Tag Archives: devotional

Parents & Children. Honor & Respect.

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This weekend, my daughter hosted a surprise birthday party for a friend. As the party wrapped up, one girl remained. She was waiting on her dad who’s GPS wasn’t working. The girl was on the phone with her father trying to talk him to our house.

It wasn’t going well.

As circumstances became more and more frustrating for them, the voice levels rose – her to him and him to her. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was shocking.

When her father finally arrived, my daughter looked at me with wide-eyes and unprompted said,

“I would be dead if I talked to you like that.”

She’s right.

This week, we’re focusing on honor – God, parents, friends, authorities and spiritual leaders. Pastor David shared a great message on this topic Sunday, and we’re continuing the theme through our devotions.

Thinking about that story, and my daughter’s response, I asked myself this question, “How do I receive honor as a parent?”

My instant answer was, “I receive honor by showing my children respect.”

Don’t get me wrong, they should honor me even if I’m a jerk. But it’s not the picture Paul lays out in this scripture. They honor me because I provide an example when I show respect to them.

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3“that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. -Ephesians 6:1-4

I discipline. I instruct. I do both of these without driving them to hate me.

I’m not crazy. I have teenage daughters. It’s not easy. As a parent it’s my job. My responsibility is to raise them to honor me (and all authorities) because of the respect I show them (and my authorities).

I had a great example growing up. My mom and I went around and around on things. She was wrong some of the time. I was wrong most of the time. She nearly always treated me with respect (minus those few times she chased me through the yard with a wooden spoon, but that’s another story).

Parents, expect honor. Expect it because you are showing respect. It’s not easy, but it’s right.

Honor the Lord by Pastor David Jones

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For the Honor – Elevation Worship

Honor is not used too much in our society.  If you asked most people to define Honor a lot of people would have blank stares on their faces.  

Honor is defined as: 

Esteem
Regard with great respect
Worth ascribed to an individual

The Bible has a lot to say about Honor.  In fact in my research regarding honor, I’ve discovered five major areas in which honor is commanded in Scripture. They are:

  1. Honor your parents
  2. Honor those in authority
  3. Honor your spiritual leaders
  4. Honor one another
  5. Honor the Lord

Over the next 5 days we will be looking at each of these more in depth.

Today we will focus on Honoring the Lord.

I Samuel 2:27:29 NLT

27 One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the Lord: “I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. 28 I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. 29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!

Eli was a High Priest at Shiloh.  He was a servant of the Lord but his sons were wicked.  They slept with the women at the temple, took the best of the food from the people, and blasphemed God.  The problem was this:  He honored his sons above God.  He loved his sons so much that his love for God was pale in comparison.  In fact Scripture says that Eli himself became fat from the best offerings of the people.  In other words he may not have been as wicked as his sons but he indulged them and partook of the excess his sons unjustly took from the temple sacrifices. In other words Eli was not explicit in his sins against God, but in an indirect way, he was just as guilty.  He did not honor God and as a result God brought rebuke to Eli.

One of the lessons we can learn from Eli’s life is not place other people or possessions above God. For if we do it shows that we do not truly honor God.

I wonder if there might be issues in your own life where you have place something or someone above God.  As I have looked through Scripture I have found six ways in which we are able to honor God they are as follows:

Are there any areas in which you have not been honoring the Lord.  If so, take time today and ask the Lord to help you be faithful in honoring him in every area of your life!

Are you rich? by Pastor Andy

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Rags to Riches to Rags

Really, it’s a cliche story.

A man starts at the bottom, works his way up, and strikes it rich. Maybe it’s oil or the lottery or a business that takes off. No matter the detail, money pours in…and so do the friends.

The party begins! Money flows and everything is great. People love this guy…he is so much fun! Until the money stops, and the fun is over. With the money, so go the people.

The man is on his own, by himself, at the bottom. Even his dog leaves him. No one likes a poor, loser!

The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.  -Proverbs 14:20

We all want friends. No one wants to be the poor, loser, who doesn’t even have a dog. So the question we should ask is, what does it take to be rich?

Are you rich?

I’m not talking about monetary wealth. There is more than one way to skin a cat. I mean are you rich in personality, depth of soul, and connection with God. This is true wealth. When we have this, we’ll have many friends, and they can’t be easily taken away!

Here’s a quick list of 10 things you can do to be rich in personality, depth and connection with God.

  1. Read the Bible daily.
  2. Pray Scripture.
  3. Read 1 book a month (non-fiction).
  4. Read 1 book a month (fiction).
  5. Try a new meal or drink.
  6. Attend a GROW group.
  7. Learn a new hobby.
  8. Eat lunch with a co-worker you don’t normally talk with.
  9. Watch an art film.
  10. Attend a spiritual conference, seminar or retreat this year.
  11. BONUS – Attend a live sporting event.
  12. BONUS – Visit a local civic counsel meeting.

Do something different! Grow in your walk with God and in yourself. You’ll become rich, and you won’t lack for friends (who can never be taken away).

What one thing can you begin today to be rich in personality, depth or connection with God?

The Company We Keep – Pastor Matt Shirley

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Song: May You Find a Light

Artist: The Brilliance

The Company We Keep

Last week, Pastor David invited us to consider our friendships. It reminded me of a proverb I often turned to when working with teenagers in youth ministry. I think it has particular relevance for our conversation about friendship this week.

Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

Proverbs 13:20

If I were going to offer a paraphrase, I might put it like this: the company you keep affects the course you take.

The influence of friendships gets a lot of attention during those formative years of adolescence; but that influence continues well beyond adolescence.

A great place to see this truth in action? Small groups.

The Course We Take

Small groups all around Cross Points are bringing together people from different stages of life and at different stages of growth in discipleship.

Some groups meet in homes. We call them GROW Groups. They hang out. Read scripture together. Pray together. Some groups meet around a common purpose. We call them ministry teams. They hang out. Pray together. Serve together. Cross Points is full of them – and all of them are opportunities to walk out your discipleship alongside others.

We don’t celebrate groups at Cross Points just so we can have more groups (though, we’d love more groups!). And we don’t invite you to find a place to create and serve at Cross Points just because we need help (though, we’d love more help!).

We celebrate groups at Cross Points because we know groups are a great way for you to experience this proverb’s promise – and avoid its caution!

Small groups are a way for you to keep company (find friends!) that will help you grow. And in doing so, as this proverb reveals, you’ll affect your course.

My encouragement to you today? Find a small group. Maybe start here, with a GROW Group.  Join a ministry team. Maybe start here, on our GROW Track. Bottom line, find a group – keep company. Create some space in your life to keep company with other disciples and let it chart a new course for your life!

I’m kind of a big deal. – Pastor Andy Bondurant

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I’m very important

In the movie Anchorman, Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy humbly says,

I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.

Later he proclaims,

I’m very important. I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

Why are you reading Anchorman quotes this morning? It’s not because of Will Ferrell or Ron Burgandy, but Jesus really was a big deal. He was very important. Not just Jesus, but his friends, the disciples too.

In Mark 6, Jesus sent the disciples out to minister. He gives very specific instructions (go in pairs, take no money or provision, stay anywhere people accept the truth – verses 7-11). The disciples are obedient, and they have incredible success – demons are cast out and people are healed (verses 12-13).

This makes Jesus and his friends very important, and the result is a crush of people.

Mark 6:30-33:

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

As I read this passage the other day, I saw it in a new light. If you read on, you’ll find this is when Jesus feeds the 5,000 followed up by walking on water. Those acts overshadow what Jesus does to be a friend in verses 30-31. Read them again.

Friendship Do’s

Monday, Pastor David shared 2 friendship don’ts –

  1. Don’t eat alone.
  2. Don’t run alone.

Today, let me share with you 2 friendship do’s.

1. Be available.

I can imagine the scene when as the disciples returned to Jesus. There were of course some highs (casting out demons and healing the sick), but I’m guessing there were some lows – kicked out of communities, cursed, etc. I also imagine there were some funny moments.

Jesus wanted to hear their stories. He wasn’t above it. He was available, and He cared.

Are you available for your friends? Available to share their ups, downs and funny moments?

2. Be honest.

Through the disciples sharing, Jesus saw something. He saw they were tired. He realized they needed a break.

So, Jesus is honest with them. He tells them to get in a boat, push away, and go somewhere no one else is.

It didn’t work. The people followed them, and they ministered anyway, but Jesus tried. He tried to give them a break, even when it was probably to his disadvantage – spreading His good news.

Are you honest with you friends, even when it may be to your own disadvantage?

This past week, I spent some time with friends old and new in the photography industry. In both group and personal settings, I had an opportunity to practice these both. I was available and honest, and it opened doors. People are hungry for someone to be available and honest with them. What better place to start than with our friends?

As you evaluate your friendships this week, ask yourself how you can be available and honest with these people.