“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13) We do worship You, our Father, and in our worship we give You our thanks. We thank You, not only for our own mothers and grandmothers but for all women who have filled that role. We remember those who are now deceased, who helped shape our lives, who taught us faithfully, and who enduringly loved us.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Parenting
For Strong Families
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:4–5) Marriage. A husband and wife coming together as one. Family. Rearing children. These things are so much of what life is about, our Father.
Read MoreA Prayer for Fathers
A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. (Psalm 68:5–6) Lord, You are good to give us fathers. Far too often it’s a difficult role and thankless job. Therefore, we pray that You would encourage all the men in that place today. Guard their hearts. Strengthen their resolve. Help them embrace the joy that comes with the rearing of their children.
Read MoreLeaving a Legacy of Trust
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. (Psalm 40:4) Our heavenly Father, how grateful we are for Your Son, Jesus. Where would we be without Him? How could we operate our lives without firm confidence in Him? It is sweet to trust in Jesus, to take Him at His word. And we willingly do that, our Father.
Read MoreFor Becoming Better Parents
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4) Thank You, Father, for being the perfect Parent. Thank You for those times that You’ve taken us to task, though the reproof sometimes seemed more than we could bear. Encourage us with the truth that whoever the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
Read MoreFive Cheers for Mom
What does motherhood require? Transparent tenderness, authentic spirituality, inner confidence, unselfish love, and self-control. Quite a list, isn’t it? Almost more than we should expect. Perhaps that explains why Erma Bombeck used to say that motherhood takes 180 movable parts and 3 pairs of hands and 3 sets of eyes . . . and, I might add, the grace of God.
Read MoreDisintegrating Families
The temptation of any child of vocational Christian ministers is to see the work of the ministry as just another thing, just another religious occupation.
Read MoreA Gift for Dad
In an age of equal rights and equal time, it seems only fair to give dads equal attention. Sometimes it seems the only time that happens is during the big commercial buildup for Father’s Day, and then it’s all buy, buy, buy! Families wonder whether to wrap us in robes, fill us with food, surprise us with skis, tickle us with tools, or just cover us with kisses. If I know dads, most of ’em blush no matter what you do. They are so used to providing, receiving is a little weird.
Read MoreHold Everything Loosely
Without realizing it, by worshiping God during his woes, Job is saying, “In your face, Lucifer! I never set my affections on these things in the first place.
Read MoreTake Heart
The king’s heart is like mush, like soft putty, or we could say like Play-Doh in the hands of the Lord. Just for a moment imagine another name in that proverb in place of “the king.” Someone who is giving you grief perhaps.
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