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“I will be your father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18 (NCV)
My family is weird. Everyone hopes to have a family that sticks together through thick and thin. A family that understands each other, supports each other, looks out for each other. My family? Well, sometimes we do that but it’s not our nature.
I have sisters that prostitute themselves for a moment’s pleasure. I have brothers that visit porn sites, get involved in extra-marital affairs, and put their own desires above anyone else. Did I mention the ones that struggle with addictive behavior or the ones that completely ignore our family gatherings?
We are an interesting bunch, my family is. We’ll talk about you behind your back and then greet you with a hug or warm handshake. We’ll make your business our business and tell you exactly what you need to do to ‘get straightened out’. We jump from relationship to relationship. We do things we know we shouldn’t do, and then try to rationalize it away.
Yep. My family is weird. I’m not talking of my earthly family, although we are guilty of some of those things. I’m talking about my heavenly family. The heavenly family isn’t made up of people with halos on our heads. We don’t normally walk around in robes chanting spiritual words. There isn’t a one of us that deserves to be called saints.
We can’t really be blamed though. We come from a long line of people just like us. We have a heritage of failure, rebellion, deceit and anger. We murder with our words, wound with our attitudes, and attack from behind with no warning. Some of our most well-known ancestors came from backgrounds that would not be ‘blessed by the church’.
One more thing about my family. Each and every member of my heavenly family was hand-picked by our heavenly Father. He didn’t pick us because of our ability. He didn’t pick us because we could be trusted to follow his example. He didn’t pick us according to our strength or stature. He chose us because he loved us.
Your heavenly Father knows your faults, weaknesses and rebellion. He knows you can’t be trusted, but wants you to know you can trust him. By accepting his free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ you will not be made perfect, but you will join a whole family of imperfect brothers and sisters who will fail, but have a Father that is passionate about us.
My family is weird, but my Father? He is awesome!
PRAYER: Father, Thank you for choosing to allow me to be in your family. I confess I’m not worthy of this honor. I’m not worthy of your grace and forgiveness. Thank you for loving me anyway. Amen.
O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts. Psalm 92:5 (NLT)
We think in the present. God’s thoughts are on the future.
We think of today, God thinks about eternity.
We measure life by where we are, God measures life by where we are going.
Our actions are often based on our past experiences, God’s actions are based on his power.
Our wisdom is limited by our humanity, God’s wisdom planned every day of every person for all eternity.
We seek fulfillment on what we can do for others (even God) he seeks to fulfill us through what he’s already done for us.
We strive to be better today than we were yesterday, God says “I’ve already made you everything I desire.”
We see illness as something to conquer, God sees illness as an opportunity to show his healing.
We see healing as absence of illness, God sees illness as absence of worry.
We observe our sin and feel guilt, God observes our sin and offers forgiveness.
We remember the wrongs suffered, God lays our faults at the cross and never looks back.
We live to please others, God exists to serve us.
We see unfaithfulness as a relationship breaker, God sees unfaithfulness and begs our return.
We rebel at his standards, God watched his Son die to meet those standards for you.
“O Lord, what great works you do!”
During those times when God seems distant, remember that his thoughts are on our growing, not our comfort. His goal is not our earthly comfort but our eternal reward. His desire is for a stronger relationship with him, not our own popularity. Our finite minds are not able to comprehend all that God has planned. He knows what is best for us.
PRAYER: O Great and Mighty Creator of the Universe! To think that will all of your power and wisdom you would even consider me. To think that someone as mighty as you allows me to call you Daddy. I don’t always understand your ways, but I praise you for the love you have given me. In your name, Amen.
The payment for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (NCV)
Think about this. No matter where you are on the journey of life, there are certain things that are true for all of us. We were all created by God to be his pride and joy. God’s desire, from the beginning of time is to have a passionate relationship with each of us. A relationship like he had with Adam and Even at the beginning. To walk side by side, arm in arm, hand in hand. To laugh. To talk about the days events. To impart his wisdom, strength and joy to each of us.
Another thing that is true of all of us is that we all want to have our own way. We all seek to fill this void inside of us with things that are contrary to God’s desire for us. David did it when he decided to sleep with another man’s wife. Abraham did it when he took matters into his own hands. Moses did it when he murdered the Egyptian and struck the rock. And the list goes on and on. Your name is on that list.
We’ve all done it, we take matters into our own hands. Tried to fill the void on our own power. Call it sin. Call it poor choices or bad decisions. Call it whatever you want. The result is the same. When you live apart from God there’s an emptiness that can’t be satisfied.
Sin is sin. You can rationalize and say your ‘sin’ isn’t as bad. Really? Worry is just as ‘bad’ a sin as adultery because it breaks your trust in God’s ability to provide. Buying what you can’t afford is stealing from your future because debt ties us down. Legalistic attitudes steal the freedom God intended to give to others.
You can run from him, but that won’t remove the pain. You can ignore him but that doesn’t take away the anger. You can claim he doesn’t exist, but the void won’t go away. You can bury yourself in all sorts of religious activity or social advocacy to hide your pain. That usually only leads to guilt and self-destruction. There is nothing that beats the pain. There is nothing that pays the price…nothing except for Jesus.
Jesus paid the price for your worry. Jesus paid the price for your anger and frustration. Jesus paid the price for the guilt you harbor because of your past. He paid it in full so you can live free. He asks nothing from you except for you to confess (admit) your need for him, and ask forgiveness for your weakness. Nothing else will fill the void in your soul.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I confess to you that there are still many things in my life that I’m trying to control on my own. Thank you for the free gift of forgiveness you have given. Nothing is really free. Thank you for paying the price for my sin when you knew I would fail. Amen.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)
We were camping at the resort owned by a family friend. Every night we’d go to the office store for ice cream. We’d order one scoop but the owner would always give us three with a wink and a smile. One night it was busy and an employee dished our ice cream. We ordered a scoop. She gave us a scoop. Fair enough, but we were a bit taken back. We’d become spoiled. We said nothing about it since we’d been given more than we deserved on other occasions. A short time later the owner came by and saw our dishes. She questioned why we had ‘such a small amount’. I explained what happened but emphasized that is was no big deal. She got up from the table and, a few minutes later, returned with new bowls of ice cream. Three scoops. The owner personally took care of the situation for us.
Perhaps a simple example, but it is always better to go to the owner when you want something done. The personal attention you get from the owner far supersedes the attention even the most dedicated employee can give you. Why? Because the owner isn’t answerable to anyone.
Joshua is about to take over the reins of leadership for the nation Israel. Moses is God. He is God’s man, God’s warrior. He was young. He was nervous. And, he already had a reputation among the people for being a renegade of sorts. You remember Joshua. He was one of the twelve spies that went in to investigate the Promised Land. When everyone else said the task was impossible, Joshua said, “Let’s go for it!”
A true leader has many fears. Perhaps the two biggest ones are:
- Will I lead in the right direction?
- Will the people follow me?
Your heavenly Father promises you that if you rely on him for direction he will not only be with you on the journey, he acts as a scout. He goes ahead of you. He makes sure the way is safe and that every possible danger is known and prepared for.
The second promise the Father makes is that he will never ever abandon you. Others may. Even those we consider trustworthy and loving may turn their backs on you. Not your heavenly Father. He’s prepared to go the distance. He’ll walk with you when no one else will. During those times when you feel inadequate for the task he is there to walk beside you, encourage you to press on, help you to believe in yourself (or his ability to work through you).
Regardless of where you are on the journey remember that you never walk alone and the path you walk has been walked before by a loving, gracious, merciful Father who is passionately in love with you.
PRAYER: Father, I don’t know the future. I feel alone, inadequate for the task and abandoned. Thank you that these are all lies. I’m not alone. I can rise to the occasion with your help. You will never leave me. Amen.
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT)
How do you get up in the morning? The attitude we have when we get out of bed with has a large part to do with the rest of the day. If we get up anticipating a good day, no matter what happens we’ll be more positive than if we start out on the ‘wrong side of bed’. Colossians says we have been raised to new life to share in God’s glory. That means each day should be looked at as a new day! A new beginning. All the old stuff from yesterday is gone. We start new. When you have positive anticipation it’s simply easier to get out of bed. Why do kids that normally sleep in get up early Christmas morning? PRESENTS! The anticipation of the new outweighs the comfort of the familiar.
Once you get up in the morning you prepare yourself for the day. Physically, you shower (or the world hopes you do) and do all the things necessary to make you presentable for the day. In a Spiritual sense we need to put off all the old and put on the new. Approach each new day with the attitude that ‘Christ is all that matters’. You do that by spending some time with your Savior. A word of prayer, some time in his Word. Think of it this way. Would you get up in the morning and say, “I just don’t have time to get dressed this morning. I’ll go naked this once. No one will notice.” Of course not. But we often put off the spiritual preparation for the day because we don’t think it important. Consider your spiritual preparation as important as your physical preparation for the day.
Now you are ready to get dressed. Clothes tell others a lot us. The first thing others see is our clothing before anything else. A person full of cancer, but well dressed looks better than a healthy bum. The following article appeared in a magazine:
Clothes tell a lot about us, our era, our jobs, etc. But the Swiss bank UBS raised eyebrows last month when it’s very conservative dress code was leaked on the Internet. The comprehensive, 44-page document defined how men should knot their ties, and how women should care for their skin. Underwear in a neutral color is, apparently, a must.
The reason we have dress codes is essentially this. Companies or organizations expect a certain look for their employees. The dress code assures that everyone that aligns themselves with that group look the same.
The Bible says we clothe ourselves so others see us as being merciful, kind, humble, gentle and patient. Paul goes on further to say that our ‘clothing’ ought to be such that we ‘make allowance’ for the weaknesses and failures of other people. Why? Because Jesus takes your weakness and failures into account and forgives you time and time again. He wants you to clothe yourself in the same way so that others will know you are associated with him.
The last thing you put on in the morning may be a belt. That’s what it was in the NT times. The belt pulled all the garments together. It was security and it was aesthetic. Going out without your belt would be like going out naked.
So what’s the ‘belt’ we wear to pull all this together? Love. The most important thing you do in the morning, before leaving for the day’s activities, is to put on an attitude of love. Love like Christ gives. Love that says ‘no matter what, I’ll never give up on you.’ The last thing you put on is the first thing others will see!
Now you are dressed for the day. Your earthly situation doesn’t change your heavenly calling. A calling to represent the cause of Jesus Christ. Follow these guidelines and you’ll be dressed appropriately for any weather changes that come your way.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may I dress each and every day for the activities you lay before me. Empower me to love, endure and embrace those I meet with grace and forgiveness as you have me. Amen.
