacrifice But Blessing

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This week continues on the subject of a believer using alcohol. Here is what brought me to a no alcohol decision. The Old Testament priests were not to have any strong drink or wine before entering the tabernacle. “And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” (Lev 10:8-11). 

What a beautiful picture this gives us that God’s servants were not to partake when coming into His presence and that not having alcohol was important in good judgement. Likely, there could be more that isn’t overtly clear from the passage. If the Lord said it wasn’t for His priests, I wanted to learn from that admonition, since we, as believers, are a holy priesthood. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). 

My Lord gave His life on the cross to purchase me. It is no sacrifice to give up alcohol and follow Him. 

Playing with fire

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I remember in my teenage years I referred to my smoking habit by saying, “I can quit anytime.” We often have inflated confidence that we can stop an addicting habit. Somehow it doesn’t seem so bad if an addiction is merely “a choice,” and we think we are in control. I’m guessing quite of few of you can relate because you were once a slave to smoking. 

Smoking is one thing, but drinking alcohol is in a whole different solar system. Smoking is now less socially acceptable, while drinking is widely accepted as long as it isn’t “excessive.” Even in many Christian circles, drinking in moderation is “fine.” But I challenge you to consider: Is it wise?

Seriously, have you ever heard of a husband abusing his wife or threatening to kill her while under the influence of tobacco? Alcohol undermines what self-control and inhibitions a person has. It clouds judgement and destroys relationships. It feels good and cries “give me more.” Alcohol destroys lives. Might it be similar to the fool who justifies drug use by saying, “Sure it can be addictive, but I only use it in moderation.” 

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).

“Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder” (Proverbs 23:31-32).

If you are still not convinced, next week I will share why I decided to never drink alcohol even in moderation. 

Oh No

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Teri was aware of our morning, wake-up alarm sounding, but I wasn’t stirring to turn it off. She hopped out of bed to turn the ceiling fan off. When she returned, I hadn’t yet rolled over to turn the alarm off and the light on, which would have been my norm. She waited a bit with the alarm now sounding its loudest. She decided she would gently try to wake me by patting my exposed arm. She touched my arm. Still, no movement and my arm felt cold! Could her worst fear be true?

Brothers, death is a part of life and inevitable. When one in a marriage is gone, memories remain. I understand that regrets tend to push their way in quickly. If only I’d have been more loving, patient, gentle, affirming—an endless list. 

Then there are those marriages where a spouse is broadsided when the other leaves declaring, “I’ve had enough. It’s over, and I’m not coming back.” 

Brothers, the best time to improve a marriage is now—not tomorrow. Invest in your wife, love her, in Christ lead her. Be dead to irritating things she does or doesn’t do. 

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (Ephesians 5:25-28). 

Who Is He?

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If only everyone had the right answer to: “Who is Jesus Christ?” Jesus is the Messiah, God incarnate, the perfect, sinless, Lamb of God, Son of God. It is a great question when you engage someone new. If you hear a textbook response then ask: “But Who is Jesus to you?” (Luke 9:20) Knowing Who Jesus is theologically, is important, but not enough, compared to knowing Him as one’s personal Savior and Lord (2 Peter 3:18).

Obviously, we want the right answers (read relationship) from our children. What are you doing to facilitate that? Hopefully, your family is attending church. That is good, but are you leading your family in a quality, Bible time every day? That is vitally important to disciple our children in their relationship with Jesus. We must also be living out the example of life in Christ before them. If Jesus is in our thoughts, and we are abiding in Him, He will be in our speech through praise and thanksgiving over the course of the day. Brothers, we have nothing and are nothing aside from Christ. 

If our answer to “Who is Jesus?” is simply a textbook response, and our lives aren’t different from the world, that is scary. Maybe we don’t know Him. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

Nobody Likes Them

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If you are in the practice of sharing your faith, someone likely has told you he didn’t want to be a Christian and be like the other hypocrites who say they are Christians. Hmmm. Let’s consider that thought. 

Let’s say I TRULY believe that Scripture says unless someone repents of the hell-bound path they are on and trusts solely in Jesus’ shed blood on the cross (propitiation, Romans 3:25) for the remission/payment for their sins, they will spend eternity in hell. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). 

Or I believe Scripture says you can’t be saved (or kept) by good works as many churches/religions teach.  “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).

If I truly, truly believe those things and don’t make sincere, constant efforts to lovingly engage those I encounter and share with them the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, wouldn’t you say I was worthy of being called a hypocrite? How could I sincerely love people who are headed for eternity in hell and not seek to turn them?

Brothers, is it any wonder this country, full of professing Christians, is throwing off everything of Christ in the pursuit of evil? Is your hand to the plow my brothers or the TV remote, gameboy, fishing pole, or whatever your pleasure might be? “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Follow the Trail

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If you want to know what is important to someone, simply “watch them.” A person will spend his time on what he considers most important. Excuses aside, if you want to know what priority the God of the universe is to him, watch how much time is spent with Him. 

How much time is “given Him?” Does God get the left-over scraps of time after priorities are dealt with? Do the vain things valued by the world; TV, movies, news and social media get priority over family and personal Bible time? 

We easily consider that we are giving Him our time, but aren’t we “bought with a price?” He owns us totally, which includes all our time. If we love Him, wouldn’t we spend undistracted time with our Lord Jesus?

The more serious question is whether we are stealing any of His time. 

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19).

What’s Your Attitude?

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Your attitude is vitally important. Your thoughts regarding your God-given responsibilities are powerful factors in determining the results ahead. Nehemiah was steadfast in his determination to build Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:11, 2:11, 2:17) and you, my brothers, must be determined to build your families spiritually (Deuteronomy 6, Ephesians 6:4).  

Nehemiah had enemies around him who did not want him to succeed in the work God called him to (Nehemiah 2:19). You will face resistance (John 16:33) to building the godly family God has called you to build. The more godly your desires for your family, the more resistance you might expect. It may come from extended family, neighbors, “friends” or sadly, even people at church who don’t like your particular direction. Initially, they might use disparaging/discouraging words (Nehemiah 2:19) to you or your family, and if that doesn’t derail you, they will likely try additional tactics. 

Those against Nehemiah devised cunning ways and even intimidation to try to stop the building. Oh, my brothers, don’t underestimate the will of those who do not want you to succeed in raising children who love and serve the Lord Jesus. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30).