OUR FATHERS PART 2

Our Fathers



From "Daughter" by John Mayer

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

What I'm writing about will not be a new thought. It will not be rocket science.

FATHERS ARE IMPORTANT. 

The ideal father disciplines. Did your father disciple fairly? At all?
Proverbs 23:13-15 (NKJV)Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell. I do not advocate beating children with rods. Discipline of any type without equal part love and compassion will fail and is probably abuse. But a spanking or "negative reinforcement" did not harm generations of children. But a lack of spanking has.
Proverbs 13:24 (NKJV) He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly

The ideal father has your best interest in all things.
Proverb 4:3-6
³ When I was my father’s son,
Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
⁴ He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live.
⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you

Fathers are not perfect and make mistakes but the ideal father does the best in his power to provide the best for his family. Do you trust your father? Would you trust your father even if you did understand the decision? Do your trust God completely? Do you trust Him when the answer is wait or no? Do you trust him with your finances? Your marriage? Your life? Your children's life? Your eternity?

But our fathers no matter how great, bad or absent are not God. Whereas our fathers do the best within their power, God is perfect. He is omnipotent (all powerful). He is omnipresent (ever present). He is omniscience (all knowing). He is love. 1 John 4:8(NKJV) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

So in conclusion, to fathers, who you are to your children may have eternal implications.

 

To children in need of fathers, God is the father to the fatherless. Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

Be Blessed.

OUR FATHERS PART 1

Our Fathers

From "Daughter" by John Mayer

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

What I'm writing about will not be a new thought.  It will not be rocket science. 

FATHERS ARE IMPORTANT. 

It is no coincidence that God is referred to as our Father.  Because God's thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9), he often uses natural things to help us understand spiritual things.  Remember the parables spoken by Jesus.  The structure of the tabernacle and the sacrifices for sin. 
And the family. 

A mother's bond with a child begins before birth in a way that fathers can not experience. Proximity and pain create a nearly unbreakable bond.  Consequently, a father has to play catch up.  And the bond tends to be less so.  Let me qualify that by stating this has been my experience and observation. 

I believe that the attributes of our fathers' are those we later project onto God.

The ideal father loves unconditionally.  Do you feel unloved by your father? God? Do you feel that you have to earn your father's love? God's?  Read about the love of the prodigal son's father (Luke 15:11-32).

The ideal father provides. Do you feel comfortable asking your father to meet your needs?  Do you have trouble praying to God?  Luke 11:11-13 reads " ¹¹ If a son asks for bread^[d] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

The ideal father protects. Did your father make you feel safe? Do you feel like God is interested in you personally?
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17


Be Blessed and stay tuned for Part 2 begining with discipline.

WE ARE THE CHURCH!!!

The hurting world needs to see us at our most vulnerable. We need to tell people "and this is what God delivered me from." Church should be a place where people broken and beaten by the world and their own sin can drag their filthy rages and hopeless spirits to a place where they can be spiritual (and or physically) fed and bandaged and loved and accepted and led to the only thing in the world that saves, heals, protects, delivers, restores and leads to everlasting life...the Son of God, Jesus.  

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 


 

I don't mean the building. Are you a beacon to those hurting? Do you see those who are unlovely to look at but beloved of God with compassion? Do you go places that you may not be wanted and be subjected to ridicule for the sake of being whatever is necessary to bring one lost person to the truth?

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (New King James Version)

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

I don't and I should. I was there not so very long ago. I pray that God grants me opportunities to step outside my comfort zone and be willing to be used to bring hope to someone.