As David is drawing near death, he speaks words to his son Solomon, challenging him as a man, as a ruler, and as David’s son. His words, as a father and a King, challenge Solomon to carry on the work that is being done, so Solomon’s family will have a legacy on the throne given to David by God.
“When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 2:1-4)
Notice from the text, David tells Solomon to do three things:
- Act Responsibly – Solomon is to be strong, show himself to be a man and keep the charge of the Lord. David wants Solomon to be a powerful leader of the people and take the male responsibility of being King.
- Walk with God – David knew what it was like to walk with God. David had walked with God, and he knew the blessings of someone committed to God.
- Hear David’s Commands – I wonder, if later, Solomon reflected on David’s words when he wrote Proverbs 1.8-9.
Fathers, are we challenging (charging) our children like David did Solomon?
Just a thought,

Have you ever thrown a pebble into a pond and watched the ripples?
One small drop in the water’s pristine surface causes waves that get larger and reach farther as they move across the water.
This ripple effect is like your impact.
You may not think you make a difference or affect people, but what you do ripples out from your actions. Your actions will touch the lives of a few people, who have their impact on the lives of others, and the process will continue.
In each area of our lives, we have opportunities to make an impact of others. Our impact will be like those ripples which continue for a long time. Many times, it might be the “little things” that have the biggest ripples effect in the lives of others.
It is important to remember that the ripples can continue beyond our first actions. Each ripple may continue to go on without ever knowing the results of one simple act.
Below are four areas to think about when considering how your impact can create the ripple effect.
Family
What are the ways the ripple effect can influence your family?
How can you create ripples with your family?
Doing small activities with your family members strengthens the bond and creates habits that influence each member of your family. For instance, taking your child on a parent-child date can affect future generations as your child grows. They might pass on that tradition because they found value in building that relationship.
Sometimes it can be as simple as turning off technology and playing a board game. Creating conversation with your family members is more valuable than achieving a high score or a game. Maybe it is as simple as finding a project to work on together. Taking time, whether quality time or quantity time, is a must have in today’s world. Building those family relationships is vital to future generations.
Business
What are the ways you are creating the ripple effect in your business?
Whether you are a small business owner or an employee, there is a ripple effect.
How can you create ripples in your business?
First, you can create opportunities to give compliments to your staff or co-workers. A good rule to remember is to compliment more than you criticize. One simple action you can take today could be to leave anonymous notes on their desk highlighting something positive that you have noticed about their performance.
When you lift someone’s spirits and make them feel valuable, you can affect their attitude at work. This encouragement at work can have the ripple effect on how they feel when they arrive home after a full day.
Community
How is your ripple effect influencing your community?
You may not think about the community aspect of the ripple effect, but it is a valuable influence on the world.
You might be a mentor to someone in your community or in a local school. Being a mentor is a way to cause a ripple effect. Pouring your energy into a child or a young family who could use your guidance can change not only their lives but the lives of their children as well. You can be the reason they find solutions to their puzzles that otherwise would not have happened without your support.
Church
How is the ripple effect you possess working for your church family?
You might not think of the power of a ripple effect in your church family, but it makes a big difference. When you are even attending services, people notice. When your pew is empty, people notice.
Maybe you are a Bible class teacher. If so, the ripple effect is a powerful influence because you are teaching young people who will teach others down the road. Your time with children each week will have an everlasting impact.
While you might read about these four areas of influence, you might feel the world is too big and too broad to make a difference, but that is not the case. Consider this for a moment – just a little invested money grows exponentially with compound interest, your small investment in someone else’s life will yield significant returns.
What small gestures can you make to cause a ripple in the lives of others?
A tip and a note of appreciation for the waiter or waitress at a restaurant?
A note of appreciation to your child’s teacher?
Baked goods for your neighbor?
Do something small and watch the ripples grow wider and wider.
Allow me to offer you 51 ways you can create ripples through simple actions.
- Do it! (Decide to create a ripple and do it. Start today.
- Stop complaining.
- Serve someone less fortunate.
- Collect quotes and use them for motivation.
- Volunteer.
- Mentor a child or a young family.
- Do something without looking for personal glory.
- Turn off the news.
- Get rid of the stuff in your home (6-month
- Make cookies for a neighbor.
- Organize a neighborhood cookout.
- Send one encouraging card a day.
- Write a note and do not sign it.
- Cut a neighbor’s yard.
- Rake someone else’s leaves.
- Offer to babysit for a young couple.
- Stop checking email.
- Attend church services.
- Assist someone by carrying groceries to their car.
- Put the buggy back at a supermarket.
- Buy your wife flowers or your husband a box of chocolate.
- Take your children to breakfast before school.
- Send your parents a thank you note for raising you.
- Buy someone’s dessert in a restaurant.
- Leave a large tip.
- Paint a picture and hang it in the living room.
- Grow a garden and share your vegetables with others.
- Plant flowers.
- Bake a cake with your children and deliver it to the elderly.
- Take a walk and think.
- Let someone in your lane in traffic.
- Turn off the radio while driving and listen to the wind.
- Read a book about something you disagree with.
- Print photos you have taken and make a photo collage.
- Write “your
- Learn a new hobby.
- Fast for a day.
- Clean your closet out and donate your clothes to the homeless.
- Plant a tree.
- Giveaway some extra jewelry you have to a single mother.
- Call your parents and tell them “Thank You.”
- Volunteer to speak at school regarding your profession or hobby.
- Donate your used cell phone to a woman’s shelter or a soldier overseas.
- Pay for a couple to attend a marriage retreat. (Do so anonymously.
- Take off work early and spend time with your family.
- Write a letter to a missionary and tell them you are praying for them.
- Smile.
- Donate school supplies to children in need.
- Send a widow some flowers.
- Read one book a month.
- Begin journaling.
- Turn off your computer for a day and get out of the chair.
Will you start today?
What simple action will begin creating ripples?
To your success,

Every day I am amazed how far our influence in simple things can reach into the world. In a hurting world, our influence of a greater hope is needed more than ever in our lifetime. People are hurting. They are hurting physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The effects of the Covid-19 virus, many people losing or changing jobs, the current lection crisis and the added bonus of a crazy news cycle has cause many to feel discouraged and disappointed. It is during this time that we, as Christians, can become a powerful influence on people.
The radio personality Paul Harvey once said that every day we influence 150 people directly and 450 people indirectly. To think that we have the ability to influence around 450 people each day is daunting, but a great opportunity. My amazement grows even more when I see how parent’s actions flow into the lives of their children. The influence we have on others, directly and indirectly, is significant, but the influence we have upon our children is most significant.
It makes me ask the question, “What are we teaching our children?’
I can assure you if you are not teaching your children, someone or something else is.
[bctt tweet=”I can assure you if you are not teaching your children, someone or something else is.” username=”PreachersPen”]
Our duty as parents should be the same duty the Israelites were given by God – to teach our children His word. At the end of life, it will not be the ballgames they played, or the performances they had, it will be the eternity they have gracefully gained.
Take Deuteronomy 6.4-8 as an example:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-8; ESV)
Did you notice the remarkable things in those verses?
First, the word of God must be in the hearts of the parents before they can teach them to the children. Remember, if you are not teaching your children, then someone or something is. You need to be aware of the influences in your child’s life. Children need to be actively taught from their home. It is not the job of the Bible School to teach your children; the teaching must begin first in the home.
Second, the parents were to teach the children the precepts of God everywhere: inside, outside, in private, in public, simply everywhere. Are parents teaching children the word of God today? This is where your influence, as a parent will matter the most. If your children and not seeing how the Word of God is active in your life, then they may not understand the power of Christianity.
Our influence reaches to our children, no matter what we do. Let us commit today to becoming the Christ-like example our children need, not necessarily the example they might want.
Just a thought,

Several years ago, an article crossed my desk titled, “Most Costly Celebrity Divorces.” Normally, I would ignore an article like that, but curiosity got the best of me. The article was nothing more than an article about the divorce settlement in terms of money. The article never discussed the “cost of divorce” without terms of money. Divorce costs lives, relationships and more.
Marriage is more costly than money. A great marriage is an investment, not only in your future, but for future generations. A bad marriage is a costly expense, not only in your life, but in the lives of future generations.
Your marriage not only affects you, but it influences your children on the type of marriage they will have. As the Bible says, our lights will shine for others to see. (Matthew 5.14-16) We provide an example to others regarding marriage. If we speak harsh about marriage, others will see it as harsh. If we speak well of marriage, others will see it differently than before.
How to Improve the Value of Marriage:
- Value Marriage – To improve the value of marriage, you must value marriage. The Bible places a high value on marriage as it uses it as an illustration of Christ and the church. (See Ephesians 5.22-33)
- Work on Your Marriage – Marriage takes work. Some people believe that once the wedding is over it is all happily ever after. Instead, marriage takes work. Submission takes work. Responsibility takes work. (See Ephesians 5.22-33)
- Believe the 100/100 truth – The typical saying is that marriage is 50/50, but the truth is that marriage is 100/100. When two people enter a relationship and only give 50%, there will be problems. When two people enter marriage giving 100%, they will become one flesh and grow their marriage.
Just a thought,

All of us want the best for our families; both spiritually and physically. Our families are, typically, the closest people to us on the Earth and the love us despite our faults. Because of our relationship, we want the best for our families and, many times, we will go out of our way to help them in whatever accomplishment they seek.
The rewards of Christian families are great because those rewards transcend beyond this physical world and will last throughout eternity. Are you helping your family achieve heaven?
Reward #1 – Togetherness
The adage is, “A family that works together stay together.” The key word is together. One characteristic of Christian families is how they work together. The togetherness of families results in unity.
This unity is seen in several ways:
- Unity in Effort – Consider 2 Timothy 1.5. Lois and Eunice made a united effort to teach Timothy the gospel but instill in him a genuine faith.
- Unity of Goal – Consider Philippians 3.14. A Christian’s goal is heaven and when Christians unite in their goal of heaven, the keep pressing on to gain it.
- Unity of Purpose – Consider 1 Samuel 1-2.21. Hannah had a purpose and she gave Samuel that same purpose – dedication to the Lord.
- Unity of Servanthood – Consider Acts 16.34. The Philippians jailer served Paul and Silas after the startling events and his families believed God.
Just some thoughts,
