1 Nov (1 Cor 9-10)

1 Corinthians 9

(v.5) Here is where the early church was discussing tithes, and how to support the teacher/pastor. Some said they should only support teachers that weren't married, so they wouldn't have to support a whole family. Paul is citing Peter and other disciples who teach and are married.

Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church argued about the same thing, but chose to say that only pastors or priests can be celibate and unmarried. This way, they didn't have to take care of the family and his descendants. There was no Scriptural reason to do this, but it was about money and power.

(v.10) This is like a business...the owner should work for the bulk of the profit, but the helpers get a piece as well.

(v.17) Teach your kids not to be ashamed of the Gospel, and to share it with their friends. God will reward them, even though some kids might make fun of them, it will be worth it!

(v.19) This part can be summed up in one sentence...know your audience when you're sharing Christ, and try to relate to them by what they are comfortable with and what they understand.

1 Corinthians 10

(v.4) The Rock is Jesus and we know this by many references to the Rock in Scripture. Your kids might find it fun to look up all the references to rock in the Bible...Jesus will be in all of them!

I also take notice to stress to my kids that Peter is not the Rock...Jesus is the Rock...and what Peter said in Matt 16:18 was that Jesus is the Son of God. That is what the Church is built upon...not Peter.

(v.11) Why do we read the Bible? We do to learn from what others did, and to come to know God better. When we see what God said, and what He did with the people in the Word, we get a better idea of what He wants for us.

(v.13) This is a key verse for young kids...especially teenagers! We are not powerless over sin. God had been tempted in every way like us, and He lived without sin. He will provide a way for us to escape sin and temptation, but we have to be willing to escape. That is the key.

(v.31) We should not get drunk or eat things given to idols, otherwise, we are to be moderate in food and drink, and give thanks to God for His provision. That is why Jesus blessed the bread and wine, since the Jews had those two things for every supper. We are to give thanks to He who provides for us when we sit down as a family to eat.

20 Aug (Matt 7)

The Gospels: Live The Golden Rule

Matthew 7

(v.1) This verse is used by nonbelievers when we confront them with their sins. We are not judging them...only God can judge and punish. But we can and should be fruit inspectors, in other words, we are to look at our family and friends' actions, and let them know if they are falling short of God's will for them.

(v.5) The word hypocrite in Greek means actor, or two faced. We should always look at ourselves before we try to help another. Of course, all of us are fallen sinners, and we're not perfect, but that is more the reason we should encourage and exhort our loved ones to strive to follow God's will.

I teach my kids that often, bullies who mock or make fun of you, are really insecure themselves. They are hurting and feel the need to feel better about themselves, so they bring you down, to do that. I pray that my kids find it in their heart to reach out to that bully, and give them love and kindness, and perhaps that bully will change their ways.

(v.7) This is a powerful verse, but it's also misapplied quite often. God is not telling us, that if we want a new expensive car, that all we have to do is ask God for it, and He will give it to us. No, we need to pray in His will, which means that we should pray for things in our lives that we know God would want us to do.

(v.13) Life is not easy, and God never said that once we're born again, it would be easier. In fact, in some ways, it will be harder. In sports, in business and in life in general, the easy way is never fulfilling. When we do the hard work, and go on our own path (led by God), we are on the narrow path towards heaven.

(v.14) Being a Christian is not easy, and many don't take the ride because of that. But in the end, it's well worth it!!!

(v.16) We are not to be Faith Inspectors since only God know the heart of everyone. But we are called to be Fruit Inspectors, which means we are to associate and congregate with others who we see are following the LORD. When someone we love is falling short of God's will, it is up to us to tell them in love and compassion, and to encourage them along the way back to that narrow path towards God!

(v.23) This is a sobering part of the chapter...no one wants to hear Jesus say this to them if they love Him. But that is the issue, for if one truly loves and serves Jesus, then He wouldn't say this, because they have a personal relationship with Him. Many people call themselves Christians, but they don't seek a personal relationship with Him...it's all about rituals and works. God wants our hearts, and nothing else.

(v.24) The Rock is Jesus, and we should build our lives and our households upon Him. Jesus uses this metaphor with Peter in Matt 16:16-18 where Jesus is referring to the statement that Peter made, not Peter's name. More on that in Matthew 16!

9 June (Isaiah 51-52)

Isaiah 51

(v.1) The Rock...we are to look to our LORD for guidance, comfort and peace.

(v.6) This earth will burn and a new heaven and earth will be created. Rev 21:1

(v.7) I am trying to stress this to my kids...peer pressure is so powerful, and if our kids can learn to think for themselves and discern right and wrong, they will do well. Prov 22:6

(v.16) I remind my kids that the people of Israel witnessed God working in their lives, and yet they still walked away from Him! How much more likely can we do the same? The answer is our devotion. If we truly love God and want to serve Him, we will rely on Him to not only be our Savior, but the LORD of our life!

(v.23) It is wise to read Gen 12 to our kids here...Abraham is the Father of the Faithful, and all who bless Israel will be blessed, as those who curse Israel will be cursed. That promise by God is unconditional...that means it doesn't matter how much Israel messes up...God has chosen Israel to be His Holy Land, and His people. We need to pray for Israel and support them...warts and all.

Isaiah 52

(v.4) Scholars take notice that instead of saying Assyria, the text says the Assyrian. It is personalized and singular. This is a hint at the devil and his servant, the eventual Antichrist. As we see throughout the Word, God uses pattern to make His points. All the dramatic events that will happen in the last days are shown to us throughout the Bible in a smaller scale.

(v.13) This is a verse describing Jesus on the cross. If we read Num 21:8 and John 3:14 then our kids will understand that God had planned the cross from the very beginning.

(v.14) We have no full understanding of what Jesus went through on our behalf. We see here that He was so beaten and torn up, that He hardly looked human. The miracle is that He stayed alive long enough to be crucified and to fulfill scores of prophecies!

(v.15) When Jesus died on the cross and the guard pierced His heart with a spear, blood and water came showering out. At that moment, Jesus was creating His Church, for shortly thereafter, Pentecost ignited the Church.

Apr 9 (1 Kings 5-7)

1st Kings 5

(v.3) David was God's warrior, so he had too much blood on his hands to build God's Temple. This duty fell upon David's son, Solomon. It just so happened, that Israel was in a great period of peace and prosperity under Solomon.

(v.7) King Hiram loved David, and he also loved God. It's amazing to see how God worked in the lives of the Gentiles during this time. It's just like today, where God will save anyone who asks Him to save them.

1st Kings 6

(v.11) God reminds Solomon of the Davidic Covenant. This is unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, where God promised Abraham blessings that Abraham didn't need to work for. The Davidic Covenant is conditional...it requires the obedience and devotion of David and his sons to keep the throne. We will see that they were unable to keep it.

The building of the Temple is very interesting, but I like to tell my kids this old Jewish story. It is said that the stones from the quarry were to be used for the Temple, and no hammer or chisel was to be used on them...they had to fit exactly into place just as they were. One of the stones was thrown aside and left neglected for the seven years the Temple was being built. But in the end, they found that piece, and made it the cornerstone of the Temple...the most important piece that keeps everything erect and secure.

In Psalm 118:22, the chief cornerstone was rejected and tossed aside...this is like what happened to Jesus! He, the Chief Cornerstone, was tossed aside and rejected by His people, but later, in the end, they discover Him and place Him where He belongs...the most important part of the Temple!

1st Kings 7

Solomon built a lavish house, but at least he built God's House first!

(v.21) One of the pillars was named Boaz...which means strength in Hebrew! I remind my kids that Boaz was the Kinsman Redeemer in the book of Ruth, and is a type of Christ.

God has his house to be the most wonderful ever made. Even the most beautiful buildings we see in Europe can't compare. It's also worth noting that Solomon's Temple was the only time that God resided in it. It is also the only time that the Ark of the Covenant was there.

Apr 5 (Psa 20, 25, 32, 42, 101)

Songs of Joy and Praise

Psalm 20

(v.4) I like this psalm for when I'm feeling a little overwhelmed...it's comforting. God has a purpose for all of us, and He loves to bless us and amaze us!

(v.6) God saves His beloved...that's you and me!

Psalm 25

(v.4) This is what we need to pray EVERY DAY...for God to show us His ways, and to lead us on our paths.

(v.11) I stress this with my kids...For Your name's sake...Jesus' name means YHWH Saves, so He can't go against His character!

(v.14) Being a believer and follower of Jesus is not like a fraternity or club...it is a relationship with Him. The more we pray and read His Word, the more He reveals His wisdom to us!

(v.20) I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Are you?

Psalm 32

(v.2) When we accept Jesus into our hearts, and we submit to His guidance, our sins are washed away with the blood of the Lamb. The Father sees us thereafter with Jesus-filtered glasses, and we are righteous and redeemed in His sight! Heb 8:12

(v.5) Our sins are forgiven only if we confess them to God. We need to say them out loud to Him, and learn from them, and He will help us to be more righteous.

Psalm 42

(v.4) The best times to praise God are when we are sad or even heartbroken. It's at those times, when we ignore our sinful ways to praise God during a storm in our lives, that God blesses us and comforts us immensely. He loves to do that!

(v.9) Jesus is our Rock, and He hears us and prays for us to the Father continuously.

Psalm 101

(v.3) Satan uses our eyes to tempt us...the eyes are the window to our soul that he tries to have us fall away from God. Lust of the eyes is very powerful, but God gives us a way out 1 Cor 10:13 if we let Him. The best thing for all of us to do, is to avoid putting ourselves in situations where we know we'll be tempted by what we see.

(v.6) I am reminded that I should choose my friends wisely. We need to associate with other believers and spend time with godly people, instead of those who are of this world.

Mar 25 (Psa 91, 95, 108, 121,143-4)

Songs For Times of Trouble

Psalm 91

This is a comforting song of David that stresses to us where our focus should be when faced with hardships. We have a safe place to go...God!

I tell my kids that I used to play the game "Tag" a lot in grade school. When someone was chasing me, I was filled with excitement and some trepidation, since I didn't want to be caught and be "it." But once I touched safely to home base, I was immune to becoming "it" and I had a great feeling of relief come over me.

This is much like what David is describing when he realizes that God is our home base...our refuge and safe zone. If we turn our troubles over to Him, we can abandon fear and trust in Him to handle our problems.

Psalm 95

This psalm is encouraging us to worship and praise the LORD! If we are His, and we have His Spirit in us, we should be worshipping Him in many ways, and in many instances during each day.

We worship the LORD in church through songs, tithing, prayer and teaching. We worship the LORD by encouraging others, helping others and comforting fellow believers. We also worship the LORD by living more Christ-like and being His ambassadors on this earth.

There is an old saying that exhorts us to live a life of worship to the LORD:

Preach the Gospel, and if you have to, use words!

Our lives need to be evident of salt and light to the world. Not only are we to study the Word and come to know Him better through it, but we are to live the Word, by loving and serving others.

Psalm 108

(v.1) This is what we need...a steadfast heart towards God! If we focus on Him in good times and in bad, we will be under His mercy and love, and He will see us through.

(v.8) Judah is My lawgiver...this is another reference to the Messiah and King of Kings coming from the tribe of Judah.

(v.13) It is so hard for us to remember to let God lead our battles. We are so wired by our sinful nature to do things on our own. But when we are born again, we realize that we are empowered by the Almighty, and He can fight our battles for us, and He will win!

Psalm 121

(v.4) This is a very important verse! God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham and the nation of Israel in Genesis 12. God is not through with His covenant! He will see Israel through its troubles in the last days after He has called His Bride home in the rapture.

God doesn't sleep or take time off. He is outside time, where He can see the beginning and the end at the same time. The best way for us to understand this, is to picture a helicopter hovering over a parade. Compared to us on the street, seeing the parade pass by, the helicopter can see the front and back of the parade at the same time.

(v.7) Once we become born again by accepting what Christ did for us, and allowing Him to be our LORD and Savior, our souls are sealed and untouchable by Satan. We are justified to the Father by the blood of His Son! Once we are justified, we are free from the penalty of sin. To illustrate further, here are the stages of salvation:

Justification ~ Free from the PENALTY of sin by Christ's blood

Sanctification ~ Free from the POWER of sin by the Holy Spirit

Glorification ~ Free from the PRESENCE of sin in heaven with our Father

There is the Holy Trinity...the Elohim...in action for our salvation!!!

Psalm 143

(v.5) David gives us the secret to times when we are overwhelmed with fear and grief...meditate upon the love and mercy of God! By remembering what God has done in the Bible with all the people in it, we can have faith that He will do the same for us now.

(v.8) It's good practice to pray first thing in the morning, to start your day in prayer and worship. It's also good to read some of His Word before we face the day...He speaks to us this way, and we often come upon situations that His Word has spoken to us that morning.

(v.11) God saves us because that is His name...Yeshua (Jesus) means God Saves! He saves us because that's who He is. If He were to do anything else, it would be against His character.

Psalm 144

David sung this song to the LORD before going out to battle. He references God as his Rock, and his shield.

We too are in a battle...the battle for the hearts of mankind. Satan and his demons are fighting the angels of God and us for the hearts and minds of the lost. The Apostle Paul tells us to gird ourselves with the Armor of God:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

~ Ephesians 6:11

~ waist of truth

~ breastplate of righteousness

~ feet with the Gospel

~ shield of faith

~ helmet of salvation

~ sword of the Spirit

~ protection of prayer

Mar 24 (Psa 46, 61, 62, 71, 77, 86)

Songs for Times of Trouble

Psalm 46

This psalm is relevant to us in many ways, but most of all, it speaks to us to be calm and faithful when it seems the world is falling apart all around us.

(v.10) This verse should be memorized by all of us...if we stay calm, pray and seek His guidance, we will see our big troubles be handled by God who can do anything.

For with God nothing will be impossible. ~ Luke 1:37

Psalm 61

(v.2) It is fun and enlightening to do a study of all the times the word Rock appears in the Bible...Jesus is the Rock. These are just some of the references that I recommend you read to your kids so they get the flavor of who Jesus is:

Exodus 17:6

Numbers 20:8

Deuteronomy 32:4

1 Samuel 2:2

2 Samuel 22:2, 32; 23:3

Psalm 18:2, 31, 46; 28:1; 31:3; 42:9

Isaiah 8:14; 17:10; 44:8

Habakkuk 1:12

Matthew 7:24; 16:18

Romans 9:33

1 Corinthians 10:4

1 Peter 2:8

This is what brought me back to the LORD...I saw Jesus in ALL THE BOOKS of the Bible...not just in the New Testament! God has given us His Word...Jesus...and He is in every book of the Bible!

Psalm 62

(v.1) This is one of the hardest things for us to do as believers...wait on God. Especially today, where we have instant-gratification, and expect things to happen quickly. We need to realize that God's timing is perfect, and He will bless and provide for us when we need it...not when we want it.

(v.7) This is one of many key verses for those who feel they can earn their salvation through good works. God is the only way to salvation...Jesus means YHWH Saves! God provided our salvation, so all we need to do is accept what He did on the cross, and give our lives to Him, so He can work love and service to others through us. For if we can earn our salvation, then Jesus died on the cross for nothing!

Psalm 71

(v.8) God wants us and expects us to share His Good News with others. There are some believers who are of the mind that faith is personal, and shouldn't be thrust upon others. Faith is personal, but if we know God and are blessed to be saved, why would we keep that to ourselves? There is no magic number of saved people...if we share, we won't lose our own spot in heaven! We are to proclaim God's love and gift of salvation:

Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him/her I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

~Matthew 10:32

Psalm 77

This psalm reminds us to meditate and think upon the glorious grace and redemption from God! If we truly realize what God did for us, we will speak of Him often. We will speak of His love, mercy, grace and glory in our conversations during the day. If God is not on our minds throughout the day, then perhaps we need to re-examine our faith. The Holy Spirit convicts us to think and speak of what Jesus did for us...don't be afraid to share that with others, and He will give you the words!

Psalm 86

This song talks about our repentance in order for God to hear us. God loves us and wants us to come back to Him from the darkness of the world. We can't live as double agents, and live worldly while proclaiming to be His. If we are His, we will walk with Him and His ways, not the ways of the world.

Feb 16 (Jud 13-16)

Judges 13

These chapters are about Samson. He was a mighty man of God, but as with us and all the people of the Bible, he had his shortcomings (pun intended).

(v.18) We see the appearance of the Angel of the Lord again, and He confirms to us that He is Jesus in another theophany, but calling Himself "wonderful." I reference Isaiah 9:6 to tie this in with my kids.

(v.22) We see again that this was Jesus, since if they had seen the face of the Father, they would have died.

Judges 14

Samson led with his head more than his heart, and it got him in trouble. God forbade the Israelites to marry the Philistines, but Samson wanted this woman, so he demanded that it be so.

Judges 15

God works a great victory through Samson, and at the end He even provides water to sustain Samson...much like He split the Rock in the wilderness (Exodus 17) for His people.

Judges 16

This is a tragic story, and one that is often misunderstood. Many people think that Samson's strength was from his long hair...that is partially correct. Samson took the Nazirite vow, which meant that he would never cut his hair as long as he was committed to the Lord. The actual cutting of his hair didn't make his muscles and strength decrease...it was his cutting of the Nazirite vow...his commitment to the Lord, that made him weak.

When his hair grows back, and he commits himself again to the Lord, he brings down the house in a final act. We all can learn from this, that our strength is in God, not of our own.

Feb 4 (Num 17-20)

Numbers 17

God confirms the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants. Aaron is the high priest from the tribe of Levi, but we have the real High Priest in Yeshua...Christ Jesus. (See Gen 14 and Heb 7)

Numbers 18

The duties of the priests and the establishment of the tithes to support the priests are documented here. I tell my kids that God wants to use ALL OF US, but He does call out certain people to lead. Pastors and Bible teachers are held to a high standard, and if they lead people astray from God, they will suffer immense torment in hell. God blesses those that lead people to Him, but He curses those who lead them away.

Numbers 19

God is showing the Israelites that it takes great measures to wash away sin and filth. Of course, all of these offerings only "cover up" their sins...it takes God in the flesh (Jesus) to completely wash them away!

Numbers 20

In Exodus 17, God has Moses strike the Rock to provide living water for the people. Here, God instructs Moses to speak to the Rock, and the same result will occur. Moses, such a great man of faith, slips and strikes the Rock.

There are many lessons here, but I stress only a few for my kids:

~ The Rock is Jesus in typology (Matt 16:18, Luke 6:48, 1 Cor 10:4)

~ When Jesus came the first time, He was stricken and provided life by His resurrection

~After that moment, we can enter the throne room of heaven by speaking to the Rock...Jesus in prayer

I stress this to my kids, since it is important...Moses was an incredible man of faith. He showed great humility and compassion for the people. Remember, he even offered to forfeit his own salvation, in order to preserve the nation's salvation!

But here was this great man who let his temper get the best of him, and the result is that he won't have the satisfaction of walking into the Promised Land with his people. I know this makes "little ole me" feel pretty vulnerable...how about you?

God was establishing a typology that Moses messed up. I have asked God and some wise men in my Bible studies this question: "Why did God allow Moses to mess up this typology?" After all, God could have stopped Moses just before he struck the Rock, and told Moses to quell his anger and speak to the Rock like instructed. But God didn't...why not?

So far, the only answer I have is that God allows free will in our lives. Even though we may be walking with Him, we have the free will to walk away. We may do 90% of what God wants, but if we disobey for 10%, we are guilty of disobedience. This is very heavy, but also, very important to teach our kids.

I stress to them, that even though they are "good kids" and treat people well most of the time, they are not exempt from God's correction if they disobey in a small amount. Sin is sin...God won't allow us to follow Him halfway!

Feb 3 (Num 13-16)

Numbers 13

The Jews are at the doorstep to the Promised Land. God has Moses send out some men from the group to scope out the land. I believe God was testing the people, and knew that a majority of them would not have faith. Ten of the twelve were afraid and didn't want to go to the land that God promised them. Their lack of faith was the whole nation of Israel's doom.

(v.33) Here we see the mention of the giants, the sons of Anak. These were the relatives of Goliath and descendants of the Nephilim...the fallen angels (Gen 6). These were men that stood from nine to ten feet in height. At first glance, it's understandable that these men were afraid of these giants, but it's also quite apparent that they didn't remember that God was on their side!

Only Caleb and Joshua were enthusiastic about taking the land, and they and their families were blessed because of it.

Numbers 14

This is a sad part of the nation of Israel...they have witnessed many miracles and direct acts of their God, yet they still complain and fear man more than their Creator and Savior! We all can learn from this. We are all miracles, and when we forget to rely upon God with our careers, our kids, our finances, we are doing the same thing as these disobedient Jews did.

Caleb and Joshua are the only adults that live to see and enter the Promised Land...notice that Moses is not mentioned. God knew that Moses would fail Him at the Rock, and did not include him in the prophesy.

The defiance of the Israelites is capsuled in their insistence of going into the land on their own...without God. I point out to my kids that we risk that same attitude daily, when we think we can handle certain problems on our own. The more we include God in all aspects of our lives, the more we'll be blessed and give Him the glory!

Numbers 15

My kids and I discuss the state of the people here...they are lost. Not only are they in the Wilderness, but they are without God's guidance. This is the last place anyone should be!

Mankind is not lost because they haven't heard the Gospel of Jesus...we are lost because we are sinners, and unable to be redeemed to God on our own. Therefore, those who don't know they're lost, are in a less treacherous state. It's those of us who have heard the Gospel, and CHOOSE to disregard it, that are doomed to eternal torment. Those that hear the Good News and reject it, are spitting in the eye of God.

Numbers 16

Just as when Aaron and Miriam let jealousy drive them to rebellion, the whole congregation does the same with Moses here. Pride is the root of all our sins.

Two things I point out to my kids here are:

~ Not all of Korah's descendants perished. We see the sons of Korah write a great number of Psalms that are beautiful and humble. Perhaps this is a result a valuable lesson learned from the errors of their ancestors.

~ God gives a great warning to us that mirrors the plight of the Israelites in the Wilderness, in 2 Peter 2:10-22. When we don't do what it says in Prov 3:5-6, we rely on man's understanding, and not the will of God.

Jan 27 (Exodus 16-17)

Exodus 16

My kids and I discuss how God shows His love for the Jewish people, by providing food EVERY DAY for them. Not only did they get meat from the birds, but God provided a special thing for them to eat, called "manna." My kids like to laugh that Manna in Hebrew means, "What is it?"

Can't you just see them asking this as they pick it up off the ground?

Also, I discuss with my kids that God has already ordained the honoring of the Sabbath. He hasn't given the the Law yet, but they already know that the seventh day (Saturday) they are to praise and worship the Lord.

Exodus 17

Here we see another type for Jesus...the Rock. The Jews are thirsty and fear they will perish, but once again, God has a way to provide...the Rock.

I point out to my girls that Jesus called Himself the "living water" in (John 4:10 and 7:38) as well as it being prophesied in (Jer 2:13).

This all came to life to me when I saw the video by Bob Cornuke, where they believe they discovered the real Mt. Sinai, and there is this huge rock that is split down the middle. The ground around it has an alluvial fan...indicating that a great rush of water came from there and filled up the whole valley below. Check it out here:

http://www.baseinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=66