Although he had no children of his own, whenever he saw a neighbor scolding a child for some wrongdoing, he would say, “You should love your boy, not punish him.”

One hot summer afternoon the professor was doing some repair work on a concrete driveway leading to his garage. Tired out after several hours of work, he laid down the towel, wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and started toward the house. Just then out of the corner of his eye he saw a mischievous little boy putting his foot into the fresh cement. He rushed over, grabbed him, and was about to spank him severely when a neighbor leaned from a window and said, “Watch it, Professor! Don’t you remember? You must ‘love’ the child!”

At this, he yelled back furiously, “I do love him in the abstract, but not in the concrete!”

That’s so true. It’s easy to love people “in the abstract”. It’s easy to talk about love and the importance of love. What’s much more difficult is to love people in “concrete” ways, especially when we’re dealing with people are very unlovable, who have been unkind and irritating to us.

But love is not something for us to talk about — it is something for us to demonstrate in some very practical ways, as John makes clear in this familiar passage:

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18)

How about it — are you loving in the abstract, or in the concrete?

Alan Smith

Parents must be a present force for good in their children’s lives! They must seriously and joyfully undertake the privilege parenting presents. Adults should regularly have a physical to ascertain their fitness. In the same way, parents should have a regular spiritual to ascertain their fitness as parents.

Upon examination, some parents find their:

HEAD in the clouds! Some children could never be guilty of any wrongdoing under any circumstances. The teachers and others children with whom the child has problems are always to blame. Really?!

MIND in the gutter. Where will many children view their first pornography or nudity on the screen? Yes, in the home. Mom? Dad? Are we guarding our lips (Titus 2:8) and hearts (Proverbs 4:23)?

NOSE to the grindstone! Sixty-hour workweeks, ten hours in commute, forty-two hours for sleep, and parents have left, at most, eight hours per day for their children. If one bathes and dresses for work, chews his meals with care, buys groceries, pays bills, and watches the average daily dose of TV, how much time do the kids get?

Down in the MOUTH! It is true, children imitate the behavior modeled before them. In an age of grumbling and complaining, parents must teach by example that such is not the way God wants to act (cf. Acts 2:14).

EYES on the prize! Spiritual focus is vital for successful parenting to occur (2 Corinthians 5:7). When parents emphasize Christ above all, emulate Christ rather than any other, and esteem heaven rather than earth, children being to see things more clearly, too.

The Great Physician says it all (parents should pay extra special attention) when he says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). Parents, let’s always work on “shaping up” for our children’s sakes!

–Neal Pollard

Several years ago two brothers didn’t come home for dinner and their bikes were found outside the fence where the dredging had taken place. The brothers’ family and other rescue workers began to search frantically for the two brothers. They finally found one of them. He was buried up to his chin in the sand. Because of the pressure of the wet sand and muck around him, he was not breathing; so they began to dig frantically. When they uncovered him down to his waist he regained consciousness and the family, in hysterics, began to say, “Where’s your brother? Where’s your brother? Where’s your brother?”

The boy replied, “I’m standing on his shoulders.” *

The one brother had given his life so that the other might be saved! 
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Jesus demonstrated this “greater love” by giving His life for you and for me.  When we were sinking into the depths of sin, Jesus bore the weight of our sins on the cross (1 Peter 2:24) providing the means of our salvation.  He invites each of us to “stand on His shoulders” so that you and I can be saved.

We can be saved by the merits of Christ’s death on the cross if we believe in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  And, if we will continue to follow Him faithfully, He will receive us into an eternal home (1 John 1:7; John 14:1-6).

“I Was Sinking Deep In Sin, Far From The Peaceful Shore,
Very Deeply Stained Within, Sinking To Rise No More;
But The Master Of The Sea, Heard My Despairing Cry,
From The Waters Lifted Me, Now Safe Am I”
“Love lifted me….”  *

Won’t you allow the love of Jesus to lift YOU from the deadly depths of sin?

– David A. Sargent, Minister

A survey on child safety – do you think children are more or less safe than when you were growing up?