What About the Children?

In Proverbs we read, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." We infer that this is a guarantee: if we do the right things as parents, our children will necessarily turn out right. Two problems with this: First, our experience. We train our children in the right way - but they DO depart from it. Second, we look at God. In Isa. 1:2-3 God, the perfect Father, laments how his children have gone astray. Taking this verse as wisdom literature helps us. We get clear guidance from Deut. 6:4ff.

Gratitude & Discontent

In Colossians 3:15-17 we see Paul emphasizing that we should practice giving thanks. The rest of the chapter shows us how we can become that kind of people. Along the way we see also how to be rightfully discontent with the brokenness we experience in the world.

Overcoming Sin

We tend to make one of two mistakes in our approach to dealing with sin. We either get legalistic about it or excuse it. Both trivialize the death-dealing power of sin. Through Jesus, we can find forgiveness and grace. When we recognize ourselves as sinners and receive his grace, we can pass it on to others around us.

Do You Want To Be a Saint?

There's a variance between the use of the word "saint" in popular culture and in the Bible. God calls people to be saints - to be holy.