Teaching Values: Walk the Walk - Part 3

Have values in your life taken a tumble because sin has lost its meaning? Carl Menninger asked, "Whatever happened to sin?" Do you think the definition of sin has lost significance? Is sin just being naughty and of no real consequence and nothing to worry about?

Values compel a person to take seriously the responsibility for the health and well-being of oneself and others. Constant exposure to depravity will numb a person's sense of what is right or wrong. Someone asked a counselor, "Why should I teach my child what's right and wrong?" The counselor’s response: "Children are self-centered and will seek what they want when they want it."

You do not have to teach children to lie or steal or be self-centered. When one of my children came home with a friend's toy, we went together to the friend's house to return the toy and apologize. Deuteronomy 4:9 commands parents to teach their children and their children's children all of God's word and his expectations so that they might live for him all of their days.  

Seize Opportunity: It's Our Responsibility - Part 1

What makes human beings unique from other species is our ability to feel and think and to come to logical conclusions. Listen to Hebrews 2:7 from J. B. Phillips' The New Testament in Contemporary English. "What is man and woman that you bother with them; why take a second look their way? You made them not quite as high as angels. Then you put them in charge of your world."

With responsibility comes opportunity, but also accountability for how choices are managed. Another component of responsibility is submissiveness, which in its healthiest sense demands compliance and obedience to authority. Submissiveness implies honesty and truthfulness, which are an absolute necessity for every facet of life.

If opportunity is not seized at the moment of availability, it may be forever lost. Opportunity may mean saving a relationship that has deteriorated, but could with major effort be turned around. God puts us at the crossroads of life to offer us a chance to evaluate what's important. Submitting to that opportunity is your choice.

Poor Choices Produce Painful Consequences - Part 2

Most of us want to sail through life without encountering any glitches or troubles. However, we have to admit that the majority of our troubles are self-inflicted by poor choices we’ve made that created painful consequences we can’t seem to avoid. Someone said, "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgments."

We do have to take responsibility for what we allow our lives to become and confronting a crossroads may be a necessity for change and growth to flow into our lives. A crossroads clearly offers a choice for change and perhaps a step toward turning troubles into opportunities, but the narrowness of the passage can be so confining it may seem impossible to make necessary changes.

Conversely, a crossroads can be our finest hour. By turning to Christ Jesus we discover strength, power, and wisdom to live the life he intends to give us. God's word reminds us that we cannot begin to imagine what great and wonderful treasures God has in store for those who love him. Isn't that exciting to contemplate?