What is a Christian to do With the 4th Commandment - the Sabbath?

 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.   Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. Exodus 20:8-11, Deut. 5:15

   Has it ever occurred to you that if you are a mainline Christian that you are going to Church and observing a day of rest on the wrong day? The Seventh Day is Saturday, not Sunday! Now before you think I am going Adventist on you and tune me out, this blog is about exploring what the New testament/ New Covenant Christian's view on "Days" should be. This could get controversial so when I'm done be a Berean. Study it for yourself and keep the good and throw out the bad.(if there is any and I hope there isn't) Let's look at what Paul said about the Sabbath and what Jesus said, and then what Genesis says and try to make some conclusions.
    What did Paul say about the Sabbath. First of all, he never commands anyone to obey it. The 4th Commandment is the only one of the 10 that isn't re-commanded in the New Testament. In Acts 15 the Jerusalem counsel was convened to address the issue of the Gentiles being grafted in and since their lifestyle and customs were completely different than the Jews the two groups were butting heads. In order to get along, the counsel came up with certain essentials for the Gentiles and the glaring omission was the Sabbath was not on the list. Not only that but in Galatians Paul reprimands the new believers for going back to being in bondage to the old covenant laws particularly the Sabbath (Gal. 4:10). Why? Because Paul saw the Sabbath as a ceremonial law fulfilled in Christ. Just like the lamb sacrifices pointed to the Lamb of God coming and replacing once and for all the killing of animals that could never take away sin, so the Sabbath points to a rest from our work that was fulfilled by Christ's work on our behalf. I don't believe Paul wrote Hebrews but if he did, the author spells this out in Hebrews 4 where he states Moses couldn't give the Israelites rest because of their unbelief. Joshua took them into the promised land, yet David in Psalm 95 refers to a rest that they didn't obtain. This rest is given to us who can now by faith, rest from our efforts and striving and trust in Christ's completed work on the cross. (Eph. 2:8,9) This is why Paul says in Col. 2:16-17 , Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. " The Sabbath day was a shadow that was cast by the reality - Christ. Just like clean and unclean foods were done away with in the New Covenant (Acts 10:15, Mark 7:19) so was the Sabbath. Paul even includes the Sabbath in his passage on debatable non-essentials in Romans 14. Along with food offered to idols was listed the Sabbath in verse 5. It had become a non essential and like alcohol, trick or treating, public schooling, birth control methods, etc, it has now become a topic that Christians feel passionately about and actually divide us, but aren't clearly spelled out in scripture and aren't essentials.
      Just as an example of the difference in denominational views on the Sabbath, I've been in 3 denominations in the last 30 years and here are their views;

      Christian and Missionary Alliance - As far as I can tell, they don't say

      Presbyterian (PCA) -
 As it is of the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which in Scripture is called the Lord's Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath.
This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations; but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

     Baptists -
"The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ."


   You can see, one denomination doesn't take a stand, the Presbyterians basically say that the Sabbath is still in effect (even preparation day) but has been moved to Sunday, and the Baptists say take one day a week - Sunday - to focus on Christ . Recently listening to a series on the 10 Commandments by Andy Stanley, he would go along with the Baptists but go even further and say it doesn't matter which day of the week, just pick the one that works for you.

    After that brief rabbit trail, we look at what Jesus said about the Sabbath. Jesus certainly went to the synagogue on the Sabbath but it was the things He did on the Sabbath that really enraged the Pharisees. We see this first in Matthew 12 when his disciples picked grain as they walked through a field and were accused of harvesting. Jesus answered them with a very interesting comparison on how David and his men ate showbread when they were hungry and how the priests serve in the temple on the day of rest and it is OK. What is showbread? What is the temple? Who were priests? These were all fixtures of the Old Covenant - the ceremonial law destined to become obsolete when Christ fulfilled it. Isn't it interesting that Jesus compares the Sabbath to this? Then He says that He is Lord of the Sabbath and the Sabbath was made for man, not vice versa. Could you see Jesus doing this with a different commandment? "I am the Lord of Murder." "I am the Lord of Adultery". Wow, I feel blasphemous even typing that! Jesus would never say, "If a woman is unable to conceive because her husband is sterile, she is free to commit adultery because marriage was made for man, not man for marriage, or the laws of adultery were made to protect man not oppress him" This is foolishness. You see that Jesus saw this one commandment as completely different than the other nine.

     Does all this mean that no day is different than any other day? You would almost think so except for one thing. Way back in the beginning, in Genesis 2:2 says "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."   Here we see, long before Abraham and the Old Covenant with Moses, God has given a principle to everyone that has been created which pretty much doesn't leave any of us out. We get some insight into what we were supposed to do by looking at the Hebrew word for rest. What this word really suggests is God looked at His creation and He stopped because it was complete. He was utterly satisfied by it. I like to picture it like the TV show The Happy Days where Fonzie would look at himself in the mirror with a comb in hand and say "Heeeyyyy" as he put away the comb when he saw perfection. Talk about blasphemy, comparing Fonz to God! But I hope it makes the point.

     

How does that help us understand what to do on that special day. The Jews were to take one day a week and honor God for His perfection and His creation. In fact, I would guess this is how  the other nations knew them. They would probably  say, "These are the people that worship the God they think made the whole Earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th and that's why they take a day off - to honor Him" (Ex. 31:12-17 mixed with Acts 17:24-26)   However mankind sinned and the world was no longer perfect. Thus, God's resting was over and He went to work creating a plan of getting rid of sin and restoring perfection. This work was completed when Jesus rose from the dead and from that time on we see the believers worshipping on a new day, "The Lord's Day"(Rev.1:10) which was the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, John 20:19, 1Cor.16:2) honoring the God who rose from the dead that day (John 20:1) and could look on His work and say, "Heeeyyy"  "It is finished". "It is complete"

  So, bottom line, what are we to do? I believe that since from creation there has been a special day to focus on, we should now worship and honor the One who created us, died for us, rose from the dead, perfected us, and restored us to a relationship with Him. We should also set our mind on the future time when this world which is moaning and groaning due to the curse of sin will also be restored at the second coming of Christ. How that manifests itself in you and your family is not to be legislated. We are slaves to the law that brings freedom. So go into Sunday with an attitude that this day is all about making Him special - I guess sort of like how we celebrate someone's birthday or Mother's Day. It isn't that they aren't special and loved every day, but this day, once a week,He is front and center and we should do nothing to distract us from that and do everything to aid in that.

Kid's Video Devotion - Jealousy

1. Watch the Doug video

2. Doug trivia - Where did Lamar Bones go to college?
3. Why did Roger want to take over the news show?
4. How did he take it over?
5. Read Mark 15:9,10  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%2015:9-10&version=NLV  Why did the Pharisees really want to kill Jesus?
6. Read  Acts 5:15-18  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%205:15-18&version=NLV   Why were the apostles imprisoned?
7. Read James 4:1-3  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%204:1-3&version=NLT  How does James define jealousy? What does it cause? How does he say we can fight jealousy?
8. Have you ever been jealous of someone? What bad thing did you do? If you aren't anymore, how did you defeat it?


Note to parents.
   Things went great with the first broadcast until fans started swarming Doug and Patty. This made Roger jealous - he wanted what they had . This caused him to lie, plagiarize (take credit for someone else's work), and make Doug inadvertently humiliate Mr. Bones (who went to Bloatsburg University) in public. James says that this is what causes most of the problems in the world and it certainly was true in the crucifixion of Jesus and imprisonment of the disciples. What James says we should do about it is if we don't have something, ask God for it because God has given you everything you have and if you are jealous you are basically saying to God, "You haven't given me enough!" However, if you are asking for something for selfish reasons, don't be surprised if He says, "no". Let's be content with what we have and love people genuinely so that we are happy for what they have even if it is something we don't have.

Kid's Video Devotion - Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross?

1. Watch the following Doug video

    
2. Doug Trivia. What is the complete name of the principal? What does he carry in his shirt pocket?
3. Did Roger deserve what Percy was doing to him? Why or why not? Name 5 mean things Percy did to Klotz.
4. Was Doug happy that Roger was finally getting paid back? Explain
5. What did Doug do to save Roger from getting pounded? What was the result of his helping Roger?
6. Read Romans 5:6-8  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%205:6-8&version=TLB
   How was what Doug did for Roger similar to what Jesus did for us? How is it different?
7. Read John 15:11,12  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:12-13&version=TLB  What is Jesus' definition of love? How did Doug demonstrate it? Have you ever shown love like Doug? Tell about it.
8. Read John 13:34,35.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2013:34-35&version=MSG  According to this passage what is a great way to witness to people that aren't saved?

Note to parents/teachers
     In this episode Roger finally gets a taste of his own medicine and he realizes how bad it can be. (not that he changes). At first everyone is happy but they soon realize that whereas Roger probably bullies to make himself feel more important and never really physically hurts anyone (that doesn't make it right because emotional damage can be worse than physical damage), Percy is just plain evil. Doug takes the wrath of Percy on himself and in doing so frees Roger but is going to get beat up for Roger. This is what Jesus did for us. We are sinful deserving punishment but Jesus who was innocent came and took our punishment on Himself. As opposed to Doug, Jesus wasn't spared at the last moment - He died on the cross for our sins. Yet, like Roger, most people just go on with their sinful life.
     On a practical note, have your kids ever seen anyone being picked on or bullied? Have they stepped in and defended them? Why or why not? Chances are, with a bully around, we are just relieved that they aren't picking on us and we just try not to be noticed. A true Christian, one that loves, needs to intervene at the risk of their own comfort. This may hurt but it may also lead people to Christ.
   

Is Drinking Alcohol A Sin??

 "But Daniel had resolved not to defile himself with the king's wine."  Dan.1:8

      Is it a sin to drink alcohol?

      We all know it is a sin to get drunk.

    ⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9,10

   ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.  Rom. 13:13

    ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.   Gal. 5:19-21

 ³ For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.  1 Pet. 4:3

  ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,  Eph. 5:18


   So why is drunkenness a sin? I think the last verse lends some insight. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and lets the flesh or sinful nature take over. We as Christians receive Christ and he comes to live inside in the person of the Holy Spirit. As seen in the above Galatians 5 passage, unfortunately we still have the flesh which is in a continual battle with the Spirit for dominance or leadership of our life. Alcohol numbs the part of our will that says no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit. Drunkenness is also a sin because it is taking things in excess rather than moderation or self control, sort of like gluttony which is also condemned in scripture.

    Still, this doesn't answer the question, "Is drinking alcohol a sin?" Let me approach it with a 7 letter mnemonic and then summarize at the end. (It spells out E-T-H-A-N-O-L)

   E -  Endangers

  Is alcohol dangerous? No question. It accounts for 2.5 million deaths per year. Physically it causes liver failure and neurological damage. Relationally - how many marriages do you know of and families that were destroyed by alcohol? As Andy Stanley says, " I've never heard the testimony,'My life , marriage, and family were falling apart, and then I discovered alcohol'" No it is always the other way around.
    What about the history of mankind. Look at Genesis. Noah drank and passed out. His son Ham saw his nakedness and disrespected him and Ham was cursed and became the father of the Caananites. Ever hear of them?  Then Lot after fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah drank, passed out, and his daughters had sex with him because he literally was the only man around, and bore the Moabites and Ammonites two more pagan people groups that the Israelites had to contend with. My guess is Abraham had to get tipsy to impregnate Hagaar but that isn't in scripture so the above examples show well enough the devestation it leads to.

    ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Cor. 6:19,20     Alcohol damages the body like smoking, poor eating, lack of exercise, etc. Avoid it

    Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
    whoever is led astray by them is not wise.  Prov. 20:1 
 It's interesting to watch how NFL players get in trouble. It is always at the night club. Fights, violence... investigate it. Alcohol is usually involved. Spousal abuse, child battery. Drugs/alcohol with impairment of reason is almost always involved

     Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
    whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.  Prov. 21:17
   Alcohol leads to poverty. Ever been approached by a homeless person for money. You are leery to give it to them. Why? Because they will just go spend it on Alcohol. It leads to poverty.


T - Testimony

      Now this may be a geographic or cultural point so if you can't relate just go on to the next. For me, living in the Bible Belt, Christians aren't expected to drink at all. I would never go into a grocery store and buy a six pack( not that I ever would) because the cashiers, bag boys, shoppers would see that and say, "I thought he said he is a Christian. Why, he is no different than me. Hypocrite! That's why I don't go to church." You think that is far fetched? I've heard it given as an excuse multiple times. Paul had similar pressures as he had gentile converts unnecessarily be circumcised to avoid the same criticisms and rejections of the gospel. Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:22 "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some."
    I learned this the hard way. When I first moved to Tennessee, when patients would call me at night experiencing false labor, I would often tell them to have a glass of wine. I don't know if you knew that but alcohol is a tocolytic (stops labor). In fact in the old days before other medicines were developed, patients in premature labor would get IV alcohol and be transferred into our tertiary referral center completely - well, picture Otis on Andy Griffith. Anyway, it wasn't long before I heard rumblings that the new doctor in town is a proponent of alcohol. That prescribing pattern quickly stopped.

H - Higher Calling

         Would you not agree that in our Christian life that good is the enemy of better and better is the enemy of best? We see this with Mary and Martha where Martha is doing a good thing but Mary is commended for doing the better. (Luke 10:38-42) Paul's prayer for the Philippians stated "so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ" Phil. 1:10. Do you strive for best or the highest possible calling of Christ in your life? Lets look at those people in those positions in the Bible.
     The priests - ⁸ Then the Lord said to Aaron, ⁹ “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. Lev 10:8,9   Considering going into the tent was a daily occurrence, God's command to the priests was, "No drinking." In fact, in context it appears that the deaths of Nadab and Abihu for offering unauthorized fire may have revolved around lapses of judgement or unclear thinking due to alcohol. Personally speaking (unrelated to priests), I could potentially deliver a baby or do surgery any day of my life. How would you like to know that your surgeon had alcohol before he operated?
     The Nazarites - The highest vow a Jew cold make was taking the Nazarite vow. As seen in Numbers 6, it says , no drinking.
     John the Baptist - In Luke 1 we see that he didn't drink
     Kings - Now we know that kings didn't practice this but we see in Proverbs 31:4 "It is not for kings, Lemuel—
    it is not for kings to drink wine,
    not for rulers to crave beer."
     How would you like to know that our president was drinking prior to making decisions to deploy troops and declare war?
    Elders, Deacons, Pastors - We see in Timothy and Titus Paul's warning against alcohol for leaders of the church.
  You can see that people in highest calling spiritually and authoritatively were warned against alcohol. Do you want to be average?


   A - Addictive

    Paul says in 1 Cor. 6:12  “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.
   Does alcohol master people? Have you ever heard of Alcoholism? That is addiction to alcohol.  Delerium Tremons or D.T.s are what happens when a person withdraws and can be fatal. There may be a genetic predisposition to becoming dependent on it so why even start? I'm sure you know of people that are attending alcoholics anonymous meetings several times a week and will the rest of their lives. Why play with fire? Be addicted to Jesus.


   N - Necessary

     Is alcohol necessary to life? Back in Biblical days, alcohol was used for health reasons. The Good Samaritan used it to clean the injured man's wounds. Paul told Timothy to take some wine for his stomach sake. (The fact that he had to be told to do it tells you that this young pastor was adhering to the rule of the higher calling). The Tartaric Acid in wine has been found to kill Salmonella, E.Coli, Staph, Klebsiella, and other harmful bacteria which became very useful in the pre antibiotic and pre germ era. (they hadn't discovered germs yet). Now, with refrigeration, sterilization, preservation, antibiotics, etc. wine/alcohol is no longer necessary


   O - Offensive

      Is alcohol offensive to other believers? Absolutely. It is the quintessential Romans 14 or 1Corinthians 8 stumbling block. It is the food offered to idols of our day. Believers who have come from that background and gotten saved equate alcohol with their past debauchery and are offended when they see other believers drink. Worse, you could cause them to sin by encouraging them to go back into that lifestyle or causing them to judge you. Paul says that life isn't about food or drink, i.e. alcohol isn't necessary so why do it if it could offend someone?
     You might say, "Well then, I will do it in the confines of my home and no one will know." There are three problems with that.
   1) all the above points tell you that it is not wise to drink at all
   2) your kids know. Everyone I knew from a church that "allowed" drinking had kids who drank and got drunk in their high school/college years. You can't fool your kids. You can't tell your kids don't do as I do. They are too smart for that
   3) what if people asked you if you drink? Would you tell them the truth? If not, then you deep down know it's wrong.  http://www.thoughtsfromtherightbrain.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-diagnostic-question-for-hidden-sins.html


     L - Lawful

     Maybe the Bible doesn't come right out and say "He who drinketh alcohol committeth a sin." Does that make it non-sinful? Paul says in Romans 14:23 "But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. "  We can see that acts that aren't prohibited in the Bible can actually be sinful if our consciences are being "set - off". Now if you were raised in a legalistic background where you were taught everything was a sin (card playing, dancing, drinking, smoking, chewing, going to movies, fishing on Sundays, watching TV, 2 piece swimming suits, etc.) you might have to work through some of that. Just keep in mind Rom. 14:14 where Paul says  "But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean" and then his warning in vs. 22 "Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves."


   So is drinking alcohol a sin? If you aren't doing it with a clear conscience, if you are emboldening others to do it (who are doing it with an unclear conscience), if you are by example encouraging children to do it, if it easily moves forward to drunkenness, if you lie when asked... yes it is a sin.

    If your answer to all the above is no then ask, "Is this the wise thing to do?"

    Lastly ask, "Is this going to help or hinder me becoming all God wants me to become?"

    Like me maybe you will decide -  I think that my wife's rum cake is about as far as I am willing to go.

My Testimony at First Baptist Sevierville 10/20/2013

After 28 years of living in the Bible Belt, I've asked hundreds of patients "Are you a Christian?"
 I usually get one of 3 answers
   1." Without the Lord I wouldn't have made it this far!"
   2. "I go to such and such a church."
   3. " My Papaw was a preacher."

 I hope my testimony speaks to these 3 responses.
number 1 it is not about you.
number 2 I'm glad you are doing the right acts of obedience but it is so much more than that
number 3 You have to own your faith!

I hope you watch this and it speaks to you.

Kid's Video Devotion - How Do You Become A Christian?

1. Watch the following Doug Video

    
2. Doug trivia - What kind of cologne does Roger wear?
3. Who did Roger want to date? How did he spell her name? What did they have in common?
4. What did he try to do to win her over? Was he successful?
5. What did Julie do about it?
6. Pretend Julie is God and we are Roger. Look at the following verses and tell how they relate to us and God and this video;
        Isa. 55:8,9  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isa%2055:8-9&version=NIV
        Isa. 64:6  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2064:6%20&version=NIV
       Rom. 7:18-25  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%207:18-25&version=MSG
       John 3:3-7  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203:3-7&version=NIV

Note to parents/teachers

     OK, granted, this is a heavy one and maybe better for teens. The whole concept of comparing "Joodie" to God requires deep levels of abstract reasoning. (but if your kids are left handed - right brained- they will probably get it - ha) In this video, Roger wants to date Judy but they have nothing in common. Try as he might, with great effort, he can't succeed to become like her. When he finally stands before her, she wants nothing to do with him and in front of everyone dumps him. And the funny thing is he is glad because once he sees what she is like he doesn't want to be in her presence. Wow. Does that remind you of anything? All religions except Christianity are trying to reach God by imitating Him through sacred teachings but the problem is He is Holy which means "other". God is completely other than us. It is like trying to play golf like Tiger Woods, swim like Michael Phelps, hoop like Michael Jordan ... you completely can't do it. Because of this we can't enter God's presence because He is Holy and you aren't. It's like entering a sterile operating room in street clothes - it can't be done. So try as we might, try as Roger might, we can't enter into that relationship and all our efforts are in effect putting a ladder against the wrong house. Eventually when we stand before God He says, "Depart from me I never knew you." What hope do we have? Jesus died on the cross to cleanse us and make us born again thru the Holy Spirit. In other words, he put God inside us, if we just receive him (John 1:12, 3:16) How could Roger have gotten Judy? If the spirit of Judy or the Thesbian actor she was in love with had entered Roger's body, he would have had new desires, actions, friends, etc. and he wouldn't have had to work and fail to become like her and pleasing to her, it would have happened automatically. That's what it means to become a Christian.

Kid's Devotion - Being Kind to Strangers

  1. Doug Trivia - Who sits in front of Chalky?
2. Who was mean to Fentruck? What did he do? Why do you think he did it?
3. Why did Patty choose Fentruck as her lab partner?
4. Are there any "different" kids in your school? How are they different? How do you treat them?
5. Are there any new kids in your school, sunday school class, or youth group? Have you befriended them? Why or why not?
6. Have you ever been in a situation where everyone knew everyone else and no one knew you? How did you feel?
7. Read Matt. 25:31-46  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt+25%3A31-46&version=NLT   What were some of the things the sheep were rewarded for and the goats were punished for?  If you are kind to strangers who does Jesus say you are being kind to?
8. Read Exodus 23:9  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2023:9&version=NIV  What does this say about how we should treat people different from us?  Why?

Note to parents:
    In this episode, Fentruck moves to Bluffington from Yakestonia. Despite looking like everyone else, he talks different and Roger always feels better about himself by bullying the weak and different. If you watch Dougs you can tell that Roger has a low self esteem and is very self conscious so he hides that by taking the offensive and picking on others. He also is jealous because the girls are paying attention to Fentruck and not him. Let your kids know that bullies usually have significant problems and they should be prayed for and pitied rather than hated.
   Jesus relates to the different people as He came from Heaven to a world that didn't know Him and He was so different He was hated. Talk to the kids about how Jesus was different from everyone else. Because of that and the fact that His chosen people were always aliens wherever they went, Jesus has a heart for strangers that we need to have. Encourage the kids that when they see someone sitting all alone at lunch or youth group that they need to go over and be "Jesus" to them. Be their friend even if it means that they get picked on too. That's how "sheep" act.

Kid's Devotion - Judging People

Watch the following Doug video

 

 

1. Doug trivia - What was Doug's aunt's name. What city did she work in? What was the channel number and 4 call letters of the station?

2. How did Doug feel initially about being on TV? How did he feel after finding out what show it was? Why?

3. Tell something that you do that you are embarrassed for your friends to find out.

4. Who found out? What was he going to do to Doug? Why do you think he would do that? How should Doug have responded?

5. Why didn't Roger carry out his plan?

6. Read Romans 2:1-3  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%202:1-3&version=NLT  and  Matt. 7:1-5  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt%207:3-5&version=MSG   How do these verses relate to Roger?

7. Have you ever made fun of, or accused someone of something that you have done also? Give an example. Why did you do it? How do you think God feels about this?

 

Note to parents:

 

In this episode, Doug does something for someone that he is embarrassed about. Note that he was willing to make a fool of himself out of respect for Aunt Betty Ann (channel 12 WBLT Bloatsburg) which was a very noble thing for him to do. Ask the kids if they would have done that. Doug should have a good enough self - esteem that he doesn't care what others think but unfortunately like most kids his age they don't want to be laughed at.( Maybe do this devotion tomorrow  http://thoughtsfromtherightbrain.blogspot.com/2011/11/kids-devotion-risking-being-laughed-at.html )  Encourage your kids that they are awesome and God thinks so too and chances are that the kids making fun of them have done the same thing but have too little self confidence to admit it and feel better about themselves by making fun of others.

The Bible verses talk about judging. We as Christians have a tendency to pick on and accuse people of the very things we do. Of course we forgive ourselves for doing it because we had a legitimate excuse but they don't. They are sinful, we were tired. I heard a pastor say that when we stand before God, He could judge us without the Bible. He could take off the invisible tape recorder around our neck that records every time we judge someone and then use it to judge us using our own standards of right and wrong that we have placed on others. God desires mercy not judgment (James 2:13). Lets not be hypocrites. Lets leave the judging to God and leave the forgiving and mercy to us in order to lead them to the mercy of God found in Jesus death on the cross.

 

   

Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospects 2014

Here is my list of top prospects at each position (a 25 man roster) based only on 2013 hitting and pitching stats (I haven't seen them play) for the Milwaukee Brewers.

1B  Of course the obvious are Morris and Rogers but their Batting averages just aren't that exciting. I think it is another year in the minors for each which will be interesting because Rogers needs to be at AAA where Morris is. I predict a trade or a position change. Therefore my pick for top 1B prospect is
        21y/o  Adam Giacalone  L/R  .336/.429/.874 at Helena. Doesn't strike out much. Needs to get stronger.
        I am still hoping Mat Gamel will have an injury free season in 2014 and be our 1B for the future

2B  Scooter is here to stay so who cares. However,

        Eugenio Velez. .377/.437/.960 . OK it is hard to consider a 31 y/o career minor leaguer a prospect, but with this kind of year at AAA, this switch hitter certainly deserves another chance and a September call up which we wont do because we want to keep guys like Figaro, Gonzalez, Francisco, Betancourt, Maldonado, Bianchi  on our 40 man!

SS  Segura is our guy for the future but just in case we can't sign him long term, I'm going to give you 2 who are a distance away. Besides, with a 25 man team, I need to give you a utility fielder so one of these guys fits the bill.

        Gregory Munoz  19y/o LH .292/.376/.738 in his 1st year in professional ball leading our Dominican team in hitting

         Steven Halcomb 23 y/o RH  .317/.406/.760 in his first professional year drafted out of Gonzaga playing with the Arizona rookie team

3B   Nathan Orf 23y/o RH  .313/.452/.872 in his 1st year drafted from Baylor playing in Helena. What can you say about a .452 OBP? Most people don't do that in softball.

 C    I'm going to give you two because all teams carry at least 2 catchers

    Robinson Diaz - OK, once again it is hard to consider a 30 y/o a prospect but with a .328/.375/.833 at AAA he certainly should be up in September replacing the highly overrated  Maldonado being outhit by most of our pitchers.

    Clint  Coulter - 20 y/o RH   .350/.409/ 1.026 in Arizona . Unfortunately, he has been my biggest disappointment of the year because he has failed in Wisconsin and Helena and I'm wondering if he can make the jump

OF   Because of injuries and suspensions, we have depleted our upper level prospects bringing up Gindl and Schaefer well before their time of never. Khris Davis shows promise but runs hot and cold too much. So here are my 5 prospects who admittedly are a distance away.

    Michael Ratteree  22y/o RH 1st year at Helena  .327/.405/1.013  This is my position player prospect of the year. I hope he moves up quickly.

    Omar Garcia 20y/o RH 1st year in Helena .316/.433/ .780   Needs to get more power but hard to argue with a .433 OBP

     Elvis Rubio  19y/o RH in Arizona from DSL  .314/.386/.867

     D'Vontrey Richardson 25y/o RH in Brevard  .325/.372/.778  Admittedly this guy isn't anywhere on the Brewers radar screen so watch for him to be unprotected and have another team steal him. The closest hitter to him on BRV hit .258! Either BRV was terrible or it was a pitching rich league. Either way, he deserves attention and I hope the Brewers have him move quickly at the age of 25.

    Take your pick for #5 - Tyrone Taylor, Mitch Haniger, or Victor Roache. I'm not as sold on them as the Brewers because Doug Melvin overvalues HR's and MPH and lets contact hitters and finesse pitchers languish in the minors for years. Mitch had a great AFL campaign so he is moving up on my radar.

 P  Starters

     Jimmy Nelson -  24y/o RH  3.25 ERA HVL and Nashville  152 innings 163K. Only fear - a fair number of walks. Batters hit .241 against him

     Johnny Hellwig - 24 y/o RH 3.15 ERA   12-5 on a terrible AAA team. Fear - didn't make the major league transition well and loses his release point frequently because of his height.

     Austin Blaski - 23 y/o RH 2.01 ERA hitters batted .207 against him at A ball

    Tyler Wagner - 22 y/o RH  3.21 ERA 116 K at A ball

     Tyler Cravy - 24 y/o RH  2.04 ERA hitters batted .207 against him in high A

      Long relievers/starters

       Clint Terry LH  21 y/o LH 1.54 ERA  .99WHIP  hitters hit .211 against him

       Tristan Archer  RH 22 y/o 3.16 ERA in Helena (a hitter friendly park) but the most impressive thing - 3 walks in 37 innings!!

       Short relievers

    Tyler Spurlin  22 y/o RH .90 ERA  .90 WHIP 2 walks in 23 innings in Arizona. MOVE HIM UP

    Hobbs Johnson 22 y/o LH .86 ERA 21IP  4BB 32 k  in A ball. MOVE HIM UP

    Tyler Alexander  21 y/o LH at Helena 1.88 ERA 14IP 3BB 25K.  MOVE HIM UP

    Now for my 2 pet peeves. How bad has our bullpen been this year in the majors? In the last homestand we lost 7 games in a row due to relief . Yet - maybe because these guys are under 6 foot and don't light up the radar gun, Doug Melvin has forgotten about them.

     Jesus Sanchez 25 y/o RH 2.83 ERA Nashville who has dominated AA last year and AAA this year gets picked over by Figaro, Badenpop, Gonzalez. Hand??? Come on Doug. Bring him up NOW! Addendum - dropped from 40 man. Watch us lose him like Mat Gamel.

     Eric Marzec  25 y/o RH at HVL all year. This guy has dominated at every level yet isn't getting moved up in a pitching poor farm system.  6-0 1.95 ERA.

As you can see, most of our prospects are a few years away thanks to very poor drafting. Maybe it is time for a complete overhaul of our scouting dept. because I would say the Brewers have one of the, if not the worst farm system in all of baseball.

Kid's Devotion - Treating Everyone The Same

1. Watch the following Doug episode

2. Doug trivia.
     What is the name of the school team?
3. Why was Patty wearing a disguise? 
4.  Look at this definition of prejudice from Websters on line dictionary
       preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge
  an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics .  What are some common prejudices today?

5. Who was the coach prejudiced against? What were some of the coach's sexist statements or behaviors?
6. Read Gal.3:28,29.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203:28-29&version=MSG . What were 3 groups that had prejudice against each other? Why did Paul say that this was a sin?
7. Read John 1:45,46.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%201:45-46&version=NLT  What was Nathanael prejudice against? How do we do this? What does Phillip say is the remedy?
8. Read Numbers 12:1. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2012:1&version=NET . Who were Miriam and Aaron prejudiced against? Is this an issue today?
9. Who have you been prejudiced against? Confess it to the Lord and ask for deliverance.
Note to parents
    In this episode we see Patty having to disguise herself because the coach thought boys were superior to girls. The coach is a very unlikeable character which is good because sexism, racism, etc. make a person very ugly. We experience this all around us where women get less job opportunities and less pay, African Americans (Cushites from Num. 12:1) still fight an uphill battle, and Hispanics are disliked for" crossing the border and taking our jobs" (I just heard that this week) Also, we tend to have a lot of pride in where we are from, which is good, but not when we think people from other nations, states, cities are inferior to us. Just look at the fights at High School football games and most of them come from Nathanael like statements. We need to realize that God made all of us and He loves us all equally. Technically, we are all related to Noah so we are all relatives. Phillip said, "Come and see" to Nathanael's prejudicial remark. Maybe that's what we need to do; get out of your bubble and get to know people from other areas. Maybe you will find that they are no different from you!

Donkeys and Walking Sticks

 "Jair of Gilead, led Israel twenty-two years. He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair. When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon....  After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel.  He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years. Then Abdon son of Hillel died and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites."  Judges 10:3-5, 12:13-15

   I'm always amused by these verses - to go through life and be known for how many donkeys you owned and where you were buried seems to me such a waste of a life. I recently was reminded of this in a personal way. My dad died and as we arranged his burial, the funeral director, knowing that my dad loved to hike to Mt. LeConte asked if we would like to have his walking stick buried in the casket with him. He stated that he has even buried motorcycles with people. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that he was wrong by offering this; if so I am much more guilty for offering prenatal testing for birth defects (it's one of those things the profession requires) - but I was horrified to think that my dad's life might be remembered by his hiking. Sure, that was enjoyable for him but it wasn't WHO he was anymore than I would want to be buried with a Doctor's bag or a scalpel and be remembered for being a doctor.
     What would my dad have wanted to be remembered for? What do I want to be remembered for? Let me illustrate it this way. Do you know how the gospel came to Korea? In the 1800's a British missionary to China, Sir Robert Thomas, felt deep compassion for Korea, a country that was hostile to outsiders. He learned a little Korean and bought a bunch of tracts and Bibles, mainly in Chinese and convinced an American trade ship wanting to establish relations with Korea that he could be their interpreter. The ship got attacked in the waters off shore Korea and was set fire. As the crew abandoned the ship and were quickly killed, Robert Thomas was said to have abandoned the ship with an armful of Bibles throwing them to the Koreans while yelling "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" while he was clubbed and speared to death. The killers noticed something different about this man and thought that his "book" must be very important. When people who could read Chinese later came to Korea they translated these Bibles and now South Korea is one of the most Christian nations in the world.
      What would my dad have wanted to be remembered for? What do I want to be remembered for? I want to be remembered for having a passion for and sharing God's word. I'm comforted to know that even if I am as unqualified as giving Chinese Bibles to Koreans, God can use a willing servant. And I want to be known as a person who constantly spoke of Jesus till my last breath. That's what I want. That's what my dad DID. Isn't that what you want to be remembered for?
  

A Diagnostic Question For Hidden Sins

Kids' Devotion - Jumping to Conclusions

1. Watch the above Doug episode
2. Doug trivia - What is Skeeter's favorite dessert?
3. What wrong conclusion to Skeeter arrive at?   What bad things happened as a result of him assuming this without getting all the facts?
4. Have you ever jumped to a wrong conclusion before knowing all the facts? Explain. Did something bad happen because of it?
5. Read Joshua 22  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%2022&version=MSG  and explain what happens in this little known passage of scripture.
6. Read Prov. 13:16.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=prov%2013:16&version=NIV
   How does this relate to this Doug episode.

Note to parents
     In this episode, Skeeter gets partial information and jumps to wrong conclusions. Because of this he causes pain to his parents, causes his best friend great grief, causes himself harm (misses his favorite dessert) and causes others to lie for him. In the passage of Joshua, a civil war is almost caused because 9 tribes (probably just a few people riled everyone up) misunderstood 3 tribes' noble actions. We should always gather all the facts before thinking something bad has happened or is going to happen and always assume the best of someone. If you assume the best of someone, then if you get partial information that casts a bad light you can say "I know they are a good person and obviously we don't know all the details. Lets give them the benefit of the doubt." Your mind, if left alone, can imagine and fabricate a whole scenario that is completely erroneous. We need to have minds that always think the best.

Jesus is the Remedy

      In John 14:6, Jesus declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." Back in my zealous days for the Lord, maybe over zealous - maybe Pauline, I used to paint Bible verses on the windows of the conversion van as we went on family vacations because I was going to turn the self indulgent time off into a mission trip to the beach whether my wife protested or the kids cowered under the windows for 11 hours - or 9 if I sped.( I never figured out if I witnessed to more people by passing them or letting them pass me) Anyway, on one occasion I painted this verse on the window and was amazed by all the indecent gestures I received. The apostles also declared the narrowness of salvation in Acts 4:12 and Paul reiterated it in 1Tim. 2:5.Jesus also said the way was narrow and few would find it in Matt. 7:13,14. This infuriates non christians because to them it is saying, "If we don't believe like you then we are going to hell as are the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Moonies, etc. I can't believe in a God like that. I believe that you can believe whatever you want and if you are sincere and are a "good" person we will all go to Heaven."
      I got to thinking about that the other day. In the picture below, you will see 8 different medicines

from my drug closet at work. From left to right you see an anti-inflammatory, a constipation medicine, an asthma medicine, prenatal vitamin, a hormone, an antihypertensive (blood pressure), a pill for bladder urgency (gotta go, gotta go) and a probiotic (bowel health). Now suppose a patient came in for high blood pressure which causes strokes and heart disease and is a leading killer in the U.S. What would I give him/her? Pill #6 - Bistolic- an antihypertensive. What if he said, "Naw, any pill will do if I faithfully take it - I think I will take pill 4." He can be as sincere as he wants but a prenatal vitamin will just grow his fingernails at best. Not only that, but they will all be harmful because they will delay treatment and some could cause ulcers,  diarrhea, increase his blood pressure, or how can I say this delicately - change his upper anatomy. There is "good" in all the pills (still think probiotics are voodoo) but only one pill will cure his disease.
            Hopefully the analogy is clear. Jesus is the remedy for sin and death. Everything else distracts us from the truth and harms mankind. Those who say that Christianity is exclusive, bigoted, and narrow - don't have an issue with Jesus as much as they do with recognizing their condition. They think we are basically good with a few flaws that any placebo taken, if believed in, can fix us. Christianity states that we are dying in our sins and need a drastic cure. Tim Keller gives the following illustration ;Picture this-You have been weak, no energy, losing weight, having stomach pains and you go to the doctor and he says, "take vitamins and change your diet and you will be fine." Unfortunately it doesn't work so you go to another and she gives you a shot of B12 and probiotics - ha. It still doesn't work. The next one tells you to exercise and get more sleep and take Omega 3 fatty acids. You go to 6 other doctors and get similar advice without success. Finally you come to a doctor who says, "You have cancer in your abdomen and need it cut out immediately or you will die." Do you leave saying, "Who does he think he is? How dare he say everyone else is wrong! How narrow-minded!" Or do you leave thinking, "Wow, what if she is right?" What was different between this doctor and the other 9? The diagnosis. The one doctor saw you as having a deadly disease and therefore a singular cure while the others thought that it was a minor problem with multiple solutions to make you feel better. When people get upset for saying Jesus is the only way you could probably counter by saying, "You believe that mankind is basically good don't you.We believe the Bible teaches that we are sinful headed for an eternity apart from God and the only hope is to have our sins taken away and no other religion addresses that but Jesus does."
          The Bible says in Romans 1:32 that mankind knows we are sinning and deserve death yet we suppress it and then celebrate it. I have a number of patients who refuse to get tests because they are afraid we will find something. Foolish? Maybe, but Paul says that humanity is doing it with not just this life in the balances but eternity. Please, people. Get your head out of the sand, accept the diagnosis and receive the remedy - Jesus took your disease on Himself on the cross. Now just receive Him into your life and be healed!

Kid's Devotion - Living a Blameless Life

1. Watch the following Doug Video

2. Doug Trivia - What is Doug's phone number?
3. What did Doug lose? What was he afraid would be the consequences of losing the journal?Who found his journal? Why didn't he make fun of Doug?
4. Do you have a journal/diary? If you do what do you write in it? Would you be embarressed if anyone read it? Why?
5. Read Matt. 12:25 which says "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them..."

   Read Ps. 139:2,13  

1. Psalm 139:2
   
   You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
2. Psalm 139:23
   Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

What do these verses tell you about God?  In a way, whether you have a journal or not, someone is reading your most intimate thoughts and that is God.

6. Read 1 thes. 5:23  1 Thessalonians 5:23

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

    Blameless is mentioned 54 times in the Bible. What does "blameless" mean to you?

 

Note to parents:

      What if all your thoughts were displayed on a big screen for the whole world to see? Would you be proud? Embarressed?

      Rev. 12:10 says Satan is the accuser of the brethern. Picture him standing before Jesus and accusing you. What would he say? Would God be ashamed of you? Would He have to apologize for you? This is what I think it means to be blameless. When Satan or unbelievers try to make a case against you would they have to make up lies like they did to Jesus? Lets pray that God would make us blameless because that is what He does according to 1 Thes 5:23

 

Raising Your Children According to Moses

   I was reading in Proverbs 4 the other day and was struck anew by something;

      ³ For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
⁴ Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have get understanding.
⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.”

     The author, Solomon, gives us some rare insight into the parenting of King David. David obviously spent some time with Bathsheba and Solomon and what Solomon remembers, after his dad has passed away, is David's instructions to him as a child that whatever his lot in life, the most important thing that he must seek is wisdom. Did the advice stick with him? It surely did as we can see in 1Kings 3 when God appears to him as a young king and says,"I will give you anything you want." Solomon answers,"wisdom", and God is so pleased with that answer that He gives him that and everything else.
      What are we passing on to our kids that when we are long gone will guide their live's into making decisions pleasing to the Lord? Moses gives us 5 pieces of advice and Joshua gives us one, that if followed should take our children on the right path. What if we don't heed the advice? Check out this passage in Judges 2;

    ⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. ⁷ The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. ¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. ¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. ¹² They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them

      The first time we see Moses instructing the people on passing on the faith to their children is in Exodus 12:21-27. In this passage we see him giving instructions on how to celebrate the Passover so that their children would remember the Israelite's deliverence. We in turn as Gentile believers (although we certainly can celebrate the Jewish holidays) can point to the great things God has done to deliver us such as the incarnation - Christmas  (although if you want to be totally random, celebrate the conception - April 2) or Easter. Birthday parties for Jesus, Resurrection Eggs, etc. are traditions that could be annual reminders of the great things God has done in delivering us and them. Come up with your own ideas or search the internet. Our family for example developed a BINGO like game (which was labeled JESUS) and the spaces on the card were filled with OT prophecies of the coming Messiah. We drew verses out of a bag and the first person to fill a line shouted out JESUS and got to open the first present. The second present would be opened by the winner of the Bible drill finding these verses as they were pulled from the bag.
      The second Mosaic instruction was found a chapter later in Exodus 13:11-16 where Moses gives them instructions on giving the firstborn to the Lord and making sure the kids see it and tell them why it was being done. We likewise need to let our kids see us giving of "our" wealth to the Church, the poor, missionaries ,etc. and tell them why we do it. What a rewarding sight when we see our kids giving a tithe or more the first time without coercion. Not only giving, but let them see you on your knees, studying your Bible, witnessing, etc. Model the Christian life to them. Why did the before mentioned Solomon go bad? Mainly he had a problem with women which coincidentally so did his dad. His dad, David, could teach him everything about wisdom but if he didn't model it, the impact was limited.
      Teaching your kids the scripture so they can determine right versus wrong behavior is the third instruction given by Moses in Deut 4:5-14. "Don't sass your Mom!" "Why?" "Because I said so!" is not as effective as "because God said it in the 10 commandments and in Ephesians 6 and etc." "God has given us the instruction manual for life and it is called the Bible. If you want life to work you need to follow it. If you don't, you will heap trouble on yourself." When your kids are having a sin issue, i.e. not sharing, we would make up a bedtime story involving fictitious animal characters that are wrestling with the same issue and they would always end up doing the right thing with the help of a Bible verse. This was much more effective than just telling them to stop being selfish. This website has been dedicated to helping you teach your kids these principles with scripture and video. Just type in "kids" or 'devotion'  in the search box and find one that pertains to what your kids are going through.
      Deut. 11:13-21 instructs the Israelites to teach the children with the goal of that- not being obedience as above- but to love God. If your kids are using the phrase "have to" -" we have to go to church, we have to go to youth group, we have to read our Bible, we have to have devotions, etc" it is a warning sign that your kids may be struggling in the Loving God arena. We should present Christ as the most winsome person to ever grace this planet not as a cosmic killjoy. Make devotions fun, kinetic, no-punish zone. If Church is something your kids are dreading - you may need to reevaluate the church too. When praying with the kids, I know the "Now I lay me downs" and "God is great God is goods" are a good starting point but they quickly need to progress. You need to teach your kids that "Jesus is right next to you - talk to Him." Teach them He isn't a religious icon or a concept but a real living person who loves them even more than mom does! He is the "Pearl of Great Price" which if grasped, should motivate and drive their lives.
      The last time Moses instructs them to teach their children is in regard to "The Song of Moses" which is 46 verses in Deut. 32. It is a lengthy song that talks about God's greatness and includes judgements and blessings. I can't overestimate the importance of music in your kids' lives. Not only can it be the basis for the friends they gravitate towards in school later on, but it is what they meditate on all day long. Why not fill their minds with Biblical truths in the car, in their bedrooms as they go to sleep, on their ipods. Please, buy them Christian music not Disney and One Direction/ Taylor Swift .Believe me, they will still know those songs without you encouraging them - you won't be harming them by oversheltering. We had our kids memorize whole books of the Bible to tunes we made up or borrowed. Make sure your devotions include a generous amount of singing! God inhabits their praise.
       I could stop here but I hate to skip over Joshua's instruction in Josh. 4:6. They had just crossed over a parted Jordan river and were instructed to take 12 stones from the middle of the river and build a monument to the Lord as a remembrance to the children of the great things God has done for their family. Besides point 1 and remembering God's gift of salvation to the world, what are some things uniquely God has done for your family? An easy one would be to celebrate the day they were saved. When you think about it, the second birthday is more important than the first. We liked to have "Angel Parties" whenever anyone we knew or led to the Lord got saved. We know that all the angels rejoice when someone gets saved so we would play Christian Raggae/Calypso music, do the limbo, bust a Pinata and grill out, etc. It was a wild and FUN time. Make your Anniversary and Birthdays not all about you but celebrations that God engineered your meeting, falling in love, your children's births etc.
       Be creative as you teach your kids  how God brought Salvation into the world and into your family, how He gave you a book called the Bible that teaches them how awesome God is and how much He loves them and how they can show their love to Him through obedience. Be persistant in guiding them through modeling Godly behavior and putting the right kind of music in their lives. Then maybe, unlike the Israelites who left the faith after one generation, when you are gone, a generation stronger then you will arise and change this world for Jesus!!

Kid's Devotion - confessing

1. Watch the following Doug video

2. Doug trivia - What is Doug's middle name?

3. What does Doug do wrong in this episode? Why is this so bad? Have you ever got into trouble in a similar way?

4. What were some of Doug's schemes to remedy the situation? Did they work?

5. Who almost took the blame? Was Doug happy about that? Has anyone ever gotten accused for something you did? Did you confess?

6. Finally, Doug confesses which he should have done immediately. (actually he did try with embaressing results) What were the consequences of his behavior?

7. Read Numbers 32:23  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+32:23&version=NIV   My parents would always quote this to me as a kid. What is this verse telling us?

8. Read Lev.5:1  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+5:1&version=NIV  How does this apply to this Doug?

Note to parents;
       In this Doug, Doug Yancey Funnie gets in trouble mainly because of boredom. When kids get bored, they get into trouble. Make sure your kids stay busy! Doug draws a non-flattering picture of his teacher which is a  disrespecting authority and as the verse in Numbers says, "Your sin will find you out." You will see that your kids, if they are believers in Jesus, will get caught every time. God will keep them on a short leash because He doesn't want them to have a lot of baggage that is going to impede them being mighty for the Kingdom in the future. The best and most freeing thing your kids can do is come clean, take their punishment, which may not be as bad as they think, and have a clean conscience. They need to know that staying silent while someone else takes the blame is a sin against that person and God. They should never do that!

The Gospel In The Books of Moses

^{1Cor. 10:1-12}
 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
⁶ Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. ¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

        The Old Testament is filled with symbolism that points to the coming Christ and God's ultimate plan of redemption. It isn't a stretch or far fetched in any sense to look at the Exodus to finally crossing the River Jordan and entering the Promised Land and compare it to what God has done for us through Christ Jesus.


    1. Egypt and Pharoah = Bondage to Satan

         As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. Eph. 2:1,2

    The children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt under a cruel taskmaster by the name of Pharoah. He was only interested in keeping them in bondage and using them for his purposes. He even ordered all the male children killed.
     Today we are in bondage and slavery to sin and Satan who only wants to kill, steal, and destroy. This is all mankind's condition we are born into. Isn't it interesting that when redemption comes, infants are killed. (Herod, Pharoah).

2. Moses/Passover Lamb = Christ our deliverer

      and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
²⁷ And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.” Rom.11:26,27

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1Cor.5:7

        In the midst of this captivity to Satan and sin, God sent us a deliverer like Moses(Deut.18:15). This was Jesus. John said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". Moses sent 9 plagues which decimated Egypt and showed God's power over the many gods of Egypt. Yet the 10th plague which delivered them was the passover of the death angel. Just like the blood of the lamb saved their lives, so the blood of Christ delivers us from the law of sin and death. Like Jesus, the lamb had to be a male, in the prime of life, spotless, killed in late afternoon and not a bone broken.

3. Blood on the doorposts = The Cross
   “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1Pet.2:24
   and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col. 1:20

      The Israelites had to apply the blood of the lamb on the doorposts  to be saved just as Christ's blood on the cross saves us if we apply it. It isn't enough to know what to do, or that He died, but to have faith and personally apply it. The blood was seen from the outside to everyone that looked just as we need to publically confess Christ by word and deed. And unfortunately there was no other way to save a life than the blood of the Lamb.

4. Crossing under the Red Sea = Baptism

      They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.   1Cor. 10:2
        and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1Pet 3:21

   The Israelites, like us, were delivered from bondage by the last plague and their faith in the blood of the lamb personally applied. They then passed through the Red Sea literally under the water as God held it up on each side. This symbolizes baptism which doesn't save us but says to the world we have left Egypt and followed God. The Egyptians trusted the water and died. The Israelites trusted God and lived.


5. Amelakites = Flesh

      But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Mark 4:17-19

    As soon as the Israelites were delivered their first foe was the Amelakites. They are children of Esau who traded in his birthright, the promises of God and the future, for the here and now - to feed the flesh. They picked off the weak and the stragglers(Deut.25:17-19). Moses defeated them by raising his arms to Heaven. When his arms got tired, he rested them on the rock and Aaron and Hur held them up(Ex..17:8-14). This is very symbolic of what happens when we get saved. The flesh battles against complete surrender. It attacks us when we are weak and alone especially. How do we defeat it. 1)Worship. Raise your head to the sky and praise the Lord. Pray, go to Church, listen to praise and worship and sing along. 2) Resting on the rock. Getting in the Word. Fellowship with God  3) Fellowship. Get with fellow believers who can build you up and hold you accountable. 

6. Manna = Jesus our Bread of Life

       Your ancestors ate the manan in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which people may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:49-51

     Just as the Israelites in the safety behind the blood on their doorposts fed on the sacrificed lamb, so we now too, once we are saved, feed on Christ. He is all we need. Our Bread of Life. We take him in daily as we feed on His word and we get our strength from Him. Like Manna, those who want a lot gathered much. Those who didn't want much gathered little. We can have as much of Him as we want. We do need to feed on Him daily.


7. Water from the rock = Our Rock, Jesus, was struck so He could give the Holy Spirit

     and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1Cor. 10:4
    
     “‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”  Matt. 21:42,43

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:10-13

Christ was crucified and his blood like the passover lamb cleansed us from our sin. He rose from the dead to give us victory over death and ascended into heaven to intercede for us and to send us the Holy Spirit who is Christ's life welling up inside all believers. Without this we would not be "born again".It always made me wonder why striking the rock when God told Moses to speak to it was such a heinous sin that Moses was disqualified from going to the promised land. Then I realized how important this symbolism is to God.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Heb.6:4-6

   Christ can only be struck once. He only could die for sins once. Moses' sin violated a divine principle of the redemptive plan and thus was extremely serious.

  8. Mt. Sinai = Presence of God 

         You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39,40

     Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

   They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. Ex.29:46
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deut 30:19-21

We as Christians often get confused - why is it God saved us? So that we can go to Heaven? No, that is great but the real reason He redeemed us is in order that we can know Him and be in a relationship with Him. This was revealed in "the Exodus". God didn't deliver them to the promised land - no, He delivered them to take them to His presence at Mt. Sinai. There they learned how to be in a right relationship with Him while He gave blueprints on how He could live among them. They actually spent the next year there.

9. The Wilderness = Missing out on God's best   10. Canaan - The abundant life here and in Heaven

        Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? ¹⁷ And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? ¹⁹ So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Heb. 3:16,17,19

   God had something amazing planned for the Israelites and most of them missed out because of unbelief. We too are offered the amazing life of following Christ with all we have in radical abandonment of our selves. Yet we go in and out of that surrender and at times get glimpses of the beautiful life of total commitment and then fall back into the wilderness where we are missing out on God's best for us basically due to our unbelief. This seems to be the battle we will continue to fight until we truly cross "the River Jordan" in death once and for all and finally lose our sin nature.