“How many times do I have to tell you?” Surely every parent has said that to a child at least once. Yet, the whiney reply was, “I don’t know how.” Think about it. Rational parents do not tell a child to do something that he doesn’t know how to do. Another response was, “It’s too hard!!!!” We aren’t going to tell him to do something he isn’t capable of doing. 

Do we ever act like that? Sadly, I admit guilt. As we read the New Testament with its over 1,000 commands, we encounter some where we think, “I don’t know how to do that,” or maybe more common, “Oh Lord, I can’t!!” In one sense that is true. In our own abilities, many commands we can’t do with a right heart. Yet He commands. He can command because He is the One Who enables. He is the One Who works within us. We believe, and we obey, by His grace, for His glory. 

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Who do your kids want to be like when they grow up? Much of who they want to be, depends on who they are around/exposed to now. It may be people they know in person, or those in media, sports, or books. 

Worthwhile to consider and also with significant bearing on your children’s desires are “who” you want to be. Regardless of how old you are, each of us has goals and ideals, some high and some low.Like our children, these goals are affected by the influences in your life (work, sports, movies, TV, media, books, Bible, church). Once something is in your mind, you don’t easily remove it. Therefore, what is worldly and negative, avoid, and what is edifying, embrace. 

Brothers, Satan wants to take you down. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world”(1 Peter 5:8-9). 

What is important to you is key. How much are you in the Word and want to please the  One Who purchased you? “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).

 Who you are and what you are aiming for with your life has profound impact on your children. “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).

Shopping for light bulbs these days is not what it was years ago. You used to pick wattage and your brand. Today, you choose the type: incandescent, halogen, compact fluorescent (CFL), light-emitting diode (LED), brightness, color temperature (daylight, bright and sunlight) and wattage. Yikes, isn’t light – light? Not anymore. 

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). When Jesus came into my life, oh how the light dawned into the darkness. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9-10). I had believed in Jesus before being born again, but when I repented and placed my faith in Jesus dying for my sins and received Him as Lord, oh, oh, the change that began in my life. The light of Christ exposed and drove out the darkness, even though I would not have described it as such. 

Oh, my Brothers, what sort of light do you want today? The light many (most?) churches present is similar to choosing lightbulbs. So much fake, worldly light available that doesn’t change lives, expose sin and move a person towards true salvation and holiness. Certainly, there still are some Bible preaching churches representing a holy, righteous God, but that sort make people uncomfortable who are unwilling to forsake their worldly life. Oh Brothers, we live for Him Who died for us. 

I am sitting on a treasure. It’s probably 20 years old. It is very worn, dumpy looking, and doesn’t work very well. I can’t sell it because no one would buy it, and so it is headed for the dump in the next two weeks. It is my old recliner chair. 

Why do I consider it a treasure? It was far more than my favorite chair in the evenings. It was never used for viewing entertainment, but rather for mining gold. “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her” (Proverbs 3:13-15). Oh how sweet mining gold during family Bible time every night. 

This chair is a special reminder of those times, as for years and years one of the children would sit on the right arm of the chair with me as we read the Bible each night. Like most recliners, the arms have a wooden frame and ample foam on them making them comfortable. However when a child sat on the arm every night, that foam took a beating. It was designed to support the occupant’s arm, not the weight on a child. All that is left now on that arm is the fabric covered wooden frame. It is beautifully ugly to me. It is a treasure of memories of those precious nights, one after the other in God’s Word with one of my gifts from God, sitting beside me, participating in family Bible time. It brings water to my eyes. 

Oh my brothers, I plead with you. Be in the Word every night with your family. The world feeds on sewage in the evening while we feed on the precious Word of God. 

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalms 119:103)!

There is an area on the garage wall that is marked by many precious memories. Drawing closer and closer, you will be able to read the very small writing. There is name and a date, written next to a horizontal line. There are many such markings documenting children’s growth through the years. Those markings are very special to me because they reflect the growth of our children and a number of grandchildren. 

Physical growth is special, but even more precious is spiritual birth and ensuing growth. The biblical term for growing in Christ-likeness is sanctification.  Physical growth is fairly easy given normal health and feeding. Sanctification however is a whole different process. 

First, it isn’t automatic like physical growth. Sanctification must be purposeful. I expect most have met people who said they were believers, yet their life did not back up their words. Usually, when someone comes to Christ, they do not have a life that resembles a Christian. Sanctification is a process that takes time and doing things that spur spiritual growth. Often someone might say to me, “I got saved a long time ago.” But as they share their life, there is no evidence of sanctification. When I probe a bit, I find out they don’t read a Bible, they don’t go to church, and they have no desire for growth in Christ.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

We must be purposeful in learning of Christ, and living for Him Who died for us. Then, we strive to lead our children so that once saved, they grow in Christ as well. 

Have you noticed how most houses have at least one tree in the front yard? It provides some shade and adds to curb appeal. Either the houses we moved into had one, or we planted one for the reasons above. However, I am now aware of a big reason not to have a tree in the front yard. 

For most homes in cities, the sewer line runs out under the front yard 12 to 15 feet underground. In an average size home, the tree is not far from the sewer line. Trees need water, and their roots grow down and out in search of water. Especially in times of drought, those roots will find any crack or small breach in the sewer line. Then the tree’s happiness is proportionate with the homeowner’s displeasure as his sewer backs up due to the thirsty roots. 

What a fitting analogy to the wicked desires of the flesh. The flesh craves the filth of this world. It’s so subtile and will relentlessly seek to satisfy it’s desires. The filth is near and downward, never upwards. It looks innocent on the surface (simple entertainment), but it carries out its work out of sight. 

Walk in the Spirit, not in legalism but out of a sincere heart for loving the One Who died for us. We live to please Him “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Tim 2:4), and therefore hate evil. “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth” (Psalms 11:5).

Doesn’t the following sound like it could be a description for what’s on normal TV programming or movies each night? “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Do you remember the first time you looked at something through a magnifying glass? I don’t remember the specifics, but I do remember being in awe at seeing details that I hadn’t dreamed existed. It brought a whole new understanding and appreciation. The greater the magnification, the more the amazement in what I was looking at. Magnification doesn’t change the object. It just enables us to see details that weren’t obvious under normal viewing. 

“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalms 34:3). We don’t use the word magnify any more in a nonvisual context. Therefore, to encounter it in Psalms 34:3, it is easy to lose some of the impact in this incredible verse. I love David’s invitation for us to magnify and exalt God’s name together. Take that to heart my brothers. 

We are to be the curved glass that brings the details of God into clear view for others. Wherever you are — home, at church or around others — share the Lord’s goodness, mercy, love, grace, patience, holiness, and righteousness. Share the details about our mighty God so that others can come to “see” Who He is more clearly and understand how wonderful our God is. Love Him. Elevate Him. Today when our God is considered by most to be simply (yawn) the “the man upstairs,” they need to hear that He is righteous and holy. He hates sin so much He would sacrifice His own Son as payment for our sin. If that isn’t worthy of magnifying so others can see Him, nothing is.  

In a day when it appears that less and less churches magnify the Lord, your children need a dad who magnifies the God and Creator to them. 

“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving” (Psalms 69:30).