Have you ever met a perfect person? Have you ever seen one? If you were to look in the mirror, would you see a perfect person? To be perfect a person would have to be sinless, but the Bible says, "for there is ______ __________ that sinneth not" (see 1 Kings 8:46). Who was the only perfect Person who ever lived (1 Peter 2:21-22)? ________________________________ We humans are frail (weak and easily led into what is wrong), we fail (we have something wrong with us) and we wail (we cry out long and loud because of sorrow).
Often we fail to do right. We might...
Is it possible for your parents to fail to do right also? Is it possible for them to lose their temper or act wrongly or say an unwise thing? Are children the only ones who can sin, or can parents sin, too?
You might think that you have just the right kind of parents. Suppose your Mom or Dad was a believer who wanted to do what was right and obey the Bible and be the kind of parent that God wants. Is it possible for your Mom or Dad to still be captured by the old sinful nature? Is it possible for your Mom or Dad to still fall into sin (1 John 1:8, 10)? ______ Is it possible for your Mom or Dad to become angry? Upset? Worried? Disappointed? Discouraged? Is it possible for your Mom or Dad to become over-tired or even sick? Is it possible for your Mom or Dad to get to the point of saying, "Everything is just too much?" Can this really happen?
If we are really going to help our parents, then we must remember that parents have problems, too. And we can pray for our parents that they might do three things:
1) Remember God’s
Peace.
In the middle of the pressures and problems of life, God can give peace
to the trusting believer. Read John 16:33. Jesus said this:
(John 16:33)
In the world ye
shall have T ____________________ (trouble)
in Me ye might have P____________
Mom and Dad might run into all kinds of trouble in the home or on the job, but in the middle of all the trouble God has peace: "P__________ I leave with you, my ______________ I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be T_______________ neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27). The same is true for you. Does God promise you that there will never be trouble in your home? ______ Does God promise you that there will never be trouble at school? ______ Does God promise you that in the middle of the trouble you can have peace in your heart (see Philippians 4:7)? ______
2) Learn to Forgive and Forget. People are not perfect, and sometimes people wrong us or harm us. Sometimes people wrong and harm our parents. Do you ever do anything wrong against your parents? Have you always obeyed the 5th commandment found in Exodus 20:12? _______ Have you always obeyed the command found in Colossians 3:20? _______ Have you always been the perfect son or daughter? _______
Mom and Dad need to learn to forgive and forget. Can you find a verse at the end of Ephesians chapter 4 which tells us that we need to forgive one another just as God forgave us? Ephesians 4, Verse ______. Did God forgive Mom and Dad? Did God forgive you? Should Mom and Dad forgive you? Should you forgive Mom and Dad?
3) Remember to Practice God’s Presence. The person who practices God’s presence is the person who is able to say, "I realize that God is here right now and I am aware of His presence!" The person who does not practice God’s presence is the person who lives as if God is not there at all. Answer TRUE or FALSE:
|
_____________ |
God is always present (He is omnipresent) |
|
_____________ |
Man always realizes and remembers that God is present. |
|
_____________ |
God is always with the believer. |
|
_____________ |
The believer never forgets that God is with him. |
|
_____________ |
The person who practices God’s presence is aware that "God is now here!" but the person who does not practice God’s presence lives as if he was saying, "God is no where! At least He is no where around where I am!" |
Mom and Dad need to remember that in the middle of the problem God is right there to help. God is a very present ________ in ______________________ (Psalm 46:1)! When trouble comes, that’s where you’ll find God!
It is true that Mom and Dad are not perfect. They have their flaws and faults and failures, just like we all do. But as I see Mom and Dad handling their sins in the right way, then this encourages me to do the same:
My Dad and Mom are not perfect, but they have a perfect God that they can turn to in the middle of their problems: "As for God, His way is P_____________ " (Psalm 18:30).
My Dad and Mom are not perfect, but they have a perfect Bible which guides them and helps them to change their direction when they are going the wrong way: "The law of the Lord (the Bible) is p_____________ converting the soul" (Psalm 19:7).
How can I help my Mom and Dad? I have my flaws and faults and failures, too. Can I help my parents? Can I encourage them? As Dad and Mom look at me, what do they see?
Do my parents see me remembering God’s peace and God’s presence in the middle of my problems and pressures? If they do then this reminds them that they need to do the same.
Mom and Dad know that you are not perfect! Every day they see your flaws and faults and failures. But Mom and Dad need to see that you have a perfect God and a perfect Bible! Show them!
When a baby first learns to walk, does he (or she) fall down many times? Does the baby give up or does the baby keep on getting up? As believers we are learning to walk with the Lord. We fall many times but we keep getting back up. Read Proverbs 24:16. How many times does a righteous man fall? _______________________ Does this man give up or does he rise up? _________________________ Read Psalm 37:23-24. Who orders the good man’s steps? _________ Does this man ever fall (verse 24)? _______ Who upholds him? ____________ Is there a difference between getting knocked down and getting knocked out? If a man is knocked down will he probably get back up? _______ If a man is knocked out will he probably get back up? __________ The Bible says that the believer is cast down (knocked down) but not destroyed (knocked out). See 2 Corinthians 14:9. When Mom and Dad get knocked down, I need to see them get back up. When I get knocked down, Mom and Dad need to see me get back up! They encourage me and I encourage them!
The older a person gets, the more he should be able to help and encourage others. It is easier for an 11 year old to help a 3 year old than it is for a 3 year old to help an 11 year old. Why is this so? A 6th grader should be able to help a 4th grader much more than a 4th grader could help a 6th grader. Mom and Dad should be able to help you much more than you could help them. There are many ways that you can help them, but there are many, many, many ways that they can help you! You need them more than they need you! Your baby brother (or sister) needs you more than you need him (or her)!
Suppose that you have been in your school for many years and you know where all the classrooms are and you feel quite at home there. Suppose also that a new person comes to your school and this person is about 3 grades lower than you. This new person does not know the school building at all. One day you notice that this new student seems lost in the hallway (maybe trying to find the gym or the cafeteria). What should you do? Should you look down on this person and make fun of him because he does not even know where to go? Should you say "I don’t need this person and I do not care about this person"? Do you think some students would do this? Should you give this person the wrong directions and send him in the wrong way? You are older and you are able to help this person. Therefore, what should you do?
You must remember that you were once where you see someone else. You were once a younger person who needed help from older people. Someday you will enter High School (or even Junior High School). How will you want the older ones to treat you then?
Suppose you were to go to a brand new school and suppose you did not know where to find anything. Would you want the older students to be friendly to you and to help you find the right room? Read Matthew 7:12 (the Golden Rule). If you would want others to help you, should you not help others? Even if no one else does it, should you still do it? _____ What if Columbus had said, "Well, no one else dares to sail across the ocean, so why should I?" If he had said this, the history of the world would have been quite different.
It is a terrible thing to make fun of people and look down on people who need our help. Did the Lord Jesus Christ do this? When He came to earth did He say something like this: "All of you people are sinful and wicked and I am holy and righteous and I do not want to have anything to do with you? I’m too great for you and you are too rotten for me!”? Of course not! The Lord came to earth to help us and to seek and to save us (Luke 19:10). He did not come to look down on us and make fun of us!
As I seek to help and encourage others, I need to be careful not to pile too many burdens upon myself. I can’t help everyone all the time. Sometimes we start to worry about everything when God says that we should worry about nothing (Philippians 4:6). Sometimes we get overly concerned about doing certain things and we end up getting buried under a pile! If I let this happen, then the load gets too big and I won’t be able to help anyone:
Sometimes I try to carry too many pieces:
God tells me what to do with the pieces of the pile. He says, "Casting all your care (worry, concern) upon Him; for He _______________ for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
There are many things that I cannot do and there are many things that I do not understand. If I get too concerned about these things, then the pile will get higher and higher. There are some things that I can do and that I can understand. These are the things I need to do with God’s help.
As a son I may be able to help my Dad by raking leaves and bringing out the trash, but I do not know how to fix the car. I need to do the things I can do and not get all concerned and upset about the car. I can’t do anything about that. As a daughter I can help my Mom by washing the dishes and folding clothes, but I do not know how to sew a new dress. I need to do the things that I can do and not get all concerned and worried about the dress. I can’t do anything about that.
My parents help me and I help them. I’m not perfect and I do not have perfect parents, but we have a perfect God and a perfect Bible. In the next chapter we will see another way in which we can help our parents!
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