Tell your children about all the people, events and things that you invested time, talent and treasure into that became nothing. Train them to wisely invest themselves into the Kingdom of God that lasts forever. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Friday, May 31, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Train Your Children to Obey God First, Government Second
God established human government so our children need to learn to respect and obey it. Disobeying the government is a follower of Christ’s option only when it commands us to disobey God. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Disciple Your Children to Respond to Injustice
Followers of Christ will not always be respected or given justice. But they can show Christ by how they respond to an injustice they suffer. The early church did that and our children need to be ready to do that as well. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Disciple Your Children to be Persecuted
Many are surprised to learn that Christians are statistically persecuted group in the world. In America, the persecution of Christians does not make the media. The next generation needs to see persecution as a reality and be ready for it. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Monday, May 27, 2019
Train Your Children to Make a Buzz about Following Jesus
Do you feel there is a buzz about Jesus and your church or your family’s discipleship? Following Jesus is not meant to be private or a secret. Help the next generation be like the early church and stir up reaction to Jesus’ powerful truth. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Disciple Your Children to Trust the Lord's Work
Tell your children about all the people, events and things that you invested time, talent and treasure into that became nothing. Train them to wisely invest themselves into the Kingdom of God that lasts forever. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Train Your Children to Obey God First, Government Second
God established human government so our children need to learn to respect and obey it. Disobeying the government is a follower of Christ’s option only when it commands us to disobey God. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Friday, May 24, 2019
Teach Your Children to Fear the Lord
What was the last thing that happened to someone else that got you to change your pattern? God allows us and our children to learn from others and Christian parents help their children learn the same way. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast for more...
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Warn Your Children About Group Sin
Some children are more easily led astray than others. Know your children and warn them as needed. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Train Your Children About the Seriousness of Lies
Who can you fool with your lives? You can fool others and yourself but you cannot fool God. Ananias was a disciple but craved looking better than he was. Our children call for the same temptation without careful coaching. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Disciple Your Children to Be Honest with Their Level of Discipleship
Christians are tempted to keep the outward look of Christianity but slide into danger. Our children need to see real Christianity from us and learn to live it. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Monday, May 20, 2019
Teach Your Children to Be Giving Leaders
Our children will not naturally give generously or even give at all. We train them to give and know when to do it anonymously and when to give it to lead others. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Friday, May 17, 2019
Disciple Your Children to Turn to Christ from Wicked Ways
How do we and our children interact with friends and relatives that live contrary to God’s word. Do we scold, shame or shun them or affirm and accept them with no value judgement? As God’s children we don’t do either, instead we turn them from evil to good by the gospel of Jesus, loving them before and after. Subscribe to the Christ For Disciplers Podcast for more...
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Disciple Your Children To Recognize Law and Gospel
You may have listened to messages about God that were not necessarily wrong, but something was missing. Something important was missing. Help your children look for God's law and Gospel in every message. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more.
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Train Your Children to Recognize a Miracle
Does God still do visible miracles today? Help your children recognize what God might be doing or not doing by looking for Jesus in everything claimed to be a miracle. True miracles have Jesus at the beginning, center and end. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers podcast for more...
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Disciple Your Children Not to Throw Money at a Problem
Because your family does not have a lot of money does not mean that you cannot be generous givers. In America time and attention may be the most precious commodities there are. Work with your children to plan to give that away to Jesus.
Monday, May 13, 2019
Train Your Children to Love Those in Need
How often do you get approached to give someone money? How your children see you respond teaches them for a lifetime on how to show Christ to those who need him. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to learn more...
Friday, May 10, 2019
Disciple Your Children to Enjoy the Favor of All People
What do other people think of your children? The way people see you and your family can give the gospel opportunity to work and add to those who are saved. Subscribe to the Disciplers for Christ Podcast.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Train Children to Eat Together with Others In Their Homes
When was the last time your family ate at another family’s house? Getting into other homes and sharing meals is a great way for your children to learn community and how to share love with others. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to hear more every weekday.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Disciple Your Children to Share
Parents do not need to teacher their children to be greedy and not want to share. Being selfish comes with no effort. Christian parents connect their children to Jesus who shared everything with his children so they can love others. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers Podcast to hear more.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Awe the World With Your Children
The early church had signs and wonders from God to draw people closer so the gospel could be shared with them. We can draw people close enough to hear the gospel with our families and children showing the love of Christ in amazing ways. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers podcast.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Jesus Empowers Us to Kill Laziness
Proverbs 6:9-11
How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
Laziness destroys lives and undermines every good intention. Look at how this section begins. It is almost a desperate plea to get the sluggard to do...something. It is so easy to get caught in the trap of laziness. It's so much easier to sleep in than it is to get up early. It is so much easier to sit and watch t.v. than it is to get up and do what needs to be done. This is the negative pull of our sinful nature.
This lazy attitude is fueled by our selfish, self-indulgent sinful nature. We naturally seek ease and comfort over work. In our day, laziness takes on many other forms than just oversleeping and resting too much. Laziness can be found in over entertaining yourself, a lack of self-discipline, not thinking about or respecting others, not serving others while expecting them to serve you, etc. Ultimately laziness is played out in an unwillingness to serve.
Think about it. When you think of someone as being lazy, what are they not doing?
They are not serving others, but they are instead indulging their own selfishness. A lazy person doesn't pick up after himself because he knows someone else will do it. The lazy person doesn't do quality work because he doesn't really care; and after all, if someone wants it done better, they will fix it. The lazy person is always trying to do just enough to get by. The problem is that "just enough" is never enough. Trying to sneak by in life on the bare minimum is a loser's game.
Sadly, when you try to help a lazy person they get very defensive because they have convinced themselves that they are actually a top performer. Lazy people don't value honest feedback about their performance. They instead choose to play the victim. They are constantly being "picked on" by those mean producers and performers. They actually view performers, anyone with a strong work-ethic, as being arrogant and "just trying to make them look bad".
The reality is that no one has to put any effort into making lazy people look bad, because they spend their whole day making themselves look bad. They will clock into a job for 8 hours and hardly get anything done, and of what they do get done much of it is done wrong. This is why Solomon says, "and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." What company can afford to keep the lazy person around, especially if she is unwilling to be coached to improve her effectiveness and competence?
The same can also be said for organizations that tolerate laziness and incompetence. If a company adopts Tolerance as a core value it will not be competitive in the market place for very long. If it is able to somehow stay in business, it will only do so as a bottom-feeder in its industry. It will never be among the elite in its industry. This is true for one very important reason: Top performers and high achievers will not tolerate a culture of laziness and incompetence for very long. Eventually they will leave. Sadly many companies don't intentionally develop their people to eliminate this aspect of the Five Laws of Decline (watch the short video for Orrin Woodward's teachings on the 5 Laws of Decline).
How then do you develop work-ethic, kill laziness, and fight the Five Laws of Decline?
That is the million-dollar question. Would you like the million-dollar answer?
FIX YOUR THINKING!!!!
Pretty profound stuff, huh? That isn't meant to just insult your intelligence, it's also intended to actually get you thinking. Your terrible thinking is what is responsible for your laziness and your terrible results in life (or in your company/organization)!
Here is how you fix it:
- Start a self-directed education program.
- Read 15-30 minutes every day.
- Listen to at least 3 educational audios every day.
- Antioch Academy Audio Library
- Rascal Radio (LIFE Leadership)
- Christ for Disciplers Podcast
- Gird Up! Podcast
- Reduce your t.v. time to less than 2 hours/day.
- Get time around high achievers/top performers.
- Leadership Challenge Group
- Bible Study
- Classes/Workshops
- Set a goal. (personally or professionally)
- Study God's Word (the Bible) 30-60 minutes at least 3 times/week.
- "Do what you do better. Do more of what you do."- David Schwartz (The Magic of Thinking Big)
- Toughen Up! Stop running from pain, discomfort, and challenges!
- Look for ways to serve someone else EVERY DAY!
- ...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
- "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you...Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:14-15,17)
Note that this list will help you kill laziness and improve your competence and effectiveness in life, but doing these things will not earn you a place in heaven. There is nothing that you can do to earn heaven. I want to make this very clear because I did quote Scripture at the end of the "How to" list.
The only way to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. That is a free gift given to us by God. It is only by His grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit working faith in our hearts, that we are able to believe in Jesus. He has done it all!
This needs to be our ultimate motivation for everything that we do in life. We should strive to live a disciplined life of service as a "thank you" to God for the precious gift of Jesus that He has given to us all.
That is ultimately how you kill laziness!
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Jason Fredrick
Raise Your Children to Be Devoted to the Church
Discipling for Christ has always involved connecting children to the body of Christ, the church. We need to show them how to interact and listen and serve and be a part of the moving and active body of Christ on earth. Just telling them or dropping them off is not enough. Subscribe to the Christ for Disciplers podcast.
Friday, May 3, 2019
Everything Has Been Done For Your Children
What has been the best promise you have ever received? To be loved by your spouse or to be taken on a trip or to get a gift… those promises are not always kept. We can rejoice that God gave a promise to use and our children and our grandchildren that he will give us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Bring Your Children For Heart Surgery
When we own our terrible choices or face the reality of the broken of ourselves in this world, we are cut to the heart. We need to train our children to experience this form of heart surgery so the Holy Spirit can heal it with Jesus and motivate us to live for him. Subscribe to the Christ For Disciplers podcast for more...
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Thank God for Having Your Children Now
The best time for a follower of Christ to raise children is debatable. I’ve heard the oldest generation tell me it was better back in the 1950’s… I am convinced though that God puts each person and each child into this world at just the right time for his blessing and God’s kingdom. I am personally thankful to be raised and to raise my children in the time that the Holy Spirit is poured out on God’s people. Listen to the Disciplers for Christ podcast to hear more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)