Being a GREAT Father

As we celebrate Father's Day, we honor all of our fathers.  Being a father is not an easy job, but God has made His grace available for this great calling.  Being a great father starts with being the man God has called us to be.  To do this, look to our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the perfect example of firmness and gentleness: a man of velvet and a man of steel, a man of compassion, yet willing to confront evil head-on. 

Next, look to our Heavenly Father.  Hebrews 12 tells us that because of love, our Heavenly Father disciplines every son whom He receives.  His correction truly is for our benefit.  If we love our children, we will care enough to correct, train and discipline them because we love them too much to leave them to their own devices.  This passage goes on to tell us that in the end, discipline yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.  Discipline ministered in love results in peace in the heart of a child.

Next, look to the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said that the Spirit of Truth whom He would send, will guide us into all the truth.  There are many ideas out there regarding raising children that do not line up with what God's Word has to say on the subject.  Ask God for His wisdom, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you in the path that is most pleasing to Him.

Finally, forgive.  Whether your earthly father was a great example of fatherhood or was a terrible example of fatherhood, forgive him for any of his shortcomings.  God's grace to be a great father is available when we forgive others. 

Happy Father's Day!

Forgive to Live

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful expressions of love that one person can show another.  It is not only beneficial to the one being forgiven, but is essential for the well-being of the one offering forgiveness.  Jesus tells a story of a servant who was forgiven of an exorbitant debt, yet he would not forgive his servant of a very small debt.  This is a picture of our lives.  God offers to forgive all of our sins through the sacrifice of His only Son Jesus, but we in turn are required to forgive others.  It is not an option, it is a command from God.

Some would say, “But you don't know how they hurt me, I just don't feel I can forgive."  This is where we realize the limits of our natural human love, and see how much we need God's love.  1 Corinthians 13 tells us that God's love is patient and kind, and keeps no record of being wronged.  Natural human love is not able to love like that.  Romans 5:5 tells us, “God's love has been placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit."  Our part is to yield to that love.

Also, while we are talking about forgiveness, forgive yourself.  Many people struggle with letting go of mistakes they have made.  They say, “I just can't forgive myself for that."  If Almighty God is willing to forgive us of our sins, who are we to hold onto them?  We need to receive the forgiveness God offers us, forgive ourselves, and then forgive others.  Freely you have received, freely give.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."  If we really want to live, forgive.

The Great Exchange

When Jesus came to this earth as the sinless Lamb of God, He took my sin and gave me the gift of righteousness. This is sometimes referred to as “The Great Exchange.”  Jesus took my sin, and in exchange, gave me a life free from the curse of sin.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Isaiah 53:4-5 says that He bore our sickness and carried our pains in His own body, and by His wounds we are healed.

Galatians 3 tells us how Jesus became a curse for us so that the blessing of Abraham could come on the Gentiles.  In verse 14 it says “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”  The great exchange is available when we choose to put our faith in what Jesus accomplished at Calvary.  In Jesus, I exchanged a sinful life for His righteousness, sickness for His wholeness, and poverty for His abundant provision. If this is true, this is good news.

When you think about all that Jesus accomplished at the cross, do you see yourself as a full participant in the great exchange, or do you see yourself wishing and hoping that God might accept you some day? Through Jesus Christ, God allows us to exchange the curse of sin for the blessing of the Lord. We are offered peace in our hearts through knowing God, and ultimately, a home in heaven for eternity with God.  God freely offers to us these gifts when we choose to participate in this great exchange through faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus said “Come unto me all you who are weary, and I will give you rest”. Do you think you might have something to bring to God in this great exchange?

Believing God for a great New Year

Beginning a new year is a good time to give thanks to God for His faithfulness and blessings.  It is also a time to look forward in anticipation to what God has in store.  Each new year brings promise of a new day, a new day in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Scripture talks about "a new day of restoration."  If 2014 was not the greatest year you have ever experienced, if it was a really tough year, let me encourage you that God is the God who can turn the worst of circumstances into blessing if we look to Him and allow Him to work in our lives.

Over and over in scripture, we see God's people facing tough challenges, but in the midst of tough challenges, we see a God who is “more than enough.”  In Psalm 27:13, David said, “I would have fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  In Philippians 3:12-13, Paul says, “I press on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.  Forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead."

It is so easy to look back in life and think about what could have been, but there is no help there.  Real help comes when we begin to believe we will see God's goodness, no matter what circumstances we may currently face.  Believe that God loves me and has a good plan for my life.  Believe “Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world."  Believe that God is able to deliver me from all the powers of darkness and put me in a place where His blessings freely flow.  If we will believe these truths and press into the things of God, we are well on our way to a great new year.