7 Ps of Parent Child Relationships and Godly Living

The 7 Ps of Parent Child Relationships and Godly living

1. Protection

Parents are in the protection business. However it may appear on the surface, parents feel an obligation to protect their children. Equally, children rely on parents for protection. Life is not too dangerous under the protective wings of the parent.

The implication for Godly living is that this is the type of relationship that God wants to have with us as His children. He is clear about His commitment to protecting His children and He wants us to shelter under His wings.

14 For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Deut 23:14

15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Jn 17:15

3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2Thes 3:3

2. Providence

Parents have a sense of obligation to provide for the ones that they helped to bring into this world. No one looks favourably upon a father who is unable or unwilling to provide for his children. Children learn to rely on good parents to provide for their needs. This fundamental assurance provides a solid foundation for them to get on with their daily living. They do not have to worry about their next meal and they are able to channel their thoughts into other areas.

What about our heavenly Father? Is He a reliable provider? Can we reasonably leave Him to take care of us?

Gen 22:3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Parents will happily lavish bountiful gifts on obedient children.

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matt 7:7 – 11

Rom 8: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

An aside: Note that Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God. The love for God must transcend all other loves. Love for sons, wife, things, even self. Parents should not protect and defend their children at the risk at losing favour with God.

3. Prodding

Children are not cattle, but sometimes they need a little prodding to get them moving and moving in the right direction.

Our heavenly Father also has that problem with us!

Jonah 1: 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.

Some parents tell their children that they do not expect to have to issue the same instructions more than once to get obedience. How much more should we be quick to obey the all powerful God, our maker?

Luke 12:4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

4. Pride

Most parents have a sense of pride about their children. They somehow feel that having been involved with the processing of the other Ps that we have dealt with, they have earned the right to feel that they are linked to end product. The more the child fits the pattern that they consider desirable the greater the feeling of satisfaction and level of pride. This in turn sometimes motivates children to make an extra effort to achieve certain objectives. “This one is for you Mom or Dad”.

What about God? Does He take pride in His obedient children who fit the pattern that He has established? Ought we not to strive to be obedient to His will so that He too can take pride in our achievements?

1 Peter 2 :9 But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (Am Standard)

“That is MY child!!” What should we give to able to have God recognize us as being one of His elect, a part of His royal priesthood, one of His people???

5. Patience

Some parents have to face the reality that their offspring have not quite made it to the lofty standards that they have set for the children. They are concerned about the pace of development and get frustrated at persistent weaknesses and failings. They may even wonder if all their efforts have been in vain.

Other parents understand that it might take time for their children to fit the pattern that they have set for them. They take this into consideration and set aside their concern and frustration. Instead they lavish love, support and encouragement. Those things are available to you not from what you do but from who you are.

Sensitive children can detect the growing concern of parents and try to adjust their behaviour to give hope to them. They try to avoid pushing their parents to frustration by re-doubling their efforts. There is renewed motivation to achieve goals.

All children get a boost to their self-worth when they are made to feel confident that father’s love and support is not dependent on what they achieve but on who they are.

What about our Eternal Father?

He is patient and understanding when we fall short of His requirements. He actually makes arrangements to deal with our failings.

2 Peter 3 :8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

6. Punishment

Earthly parents punish their children in the hope that it will help them to develop along acceptable lines. Two passages give us clear insight into the philosophy of our heavenly Father.

Sometimes as parents we are reluctant to discipline our children out of some mistaken sense of love. The account of Saul and Jonathan shows the level of earnestness that one father had with respect to obedience to God, above all else!!!!

1 Sam 14:41 Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Give me the right answer.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. 42 Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”
So Jonathan told him, “I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?”

44 Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.”
45 But the men said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.” So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

What about our heavenly Father? What is His approach to punishment and discipline?

Acts 17:29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

Hebrews 12: 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

7. Place

Finally, parents seek to find a safe and secure place for their children. Parents take great comfort from the fact that offspring have safe shelter. Part of the joy that would have come to the father of the prodigal son is the fact that that night he could sleep with the assurance that his son was in a secure place and not at risk.

What about our heavenly Father? What is His take on this?

He has provided a safe and secure place for us. It is called the Church.

Matt 16: 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Acts 2: 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

What about you? Are you an obedient child to your heavenly Father? Are you in residence in the secure place He has provided for you? Are you part of His elect, His royal priesthood? Will He be pleased to number you among His children?

If you are a part of His elect, are you frustrating Him? Are you living to the standards that He has set for you? Are you keen to make Him proud of you?

This is the challenge to you today. Make this day a happy day for your heavenly Father!!!!

But still...

But Still….


A young woman has lost her husband and her father-in-law and faces very trying times. Her mother-in-law encourages her to return to her home town where she will have the prospect of finding another husband. She understands the potential risks that come from staying with her mother-in-law but still she pleads with her mother-in-law not to encourage her to leave as she is totally committed to staying with her – no matter what the outcome.

How many of us are willing to remain true to our commitments even when it appears that doing so will lead to a bleak future?

How loyal are we to those to whom we have made commitments? The world is full of fair weather associates. They are there for others when things are going well but they take off as soon as things become challenging.

Ruth – the young woman in our story – displayed the epitome of loyalty and commitment.

Ruth 1
Naomi and Ruth
1 In the days when the judges ruled, [a] there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
6 When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."
11 But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons- 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!"
14 At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.
15 "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."
16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

The Christian walk demands that we put others above self. It sometimes requires us to remain true to relationships that do not appear to be in our best interest. Ruth’s commitment reflects a higher order of love that not many people attain. Self-denial is one of the manifestations of spiritual maturity.

How ready are you to dedicate yourself to a relationship even though it requires you to deny yourself?

Are you a fair weather associate, companion, partner or are you there for the long haul?

What is the real significance of the wedding vows you made or hope to make? In an environment in which divorces are so prevalent, will you commit to working through good times and bad?

Let us now consider the case of the young man who decided to share his point of view with an audience. As he spoke it became increasingly clear that the audience did not share his perspective. But still he thought it important to continue. Members of the audience became downright hostile. But still the young man decided that what he had to say needed to be said and he continued. In the end, he sacrificed his life.

How many of us are willing to make any kind of sacrifice to make our views known?

How often do we keep silent when the situation demanded that we present a principled position?

Can you recall situations in which you could have made a positive difference but failed to speak out because you feared what might happen to you?

Rampant criminality actually thrives in communities in which people fail to speak up about wrong doing and keep silent during police investigations.

Stephen – the young man in our case – was convicted about the need to share his message. Fear would not silence him.

Acts 7: 51"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
The Stoning of Stephen
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

There are times when we need to let our voices be heard. There might be challenging situations but still, silence is not an option.

Next, we want to reflect on a young man who happened to be favoured by his father. This seemed to have sparked jealousy among his brothers. This prompted them to do the unthinkable to the young man.

It would have been understandable if this young man had become a social deviant and made a mess of his life. He had to spend years of his life with the pain of his betrayal by his own kin but still he forged a highly successful career rising to the very top echelons of government.

Without in any way wishing to belittle the challenges of persons who have had difficult childhoods, it might not be unreasonable to state that Joseph – the young man in question – had as difficult a time as many others. Genesis chapters 37, 40 - 43

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented [a] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."
8 His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them."
"Very well," he replied.
14 So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
16 He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?"
17 "They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.' " So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19 "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. 20 "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said. 22 "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels [b] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?"
31 Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe."
33 He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave [c] to my son." So his father wept for him.

Overcoming difficult times and bad experiences is not easy but still we have to strive to overcome and to create opportunities for our development. No matter what our status is now or was in the past we must still work towards fulfilment and self-actualisation. Joseph rose above the great obstacles placed in his path to become someone to be highly esteemed.

What are the roadblocks in your path and what are you doing to climb over them or remove them?

We now turn our attention to a man who was called to provide leadership for others. He made it clear that he was not suited for the job and that someone else should be chosen. He was persuaded to accept the task.

As it turned out, the people were the most undisciplined and ungrateful set imaginable. It would no be unreasonable to expect that the reluctant leader would walk away shaking his head. Quitting was a reasonable choice, but still he continued working with the ingrates and completed the assignment.

How easy it is for us to walk away from positions of responsibility on the grounds that the people are unwilling to be led. Too often we find people caving in to pressure and relinquishing their leadership roles.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” indicates that leadership is often a difficult assignment. Still, it has to be performed by someone. We do well to take our cue from Moses – the leader under review here. (Exodus)

I pray that we would be more true to the roles that have been given to us. That we would commit to the successful completion of tasks for which we have responsibility. I pray that we would not seek to make excuses to avoid roles that we consider to be challenging. I pray that we would look beyond our own limited capabilities and to recall that “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phillipians 4:13.

Our capacity to achieve much is heavily dependent on our level of faith.

Luke 17: 5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

If we commit our stewardship to God, he will bless us with success.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

On the issue of faith, two case studies are instructive. We are reminded that we live by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7). These two men demonstrated this to the extreme.

One was sent on what must have seemed at some point to be wild goose chase. He was sent on a trek that seemed to lead to nowhere yet was supposed to produce spectacular results. As he and the throngs that joined him on this trek grew weary they must have wondered about the futility of the entire exercise.

Calling off the trek was an option but still they continued their potentially frustrating walk around the walls of Jericho until in the end the walls came tumbling down. [Joshua Chapter 6]

Hebrews 11: 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

There are times when the way ahead is not clear. We have doubts about where the path leads. But still we must march on in faith in the knowledge that if our actions are grounded in faith and committed to the Lord, the outcomes will be favourable.

Joshua marched around Jericho in the knowledge that God would be there for them. O we of little faith!

The other case we want to look at is a man who set about building a huge boat in preparation for an event that he could hardly have imagined would take place. Noah might have been justified in wondering about the probability of something called rain producing flood waters on the earth but still he built the ark.

Thank God for the “but stills” of many who have achieved much living by faith and not by sight.

Is there an opportunity that seems to be beckoning you and yet it is being clouded out by a lack of faith?

Are you failing to look at what seems to be insurmountable challenges or unclear pathways and say “but I will still” go forward?

A “but still…” attitude is central to our spiritual walk. Some of you have failed to make a commitment to dedicate your lives to Jesus because you feel that you are not ready for such an undertaking. You feel you have to wait until you get your life together.

I urge you that despite all the many reasons why you think you are not ready to put on Christ in baptism you should still move now to make your calling and election sure.

A review of all the conversions in the New Testament and supporting passages point to the following process for putting on Christ:

We must hear the good news of Jesus, His atoning sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection. Rom 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

You must also believe the good news.
Heb 11: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith is not enough. We are called to act on our belief and to make a decision to no longer let sin reign in our lives but to seek to live in obedience to God. This is the very important act of repentance.

Luke 13: 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

You then have to confess Jesus as Lord of your life. This is a public declaration of your belief that Jesus is the Son of the Living God:

Rom 10: 8-10 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Another major step is that you must be baptized for the removal of our sins. This is a step that is either left out completely or is comprised in attempts to make salvation more convenient.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ.

1 Peter 3: 17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

At that point you have put on Christ and you are in Christ. Many opportunities are now opened to you. One is that you are added to His Church. There you are able to access the exclusive blessings that are in Christ. Now your soul is protected by the atoning blood of Jesus, the Christ.

Don’t be like the many who have gathered all this information but still did nothing about it and died in their sins to spend eternity away from God. You may not fully conquer all your doubts and fears but still obey the Gospel call and save your soul today!

When trouble comes a knocking

When trouble comes knocking

All of us can expect at some point in the future to get into some difficulty. Sooner or later trouble will come knocking.

One of the interesting features of life is that we seem to be regularly caught off guard by things that are inevitable. How prepared are you to deal with trouble when it makes its inevitable call on you? Do you have a strategy for dealing with trouble?

I want to share with you ten tips to help you better cope when trouble comes knocking:

One: Focus on the issue at hand

All too often when trouble comes knocking we get lost in non-essential and distracting things that lead us away from finding a solution. We tend to cloud the issue by bringing in past events or personality issues that are really NOT central to this issue.

It is said that if you find yourself in a crocodile infested swamp; mosquitoes are really not a central concern. One key to coping when trouble comes knocking is strip away all the distractions and identify what is the real issue at this point in time. We do not want to lose energy dealing with non-essential things.

We must resist the temptation of letting the personalities that are involved in the issue cloud our thinking and blind us to what are the substantial challenges.

Two: Avoid rushing off into playing the BLAME GAME.

Many of us thrive on affixing blame whenever negative events occur. Our attention is immediately drawn to answering the question: “Whose fault is it?” We are consumed by that inquiry and we are drawn away from the core challenges that we face.

Often, those of us who are honest with ourselves place the blame squarely on our own shoulders. All this is happening because of something we did or did not do and now we must pay the price.

Others look to find a scapegoat to blame for challenging developments. They place themselves in the role of victims and hold others accountable for the situation in which they find themselves.

Whether we blame ourselves or others, the fact is that at the end of the blaming exercise we are not likely to be closer to resolution of the situation. Problem solving requires more than affixing blame.

Resolving issues does require that we get to the underlying problem. That we get to the heart of the matter. This may in fact end up pointing to someone who is the source of the problem. That is OK. However, letting the naming of scapegoats get in the way of meaningful resolution of the issue is another matter and should be avoided.

Three: Be proactive

Many people respond to trouble by pretending not to hear the knocking. They appear to believe that if they ignore the knocking long enough it will go away. They see TIME as the great healer and take a “Sit and wait” approach to problem solving.

The fact is that elapsed time by itself will not resolve issues. Other forces must be brought into play during the passage of time to produce new results. When trouble comes knocking we must seek to take positive action to deal with it and to correct the situation.

It is action that solves problem not the mere passage of time.

Four: Avoid alarmists

When trouble comes knocking you want to ensure that you stay clear of the influence of alarmists. These are people who magnify the problem and who paint a gloomy picture about the prospects for early resolution of the problem.

Consider Num 13:

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."

3 So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran………

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan."

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

Some people develop great competence in making situations look a lot worse than they are in reality. They spin a web of hopelessness and despair to ensnare us. We need to steer clear of that web less it renders us powerless and ineffectual.

Like Joshua and Caleb we must resist the naysayers and resellers of doom and gloom.

Num 14:

6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

Five: Do not panic and remain calm

As we just read “….but the LORD is with us”. The confidence that Christians can have in facing adversity comes not from themselves but from the fact that we live in a world that is controlled by God our Father. The God who rescued Daniel from the lions’ den, Shadrach from the fiery furnace, protected Paul through numerous treacherous situation watches over us. We need not have a spirit of fear.

Rom 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

The other thing to recall as you seek to still your nerves is the thought that the situation is temporary. This too will pass. You will find that with the help of God, you either find a solution to the problem or learn to accommodate it.

One thing is sure and that is that addressing trouble with an emotional mindset is likely to produce inferior results to taking a reasoned approached to understanding and dealing with the issue.

Six: In your choice of action stick to what is right

Sometimes in response to the significance of the situation and what is a stake, we contemplate taking short-cuts to achieve what we consider to be a desirable solution. We think that if we use deceit or use illegal tactics we can resolve pressing issues and come out victorious.

All too often these unrighteous schemes backfire and cause us even more grief. But even if they were to succeed consider Matt 16:26

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Going against the will of God to suit our own purposes is a dangerous practice as evidenced by Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5:

1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.

3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

Seven: Summon up courage from outside of yourself

Daniel 3: 13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

David’s confidence before the giant Goliath 1 Sam 17 and lessons from Gideon’s army Judges 6-7 highlight the fact that God is in control and if we are aligned with God and are obedient to His will we can achieve great things.

Phillipians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Eight: Call on available resources

The Book of Esther recounts the wonderful story of how Mordecai was able to turn the tables on the mighty Haman by calling on the resources of the girl he had sponsored and groomed – Esther. She had become favoured in the king’s court and was now able to save not only Mordecai but her compatriots.

Some times we feel that when trouble comes knocking, what it brings is so sensitive and embarrassing that we are afraid to seek assistance.

At other times, we let pride get in the way of seeking help. Again, we feel that the issue does not lend itself to outside support and we try to go it alone.

Self-reliance is good. At the same time, we are not islands unto ourselves. We live and have our being in interaction with others. Lightening each other’s burden makes them easier to bear.

Nine: Rely on the power prayer

2 Chronicles 32:23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.

24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

Job 42: 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver ^[a] and a gold ring.

Jonah 2: 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”

Acts 9: 40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.

James 5: 13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Ten: Prepare yourself for life’s challenges.

One of the keys to coping when trouble comes knocking is to have prepared ourselves in advance. Adversity readiness preparation should be a constant feature of our existence.

Adversity readiness preparation includes deepening our faith.

Hebrews 11: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Mark 5: 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering……. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Acts 3: 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see

Romans 1: 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Galatians 2: 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

What about your faith? Are you firmly grounded? Will you be able to use your faith as a buffer when trouble comes knocking?