How to view sickness

“Sickness helps to remind men of death. Most live as if they were never going to die. They follow business, or pleasure, or politics, or science, as if earth was their eternal home. They plan and scheme for the future, like the rich fool in the parable, as if they had a long lease of life, and were not, tenants at will. A heavy illness sometimes goes far to dispel these delusions. It awakens men from their day-dreams, and reminds them they have to die as well as to live. Now this I say emphatically is a mighty good.”

–J.C. Ryle

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See What Christ Has Done

From Daily Spurgeon (a site I highly recommend)

And see what he has done for us! He has procured our pardon; we who have believed in him are forgiven. He has procured our adoption; we are sons of God in Christ Jesus. He has shut the gates of hell for us; we cannot perish, nor can any pluck us out of his hands. He has opened the gates of heaven for us; we shall be with him where he is. Our very bodies shall feel the power of his death, for they shall rise again at the sound of the trumpet at the last day. He was delivered for us his people, “for us all;” he endured all for all his people, for all who trust him, for every son of Adam that casts himself upon him; for every son and daughter of man that will rely alone upon him for salvation. Was he delivered for you, dear hearer?

From a sermon entitled “The Gospel Of Abraham’s Sacrifice Of Isaac,” delivered May 2, 186

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Why should we discipline our children?

Most of us don’t like the idea of discipline, much less discipling our children, and one of the major reasons is we don’t understand why it is so important.  We lack motivation. And motivation matters―to us and to God.  The first major motivation is for the sake of our children.

The Bible describes children in this way:  “The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. ” (Genesis 8:21). “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.” (Proverbs 22:15).
Foolishness is deadly―like a cancerous tumor:  must be removed―won’t happen by mere words, weak methods like bribery or whining.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. Which means that the heart of this problem is the problem of the heart―namely indwelling sin.  The problem is spiritual and moral. And so is the solution. Children act badly because they are bad―just like us.

The primary motivation for discipling our children is because we love them.  “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” (Proverbs 13:24). “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.” (Proverbs 23:13-14).  If we love our children, we will teach our children positive truth, warn them of sinful behavior and its consequences and administer punishment when necessary.

Discipline really is a test of our love for our children first. So I hope you don’t listen to the world which teaches that corporeal punishment is child abuse.  They have it wrong. God says, “A failure to discipline is child abuse.”

A biblical example of this would be Hophni and Phineas, the sons of Eli who were ” Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:12, ESV).Serving as priests they treated the offerings brought before the Lord with contempt and they committed immorality with women who came to the Tabernacle.  God declared severe punishment on Eli’s house, “I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.” (1 Samuel 3:13, ESV).

I’ll give three more motivations for disciplining our children tomorrow. If you’d like to learn more about parenting with eternity in view, you may read or listen to this recent sermon which I preached on this them.

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Resting in the shadow of the Almighty

Are you living in the presence of the Lord this day?  Are you trusting in His great power?  Are you living in close fellowship with him?  Are you resting in the shadow of the Almighty and making the Lord your dwelling place?

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ” (Psalm 91:1–2, ESV).

Commenting on this psalm, Charles Spurgeon observed,  “The blessings here promised are not for all believers, but for those who live in close fellowship with God. Every child of God looks towards the inner sanctuary and the mercy-seat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence.”

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