Discipleship

“Cast your cares on the Lord because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

You see, God is good whether we believe it or not. God—and God alone—is the final court of arbitration. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true” (Romans 3:4 NLT).

Choosing to rejoice, by rehearsing reasons to be happy and grateful while suffering, affirms trust in God.

I have been a new kid in school. I spoke funny (Yankee in the deep south). I was short, the shortest kid in the 7th grade. And I was outspoken. All of these combine to make the new kid a problem for the rest of the class to welcome in. I’m thankful for those who did it.

Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”

The Christian is to be a gentle person, but that’s a hard thing, isn’t it? Especially when things aren’t going your way and the temptation is to be angry. Hurt. Entitled. Bitter.

Use whichever you feel seems most authentic and sounds like yourself. For me, I prefer, “I apologize.” I just said that to someone today and it saved a relationship. It’s freeing. It’s therapeutic. It’s the Christ-like and right thing to do.

Which father do you think will produce more well-behaved children? As these children grow into adults, which group will be more likely to struggle with broken relationships, need endless hours of therapy, and endure pain-filled lives?