Monthly Archives: January 2015
A Father In His Image
by Chris Jones
Parents, how many times have our reactions 
to our children been triggered in a moment of our own frustration or anger? I’d guess that, in an easy majority of those instances, we’ve reacted with emotion and consequences that were well disproportionate to the perceived offense. Let it stand as reason enough to live in the power of The Holy Spirit, relying on His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control to rule over the emotions we’d otherwise release.
Ephesians 6:4 says, “And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.
A comment to this verse in my Life Application Study Bible says, “The purpose of parental discipline is to help children grow, not to exasperate and provoke them to anger or discouragement. Parenting is not easy. It takes lots of patience to raise children in a loving, Christ-honoring manner. But frustration and anger should not be causes for discipline. Instead, parents should act in love, treating their children as Jesus treats the people he loves. This is vital to children’s development and to their understanding of what Christ is like.”
I like the way Paul’s letter is interpreted in Colossians 3:21 (NLT), where he warns, “Fathers, don’t aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.”
God, help us to love like you love and discipline like you discipline. Help us to nurture the tender spirits in our children. Help us to always build, and never tear down. Holy Spirit, help us exhibit the image and character of Jesus in our interactions with those over whom we’re in positions of authority. Allow us to clearly see the mercy and grace we’ve been shown by the Father, and dispense guidance and correction accordingly. I pray that your peace and presence will rule in our homes, as we yield ourselves to Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Honor Where Honor Is Due
by Chris Jones
Saturday, we laid to rest my grandmother, E.E.. I had the great privilege of sharing some thoughts at her funeral. I’m posting them here, as a memorial and testament to the spirit of family that she embodied.
God is a great and wonderful mystery. In some regard, I’m jealous of E.E., because part of that mystery is now revealed to her. I wonder, what is she seeing? What is she hearing? What is she doing right now?
When I read the Bible I run into parts that make me scratch my head and think. What are these mysteries? What are these things that God hasn’t revealed to us yet? What does all this mean? Surely, there must be some way for us to study and research and seek to have these things revealed to us.
As Christians, we’re called to sacrifice our desires to bring God glory, to please Him. So, how do we do this in a world that’s so complicated, with scripture that, at times, can be so full of mystery?
Then, you run into a verse like 1 Timothy 5:3-4 and you’re confronted by just how plainly God has revealed parts of His plan to us. What Paul says here is “Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.”
I never knew anything but the sweetest, purest, most sacrificial love from E.E.. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, to see a daughter and two sons give so willingly of themselves to return that love and selfless attention to their mother in her time of need. My Mom and Uncles (“Bubba” and “Uncle David Too”) set examples and showed honor to their mother that literally fills Heaven as worship to God, and He’s pleased by it. It testifies to the uncommon person my grandmother was, and the precious gift Heaven reclaimed when she left this world.
It’s a great hope we have, to believe that one day we’ll see God, face-to-face, and be reunited with our E.E..
Contagious Love
by Chris Jones
God is love, right? It really doesn’t get more basic than that. It seems a common sentiment, however, that there just isn’t enough love in the world. So where’s the breakdown?
Think about it. How many person-to-person interactions do you have each day? Hundreds? Thousands? Each point of contact is an opportunity to be an expression of God’s love to the world. Since we’re His representatives, people we encounter should know God’s love by knowing us. So, why does the idea of a loving God remain a foreign concept to so many?
1 John 4:7-8 says, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
Is there a limit to God’s love? Is there a point at which it runs out? Is there a situation to which it can’t be applied, or have we simply failed to be effective instruments for administering His love to those around us? As followers of Jesus Christ, love should be our core competency. When God’s love saturates our lives we recognize the healing power of His grace and mercy. It compels us to become unreserved expressions of that love to others, EVERYONE!
Take a moment to think. Who do you have a hard time loving? Who, in your world, ranks the lowest? Be challenged to intentionally express God’s infectious love to them this week. There is enough love in this world. It’s contagious. You’re infected. Go spread it.
The Journey Begins…
Welcome to my journey, as I run into God’s healing power. In this post I set the background for why I began to run, and what I’m believing as I take these steps of faith. Join me and let’s run this race together!
New Blogger
Help me welcome a new blogger to Witness Runner.
Nick Koopalethes, Pastor of The Victory House in Purcellville VA, is joining us. He’s a good friend who I had the privilege of working with during his years as a Youth Pastor. I continue to be impacted by his infectious confidence in God’s faithfulness and ability to do what He promises.
I’ll let Nick tell you all about his new adventure. If you’re believing God for a miracle, I think you’ll be inspired by my friend. Follow Witness Runner on Facebook or Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a moment of what Nick shares from his journey to healing.
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