Becky’s Tips Treasury

Our Life Work

Consider this passage from Ephesians 3:7-8 from The Message paraphrase of the Bible:

“This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.”

Think on this when you feel less than victorious. Our life work given to us by God, is to make the Gospel Message known. Yet we are the least able. Do you see where we get the ability? From God, Who does all of the equipping.

Engagement learning

If you are trying to finish an assignment or a textbook and your student is not responding with at least moderate delight, it might be the time to evaluate. Ask:

1. What do I really want him to know?

2. How can we practice what he needs to know?

You may discover that you are doing work that either he doesn’t need to know or there is an easier more original, more creative way to do it.

Remember: Plodding along finishing work that a student is not engaged in produces some discipline but little learning.

Ideas for the argumentative child:

1. Recognize that God has a purpose for that temperament. Be vigilant about finding help for developing that temperament.

In part, the purpose for such a temperament is having the ability to make the Gospel clear. Also it is that temperament that is usually used to help a culture make decisions based on biblical principles.

2. Learning to argue biblically changes a foolish speaker to a wise speaker.

3. Left untrained, the argumentative temperament will operate out of anger and pride.

How do we train such a temperament?

1. Show that the misuse of the gift does the opposite of what he really wants to do.

2. Give specific training in godly discussion and how to prove his point.

3. Draw his attention to unacceptable behavior each time you notice it. Guarantee him that the unacceptable behavior gets no reward.

4. Some Scripture helps: Prov. 10:12, 15:18; 2Tim. 2:23

5. Books that may help: Counsel from the Cross and Give Them Grace by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick.

A Tip for the Road

Please remember that Bible memorization gives advantage both to the heart and the brain!