You Talking to Me? – Part 32

If you can’t handle a “You talking to me?” moment from Father, they may be rare for you.

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Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 21, 24, 26, & 28 – And God said . . .

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Not all “You talking to me?” moments come from the Lord.  Most folks I know have had those moments come from a cruel and insulting world.  But here, I’m writing about those moments that come from the Father.  In the final analysis, it should be an honor for any believer to hear a “You talking to me?” evoking word from Father, either from Him (His Spirit) directly, or through the mouth of one of Father’s chosen vessels.  But be warned.  There are times when that “You talking to me?” moment from the Lord may not be very comforting. 

Think about this for a moment.  When Jesus was 12-years old, He was already confounding the religious leaders of the temple.  He already knew He was the only begotten Son of God.  He already knew why He had been sent to the earth.  Now consider how that knowledge could play on the mind of a child, and later a young man as He entered into His earthly ministry.  Though He was a man acquainted with sorrows, He was also a man of peace, wisdom, joy, and life.  Children loved Him, and children don’t enjoy being around grumpy people, or people laden with cares. 

Now think of the Apostle Paul.  Here is the man who wrote more than half of the New Testament.  Here is the man who wrote of the fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.  Here is the man who wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say to you, rejoice.  How could a man who lived his full time in ministry knowing what he would suffer remain faithful through it all.  In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, we see the Paul’s litany of things he suffered.  Take time to read it.  He knew all this was coming before it came, yet he pressed forward, faithful, diligent, and unswerving.  Don’t you know that when Ananias spoke these things to him, when the Lord revealed them to him, that for Paul (Saul), that was a “You talking to me?” moment?

Make up your mind today that you will be as Paul was; ever pressing forward, faithful, diligent, and unswerving.  If Father has called you, He has equipped you, He has made promises to you, and I can assure you, He that called you is faithful.  Be faithful to Him.  He will not subject you to surprises.  As I look back on my own life and ministry, I can honestly say that my God has never allowed me to be blind-sided.  He has always been faithful to warn me when needful, always strengthening me, never leaving me, ever upholding me in His strong arm.  Oh, how He loves you and me.  Though fore-knowledge of difficult times may be a “You talking to me?” moment, stay faithful.  He is faithful.  And, yes, I’m talking to you.

Manna for Today – Genesis 1; Psalm 119:89; Proverbs 4:20-23; Mark 11:22-26; Romans 3:4

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A Father Is a Husbandman

A husbandman works the soil.  That’s your work in Jesus.

Text for Today – John 15:1 – I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

It is necessary for the nature of the Father God to be present in the life of a godly father.  Even in men who are not saved, there is a God-shaped void that only God Himself can fill.  And though an unbeliever may not be able to understand that need, or even fully describe it, that very void itself serves in some way to make to known to the man that which is necessary to be a good father.

I was blessed to have and know well a loving father.  He was a hardworking man, forcing his body to perform the necessary tasks of his job even when his health did not sustain him.  He was not an educated man, having completed only the third grade of school.  He was somewhat retiring, not a public speaker, generous to a fault, and loving of those for whom he cared beyond description.  In all of his good qualities and his shortcomings, lacks, and apparent failures, one thing was clearly evident.  He was a Christian who loved Jesus, was quick to repent when he did stumble, and as my father, always carried about in his heart the very best dreams and desires for me.  For that I am eternally grateful.  As his only child, the time I had with him was always undividedly MINE, and I sense much of himself having been imparted to me.  Like a good farmer, he saw to it that his land (that was me) was well protected, plowed, irrigated and watered properly, sown with the best seed he could obtain, guarded over, nurtured, and encouraged to bring forth the best possible fruit in my life.  He was the husbandman who tended me, and before he went to be with Jesus, I was honored to be his pastor, yielding much of the first fruits of my life as a testimony before him.

How about you, dad?  Are you giving proper attention to the ground of the lives of your children?  I urge you to trust the Lord with all your heart and strive to that end with your entire being.  I have two wonderful sons, and I am daily trusting Lord with that which I have sown into their lives, that it will bring froth abundance of harvest to be a blessing to me as the first husbandman in their lives.

But my friend, this issue of fatherhood needs to go beyond the walls of our home and be carried over into the church.  I urge you today, dear fellow believer, allow the Lord to lead you to that young believer He desires you to nurture and “father” to help them grow in Christ.  Be God’s husbandman.

Manna for Today – James 5:7; 2 Timothy 2:1-6; 1 Corinthians 4:15;  John 15:1-7

A Father Is a Builder

God our Father is a Builder, and He is our Example.

Text for Today – 1 Corinthians 3:10 – According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Take a moment and consider those characters in the Bible that could be considered builders.  Noah built an ark, Moses oversaw the building of the Tabernacle.  Solomon built the Temple.  Elijah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all altar builders.  Jesus has built (and is building) the church.  And of course, the Apostle Paul calls himself a “wise masterbuilder.”  In each case, the art and work of building is something placed in the hearts of these builders by the great Masterbuilder, our great God Jehovah.

Now consider the words of Luke 22:29;  Just as Jesus built His kingdom, so should you and I build the kingdom He has given us, and this is especially true of fathers.  Sir, your home, and especially your children are major elements of the kingdom God has given you, and the responsibility for building them up, edifying them, training them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and sharpening them as arrows in your quiver is yours.  As imitators of God, as dear children, one of any person’s highest priorities in life should be to build his kingdom in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord, and this is especially true of fathers.

To be a wise masterbuilder of your own kingdom, you need the finest architect.  His Name is Jesus, the Word made flesh, and He is the Author and Finisher of your faith.  You need the finest blueprints, and they is found in the Word of God, and are delivered to you in exquisite detail by Holy Spirit.  You need the best property upon which to build, and that becomes yours wherever you set your foot.  You need the greatest possible foundation, and that the wisdom of obedience to the Word.  You need the finest of building materials, and they are comprised of the Word of God.  You need the help of the finest craftsmen and the counsel of the best fellow wise masterbuilders evidenced in servants who live a life of obedience to the Word of God.  And you MUST utilize every tool at your disposal, of which perhaps first and foremost is your tongue.  Use it wisely.  Speak the Word of God and only the Word as it relates to your building.  You will have what you say, and by your words you will be justified (or condemned).

Manna for Today – Luke 22:29; 1 Corinthians 14:3; 2 Corinthians 10:8; Jude 20-21; 2 Corinthians 13:10; Psalm 127:5; 3 John 2-4;     Ephesians 5:1; Mark 11:22-24; Matthew 12:34-37; Matthew 7:24-27

Peel Your Onion

So many dreams, visions, and plans from Father are simply waiting to be revealed.

Text for Today – Isaiah 28:10 – For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line; line upon line; here a little, and there a little.

Pout a couple of large, sweet cooking onions on the countertop in your kitchen and leave them overnight.  Tomorrow morning, upon entering your kitchen, you will smell those onions, but the smell won’t be too strong.  Then in the evening, take those onions to the sink and with a sharp knife, remove the dead outer layers of onion skin until you reach the savory, edible portion of that onion.  Now cut into that onion to its core and begin to prepare it as part of a meal.  In a few moments, your eyes will begin to sting, and tears will begin to flow, and it will move you.

In the heart and mind of God’s people exist the greatest ideas and inventions the world will ever know.  There is no way the New Covenant can come to a close with the wealthiest, wisest, and strongest men of God ever known living only in the Old Covenant.  The New Covenant is a better covenant, and as such, holds better things; far more glorious things for God’s people.

Those dreams, ideas, visions, plans, and divine schemes in the minds of God’s people are like onions unpeeled.  People know they have a dream or an idea, but it is not moving anyone.  But when the idea is peeled of its dry, useless outer layers that keep it from rotting, and the fresh, potent inner core is revealed, things begin to change.  Then when that idea is pierced to is core, and reduced to parts useable by the whole, something happens that begins to move people, and new, bigger, better, more powerful things begin to manifest.

For you, my brother and sister, the peeling and slicing process will occur in the presence of others of life precious faith, who ask questions that open doors of possibility (not doubt and unbelief), and who will encourage you, and even work with you to release the power of your dream, vision, or idea for the glory of God and the good of His people.  It is not likely that this will happen on your own since none of us lives or dies to himself.

So, what is your dream, vision, or idea?  Find someone who knows how to believe God and share it with them.  Let them share with you as well.  Allow time for it to unfold, be fully peeled, and revealed.  Slice with attention to precision, using the Sword of the Spirit, the only cutting instrument sharp enough to not damage any of the onion (the dream).  Let your dream, vision, or idea move you, to tears if necessary, and most of all, let it move you.

Manna for Today – Matthew 18:19-20; Luke 1:37; Proverbs 19:18

A Father Is a Warrior

A godly father MUST be a fighter . . . a fighter for cause.

Text for Today – 1 Timothy 5:12 – Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

I am a father, and I fight for my family, and yes, even for my adult sons on a daily basis.  I am a warrior.  My fight is in the spirit as I pray, interceded, pray in the Spirit, and confess the Word of God over my household.  Where prayer is concerned, my work as a warrior over and for my family is among the most important elements of my prayer life.  And oh, how the Lord has honored those prayers over the years!  I rejoice daily in knowing I have His ear in their behalf.  And yes, if it were necessary, I would fight a natural fight for them. 

As a father, I have a God-given responsibility to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, training them up in the way they should go.  Have I been perfect at my work?  No.  But by faith in the Name of Jesus, where I have lacked, His great grace has made up the difference, and His influence is still strong in their lives even though they are now grown men, well outside my immediate sphere of protection and guidance.  Now they make their own decisions, and I fought for their right to grow to this point in life.  I am a warrior.

My fight has been and continues to be a “good fight.”  You see, there is only one kind of fight that is a good one, and that is when you are fighting someone who is already totally defeated.  And Satan IS defeated.  My Father has guaranteed me rich success in my work as a warrior.  He has fully equipped me with supernatural weapons of warfare.  I have His truth to gird my loins, His breastplate of righteousness, His helmet of salvation, His preparation of the gospel of peace on my feed, His shield of faith to quench every fiery dart of the wicked one, and His sword (the Word of God) with which to wage war against my enemy.  How can I lose when I dress like, fight like, and talk like God, and am in fact, God’s son?  I am a warrior.

And the authority He has granted me is just as supernatural as He is and as far reaching as His reach.  All power has been granted to me in His Name.  Satan’s kingdom and weapons are powerless against me when I stand in faith in His Name.  And my God trusts me to carry out His commands as He patiently waits until His enemies are put under His feet.  I am a warrior.

Manna for Today – Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Acts 16:31; Matthew 28:18-20;             Mark 16:15-20

A Father Believes

A godly father believes with the God kind of faith.

Text for Today – Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Once again I remind you that we are commanded to be “imitators of God as dear children.”  Our God is a God of faith.  He is a believing God.  He and His Word are One.  You cannot separate one from the other.  If God said it, that settles it, but He always operates by faith, for the principles of the operation of faith working by love that He gave to us are the same principles by which He has operated throughout eternity, for He is unchanging.

As a Christian father imitates the manner in which his heavenly Father operates by faith, the earthly father, too, “calls things that be not as though they were” until they become.  Tell me, dad, what do you desire to see in your home?  In your spouse?  In your children?  Are you being moved by past or current circumstances, thus simply saying what you have, or are you operating in the faith of God and calling things that be not as though they were, and thereby coming to the place of having what you say?  I can assure you that the second picture is much preferable to the first.

Dad, you carry an awesome power and authority indeed, as the head of your household.  Furthermore, as a Son of God, joint-heir with Jesus, and living temple of Holy Ghost, that power and authority are both exponentially amplified with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost being your divine Partners in life and fatherhood.  You are not loving your wife and children and fulfilling your husbandly/fatherly duties alone.   Your supernatural Co-Laborers are with you in this work until the end of the age.

From experience of well over three decades of fathering (and now grandfathering), and from knowledge of the human element, I can tell you that none of us earthly fathers are perfect; not even close.  But once again, we can do our job with the supernatural help of and under the lovingly watchful eye of our heavenly Father.  His mercy, compassion, and grace can surely serve to make up what is lacking in each of us so that the fruit of our fatherly endeavors far exceeds and outshines our best efforts.  It’s a matter of faith; faith in God.  God to the Word, dear parent, fill your heart, soul, and mouth with it.  Keep yourself full of His Spirit.  Then lean heavily upon that supernatural faith authored and finished by Him and imparted unto you as to servant with which to please Him.  Now, believe God.

Manna for Today – Mark 11:22-24; Hebrews 11:1-6; John 14:12-14; Psalm 116:10; 2 Corinthians 4:13; Romans 4:16-25; John 1:1-14

A Father Loves

Our God is our greatest pattern of fatherhood.  He IS love.

Text for Today – 1 John 5:3 – For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Only could the love of a God as great as our God produce a son as great as the Son of God Who would make a sacrifice as great as the sacrifice He made to redeem us to Himself and a covenant so eternal as His covenant.  Oh, how He loves you and me.  The Father had a plan to redeem His man.  He would send what was then His only begotten Son to be the complete sacrifice and propitiation for our sins so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Him.  Oh, how He loves you and me.

And now you and I are commanded to be “followers of God as dear children.”  That word “followers” would have been better rendered “imitators.”  Imagine that.  He loves us so much He made the ultimate sacrifice to bring us into the ultimate covenant because He knew His faith by which He wrought that great work was the ultimate faith, and that only such a faith as that could be used by His covenant children to please Him.  It is by faith that we seek to be “imitators (followers) of God as dear children.”  In other words, we are to be imitators of Love.  And the first place such love is to be seen is in the home, and the first place in the home for such love to be demonstrated is in and through the life of the father.

The Scriptures teach us that “God so loved that He gave . . ..”  So, here is a question for my reading fathers.  What are you giving?  I’m sure you are doing all you know to be a good father.  In being a good father, there must be giving.  Take a moment and reflect on my question.  You may even want to make a partial listing of what you give as a father.  Your time (investing yourself-presence into your family), your energy (for work and earning to provide for your family), our knowledge and wisdom (possibly the richest parts of the heritage you can pass on to your family), and so much more.  I’m not speaking of temporal things that money can buy, but those things that are timeless.

Our God is perfect; we are not yet there.  Perhaps the love of a father might be best shown through our commitment to imitate toward our children the love God has shown towards His children.  How has He loved you?  He forgives, He heals, He delivers, He provides, He protects, and that not of necessity, but from His very character.  Model His character, trusting Him.

Manna for Today – 1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16; John 14:15-17; John 3:16-17; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 13:13

Avoiding the Falls

There is falling, and then there is FALLING. . .

Text for Today – 2 Peter 1:10 – Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

If you are a parent, one of the memories that often lingers for a lifetime are your child’s first steps.  But before that first step, and between many of the steps that follow, falling is a natural part of the process of learning to walk.  In fact, the very act of walking is a constantly repeated process of falling, but using the feet and legs in a timely manner to prevent one from falling completely down.  The fact of the matter is this; you would find it impossible to walk if you did not fall forward.  Don’t believe me?  Stand up, lean forward as you do in the natural process of walking, but instead of putting a foot forward as a prop to catch yourself, keep your feet locked firmly together.  What will happen?  You will fall on your face. 

Ah but the process I am describing will NOT result in falling as long as one foot always precedes the other in progression.  Remember, the STEPS of a good man or ordered by the Lord.  As long as one’s steps are ordered, falling will not occur, but a movement forward in an intended direction.  And that is precisely what the Lord desires for your life.  It is when we do NOT proceed with ordered steps that we fall.  It is when we violate the directions (the Word) of the Lord that our steps become tangled and unsure, and we fall.  As I write this I am reminded of an old gospel tune that said, “hold to God’s unchanging hand.”  Even the baby just taking his first steps will not fall if he is holding to the hands of his mother or father.  It’s when he is released to try it on his own that falls come. 

So, if falling is a natural part of learning, how can we avoid falling?  I’m glad you asked.  We avoid falling by not living or dying to ourselves, but walking in the light of what Paul the Apostle wrote when he penned the words, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.  Yet not I; it is Christ which lives in me.  And the life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  Oh, what a wonderfully comforting truth upon which to meditate, on which to stand, and in which to walk.  Walk there knowing that your steps are ordered by the Lord, that you walk being yoked together with Jesus as co-laborers in His vineyard.  Live there as a people raised up, called out, and sent forth to the end that the body of Christ be built up, edified, enlarged, and made to overcome in this life.  Walk there, my friend, and walk safely, avoiding the falls.

Manna for Today – 2 Peter 1:1-11; Psalm 56:13; Psalm 116:8-9; Jude 24; Psalm 37:23; Proverbs 24:16; Galatians 2:20

As Christ

Let us learn from one another, but be sure of your example.

Text for Today – Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church . . .

At this writing I have just celebrated my 52nd wedding anniversary.  On Saturday, June 5th, 1971, Sharon and I were married.  While our private lives are our private lives, I have found it often helps other people to realize our humanity.  We have had disagreements, but they have always been settled.  We have had differences of opinion, but we have determined that opinions do not offer grounds for disagreement or argument.  Everyone is entitled to the opinion of their own choosing, but in the final analysis, only one opinion really counts, and that is God’s.  So, where opinions are concerned, we have learned to rest them in the Lord’s hands.  In 52-years, the Lord has blessed us, enriched our lives, and honored us to serve Him in ministry in some capacity for almost our entire marriage.  For that I am eternally grateful. 

I encourage you to read our Manna for Today with a fresh insight as it becomes marriage, and with the understanding that I am writing as a husband.  Colossians commands the husband to “be not bitter” towards his wife.  Sadly, it is easier for a man to become bitter toward his wife than it is for him to become bitter towards people outside his family.  Remember, sir, you chose her as Christ chose you.  Christ courted you and you should have her.  Christ won your heart as you should have hers.  And regardless of your human flaws, failures, shortcomings, and even sins, Christ loves you and lives to make intercession for you, as you should your bride.  And take a close look at the passage referenced in 1 Peter 3.  The entirety of the first nine verses is written to husbands and wives.  We are to love one another as brethren.  This command adds even more impetus to what I have already written.

I have learned in my lifetime that the more I learn and realize about how Jesus loves me, demonstrates, manifests, and expresses that love, the more I am aware of how to love my fellow brethren, and especially my wife.  So, I challenge my brethren; if you will love your wife well, know how Christ loves you and imitate it.  Christ is, after all, the husband’s pattern for loving his wife.  And I likewise challenge my sisters; study and learn how the church should submit to Christ, and imitate that towards your husband, for the church should be the pattern of Biblical submission.  The husband certainly has a better pattern.  All he needs to do is follow it.

Manna for Today – Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:1-9