Marriage

After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, he headed north to the area of Galilee and established his headquarters in Capernaum, a city by the sea. One day, Jesus was walking on the shore and invited a tax collector named Matthew to follow him. Matthew left his tax booth to follow Jesus.

Sometimes, the fear of failure causes us to freeze. We simply can’t make a decision for fear it will be the wrong one. And sometimes, the fear of failure causes us to take matters into our own hands. No time to wait for God. After all, it’s your job, your career, your marriage, your children. You know what’s best. You say, “I will not fail! Here’s what I must do!” Fear makes us unpredictable. Sometimes, we fight; sometimes, we freeze. That’s what happened to a man named King Saul.

I love the fact that Peter uses Sarah as an inspired example of biblical submission. Read her story in Genesis 11-23. She was not a wallflower who waited on Abraham to call the shots. She was an opinionated woman, who devised an ill-conceived family plan (Genesis 16:1-2), mistreated the accomplice (Genesis 16:6), laughed at God (Genesis 18:12), and finally ordered Abraham to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael by sending them off to wander in the desert (Genesis 21:9-10). Sarah destroys the world’s twisted picture of submission!

The believer’s life should be attractive and inviting to those who don’t know Jesus. This also applies to every believer’s marriage relationship. Today’s passage is directed toward wives, and Peter’s words are misunderstood by many. Let’s work to understand how Scripture addresses the role of the wife in her marriage.

Strong and courageous. That is the call on every Christian parent. We need to stand firm and resolute in forming the hearts and minds of our children. If we don’t, there are plenty of people standing in a long line who want to control the next generation. Check out today’s passage.

Many Christian homes are filled with books on parenting. The books address everything from discipline to college decisions. Most of the books are good as far as they go, but there is one Book that must be on the top of the pile. Honestly, we would be better served if we would put down all the other books and pick up “The Book”.

“It’s time to grow up and get serious about your walk with Christ.” Those are the words that parenting shouts at us. It’s no longer just about you (it never was!). Every parent takes on a heavy responsibility, and with that should come humility. Our gut churns with a farrago of emotions that range from excitement to downright fear. Every parent can relate to Joshua’s feelings in the opening chapter of this book.

God makes his light to shine on us. I love the concept, but what does that mean? We have been using Psalm 118 this week as a guide for praying for our children. So, let’s wrap up our time by asking God to shine his light on them. Our prayer will explain what this powerful truth means.

What does success look like? What does God’s success look like? There are often two different answers to those questions. Our success doesn’t always look like God’s success. But his “win” is the only success that matters.