Friday, September 30, 2011

GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING



GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING!

     I am a wonderfully blessed man!  God has been so good to me, and there are so many things for which I need to thank God.  I have great parents that are both still alive and healthy, and I get to be their pastor.   The Lord has blessed me with eleven wonderful children.  I have the best wife in the whole world.  She helps me, takes care of me, and most of all, loves me enough to put up with me.  I have a wonderful secretary, a great staff, and the best group of church members that any pastor could hope to have.  I have some real men that love God, some sweet godly ladies in our church, and a great bunch of teenagers that are real in their service for God.  
     You are probably wondering why I would put this in an article.  There are two main reasons.  The first is to let the people know how much I love and appreciate them and the other is to help me be more thankful.  Everyone has negatives in their life that they can think about if they choose, but God doesn't want us to live that way.  God says in I Thess. 5:18, "In every thing give thanks..." When we take time to think about the things for which we can be thankful, and thank God and others for that, then we feel more thankful ourselves.  I am more thankful now then when I first started this article. 
     If you are in a time in your life when you can hardly see anything for which to be thankful, then go ahead and thank God anyway, because God will have some good come out of the situation if you love God. (Rom. 8:28)  In II Cor. 12:10 the Bible says, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."  Paul realized that even when things are bad, God will bring some good out of it.  Go ahead and give God thanks.  He deserves it!

Wed. Bible Studies: What My Children Must Know (Week 8)



PRIDE

Solomon taught his son about pride.

Pride -  6 times
Proudly - 2 times
Proud - 8 times
Haughty - 3 times.

Day 1 – God hates pride.
Prov 6:16-17  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Day 2 – Before someone is destroyed, they are proud in their heart.
Prov 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.

Day 3 – God will destroy the house of the proud.
Prov 15:25  The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.

When God says He will destroy the house of the proud, that doesn’t just mean the physical structure of the house, but the family that is in that house.  Be very careful about being proud, or your children will be destroyed in the meantime.

Day 4 –  When we are pround in heart, we will be punished, even if we have a big group that supports us.
Prov 16:5  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

Many times when people get together in groups, they become more proud and arrogant.  They think that because they have a big group that they are unstoppable.  This is called “mob mentality.”  It is amazing the things that a mob can do, but according to God, he will still be punished. 

When someone is doing wrong, they usually find someone to agree with them to make them feel better.  Many times they do not care about even fixing the problem or situation, but they like to feel good in their pride.

Day 5 – The only way we ever have contention is by pride.
Prov 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. 

This is one of the most amazing verses in the Bible and one that should be taught often to our children.  Anytime there is a conflict with parents, siblings, schoolmates, authorities, there is always pride.  When people know this verse, they usually try to ascribe the pride to the other side, but our pride is what makes us do that.  We should be wise enough to spot our pride when we have conflicts and when our children have conflicts.

Day 6 – When someone is proud, they are always stirring up something.
Prov 28:25  He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.

It is amazing how many people will stir up problems.  The wise will seek peace and reconcilation, but the proud and fools are always causing problems.  Do not let our children do this, but help them seek to get along.

Day 7 – The proud will be destoyed.
Prov 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall

We do not know when, but the proud will fall and will be destroyed.  If God can humble Nebchadrezzar, the King of the earth, God can humble and destroy us.  We should do all we can to stop the proud look, the proud heart and the proud actions if we do not want our children destroyed.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Wed. Bible Studies: What My Children Must Know (Week 7)


DON'T BE LAZY

There is no way to underestimate the problems that are caused if a child doesn’t learn to work.  Literally, nothing they ever do will ever be the way it is supposed to be.

Whatever job they take, they must learn to work.
Whatever they study in school, they must work.
They must work if they are to be a good mother.
They must work if they are to be a good father.
They must work if they have a home.
They must work if they are in a church.
They must work in everything they do if they are to be successful.

Solomon taught often on subjects pertaining to work and laziness.
7 times he taught him about work
11 times he taught him about slothful
6 times he taught him about sluggard
12 times he taught him about sleep
7 times he taught him about diligent

Day 1 – The lazy will always be under someone.
Prov 12:24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. 

Day 2 – A lazy person will have a harder way to go, but the righteous will have an easier way.
Prov 15:19  The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.  

Day 3 – The lazy person always has an excuse why he can’t work.
Prov 22:13  The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. 

Day 4 – The lazy is always sleeping too long.
Prov 26:14  As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. 

Day 5 – If you sleep too much, you will be poor.
Prov 24:33-34 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Day 6 – Work hard without anyone telling you to work.
Prov 6:6-8 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:  Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Day 7 – The lazy man will want a lot, but will have nothing.
Prov 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
 
  1. Start your children working before they find out it is bad.  (trash, dishes, bed, room, weeds, mowing)
  2. Let them do any work that they can do, even if they don’t do it as good as you would do it.  (If you have to go back after them that is fine, just don’t let them know that.  After a while of them doing it, they will do it fine.)
  3. Never let them make excuses for not working (tired, play, friends, headache)
  4. When they work, make sure they are being diligent.
  5. Don’t let them sleep and sleep.  (Not even during the summer.)
  6. Teach them the importance of working first and playing later.
  7. Work with your children so they can see you working and so you can show them how to do it.
  8. Teach them to work for their mom, or dad, or for others.  Don’t let them think work is just for them, or just to make money.
  9. Don’t pay them for doing the jobs that they should do just for being a part of the home, but you can set up extra jobs for them to do to earn money, so they will learn the value of work, money, saving and giving.