252 – Luke 18: How To Get My Life Right With God
To get right with God I have to get real with God
Then Jesus told this story to some
who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a
Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this
prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I
don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like
that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of
my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at
a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he
beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a
sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee,
returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be
humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” LUKE 18:9-14 NLT
When
I am right with God I will reflect heart of Jesus
One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could
touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents
for bothering him. Then Jesus called for the children
and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For
the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t
receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” LUKE 18:15-17 NLT
The
greatest issues facing our children today:
What’s
this doing to our kids? It creates deep feelings of irrelevance, anxiety
and hopelessness
How
the church is the answer to these challenges:
God
is for your marriage and so are we
Give honor
to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in
marriage. HEBREWS 13:4 NLT
God loves single parents and so do
we
Thereafter, Hagar used another name
to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who
sees me.” GENESIS 16:13 NLT
Giving
kids positive focused attention
Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to
them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes
me. MATTHEW 9:36 NLT
Teaching
them their value to God
I will teach all your children, and
they will enjoy great peace. ISAIAH 54:13
NLT
Teaching
them biblical truths and values
Train up a child in the way he should
go, even when he is old he will not depart
from it. PROVERBS 22:6 NLT
My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. PROVERBS 1:15 NLT
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