A simple question asked of men seeking access through ancient gates to the safe haven of castle grounds. After this past week, it seems to be a question that percolates subconsciously about every person I walk by. This is understandable but it is also very much an over-reaction. The ENEMY is always going to be around. My over-reaction not only feeds his desire for more disruption, it inhibits the effectiveness of order and good that exists. This past week the Boston police along with the people of Boston and other state and federal agencies used the order and good prevalent in America to take care of the enemy. Clear discernment between friend and foe resulted from level headed response and rational action.
The Word on ENEMY is:"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves asked, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles and burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."' - Matthew 13:24-30.
The enemy is real. Over-reaction to his presence can cause a lot of collateral damage. Just as the weed among the wheat, the enemy will show who he is. He will be recognized, maybe even profiled, gathered, bound and burned in time. In the meantime, we are to stay alert, discern well and act rationally with confidence we are barn bound.
Big Idea
A faithful father stands firm with the full armor of God on & discerns well to keep the enemy at bay.
Prayer guide: Lord, the enemy shows up in all sizes and shapes. We have now experienced a glimpse of what some parts of the world see almost on a daily basis. We pray for the families dealing with death and injury this week, may they feel Your comfort and peace. The enemy will always work to stir up fear through physical, emotional and spiritual attacks. But he only has as much power as we grant him. Strengthen us in the name of Jesus the Christ, one man, one family and one church at a time to stand firm with the full armor of You on, to discern well and keep the enemy at bay. Amen.
Or have you been busy? BUSY-ness tends to blur the blessings by keeping our focus on the next deal, the next promotion or on that elusive quest for financial security. We can get so tuned into the journey of self-improvement, self-promotion and self-motivation that it just seems natural to take the next step to self-glorification.
As Christian men we are called to be God-glorifiers. The man that counts his blessings of relationship with the Lord and with his wife glorifies God as he enjoys his marriage and family. The man that counts his blessings of godly men the Lord has surrounded him with enjoys His presence in friendships and ministry. Even when blessings come well-disguised with the loss of a loved one or a health challenge, it is important to remember that God is at work in all things for those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and to walk in that confidence.
The Word on BLESSINGS is:"You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; ... You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. ... By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; it has consumed you," - Ezekiel 28:12-13,15 & 18
Taking blessings for granted is essentially self-glorification. Just as Adam thought he could have it a bit better, to be like God, a spirit of discontentment percolates to convince that there is never enough of whatever we're striving for, be it financial security, power over a situation or the perfect relationship. We are called to be God-glorifiers, praising Him for all the blessings we enjoy and reflecting a countenance that points to Him.
Big Idea
A faithful father counts his blessings daily and reflects the Father more each day.
Prayer guide: Lord, forgive me for getting caught up in myself. I have taken blessings for granted and called them accomplishments. I have justified my will as Your will and proceeded in my own strength. Thank You for meeting me where I was. Thank You for providing clarity around the blessings You have granted me in relationship with You, in marriage and in family. And thank You for the power granted through the Holy Spirit that helps me navigate through busy-ness in the world. By Your grace I can enjoy Your presence, feel Your pleasure and reflect You more each day. Amen.
In his book, Come On People, Bill Cosby with co-author Alvin F. Poussaint, emphasizes the importance of family and community as keys for strengthening America. The vision cast is a simple one, that restoration of core family values, a mom and a dad accepting responsibility for raising their children, can help a generation transition from being victims to victors. When the two authors visited several major inner cities to share this vision, the reception was not always warm. There was little political correctness from these veterans of life and in some circles their vision was criticized as an oversimplified response to today's complex problems.
My first exposure to Bill Cosby was in the 1960's with a comic routine he called "Noah!" In Noah's workshop God spoke to him saying, "Noah! I want you to build an ark 300 cubits by 50 cubits by 30 cubits." Noah responded, "Right! ... What's a cubit?" The conversation did not go well and soon you began to hear the rain starting. It was a classic. I find it ironic that some forty years later Mr. Cosby takes what is on his heart to several inner cities and says, "Come On People, family is important!" The response seems to be, "Right! ... What's a family?"
One thing I feel Mr. Cosby has taken very seriously over his career, particularly with the hit sitcom, The Cosby Show, is the importance of family and the need for positive role models.
The Word on FAMILY is:They have treated father and mother lightly within you. The alien they have oppressed in your midst; the fatherless and the widow they have wronged in you.- Ezekiel 22:7.
At the top of the list of detestable practices in Jerusalem was "treating father and mother lightly," or with contempt. It is contrary to God's plan - He set the standard in Genesis 2:24, "...a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh;" He gave the reason in Malachi 2:15, "...And why one?Because He was seeking godly offspring;" and He perpetuated that order with the fifth commandment, Exodus 20:12, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." The family - husband & wife, father & mother with children, was not to be treated lightly in Jerusalem nor is it to be in society today. God is serious about family.
Prayer guide: Lord, I thank You for the blessing of family. It is an awesome responsibility to be Your representative in the home. Forgive me for selfishness that sometimes abdicates that responsibility to others. My wife and I take the roles of father and mother very seriously and pray for You to strengthen us in our daily example of right relationship with You lived in marriage. Help us prove to be honorable in raising the next generation by Your grace and for Your glory. Amen.
A faithful father prioritizes family and is engaged with Mom in raising a godly generation.
There is a lot of reconnecting going on these days via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and email. The kind of reconnecting I enjoy in this ministry is seeing a dad meet with his son after a rift in their relationship resulted in several years of silence, and watching a dad work to engage emotionally with his daughter as their relationship started to drift during her teen years. Technology almost encourages taking relational connections for granted. My challenge to dads is to dedicate some time with the Lord via knee-mail and follow His lead to create opportunities for reconnecting with a loved one.
The Word on RECONNECTING is:"Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"- John 20:17.
On that first Easter morning Jesus reconnected what had suffered disconnect in the Garden of Eden - relationship with our Father. This reality was a game changer in my life. My heavenly Father helped me accept my earthly father for doing the best he could with the cards life dealt him, including service in WWII, and embrace His word as the history to reference for decisions and relationships in front of me. The Lord enabled me to move beyond a focus on overcoming my father's example to focusing on His example.
Prayer guide: Lord, thank You for the second Adam, Jesus the Christ that completed the work You sent Him to do, to reconnect us with You. Your unconditional love for us is a powerful example to follow as a father. Help me love as You love and create opportunities to reconnect when life happens and causes some degree of disconnect in relationships dear to You. Continue to be with me and flow through me as the man, husband and father You call me to be. Amen.
A faithful father reconnects daily with the Father through time in prayer, scripture, worship and study.
How do you define MANHOOD?
Brad Paisley provides an image of the confusion around manhood with humor in his hit song, "I'm Still a Guy". He laments about how many men are getting their hair cut and even their nails done at a beauty salon. He sings that some have so much lotion on their hands they can't grip a tackle box. In the last verse the lyrics go, "I don't highlight my hair, and I still have a pair. Yeah, I'm still a guy!"
Healthy, disciplined masculinity will eliminate confusion around manhood today and we won't see - half of the babies born to women under 25 happening out of wedlock, marriages failing half the time and 40% of kids are growing up without a dad to come home to. This unfortunately reflects the state of manhood today and society is crying out for men that are "still a guy" to step up as examples in the home, church and community.
MANHOOD is defined in Genesis. God gave Adam a work to do, a will to obey and a woman to love in the Garden of Eden. The fall, Adam's passivity (Genesis 3:6) continues to impact us today. Thank God for the last Adam, (1Cor.15:45) Jesus the Christ who completed the work of His Father. He is our Savior and Lord, the One to embrace and emulate as a man's man. Doing so honors our Father. Failure to do so leads another generation into passivity.
The Word on MANHOOD is:"I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one." - Ezekiel 22:30.
What a sad state of affairs! Not a man to be found that would step up to do what needed to be done at the wall and take a stand with the Lord. God expects men to step up, to be disciplined in this world, to stand in the gap before Him and to teach young men about Biblical manhood. The cycle of passivity must be broken.
Prayer guide: Lord, confusion around manhood today is at the core of many societal woes. Your word makes it obvious this is not a new problem and offers the solution in Jesus the Christ. Thank You for the example of Jesus as a man's man - a man that completed the work you sent Him here to do, obeyed Your word all the way to the point of death on a cross and loved the woman You gave Him, the Church. Help me follow His example - to be a man that will build up the wall and stand in the gap before You, the man my family, church and community needs. Amen.
A faithful father rejects passivity and is ready to stand in the gap for the sake of the next generation.
We are moving forward with February as our official "Pray down pornography" month. Please join us in praying for those involved in the industry, the media through which the images are broadcast and the men and women addicted to what is projected.
Did you know that Americans now spend more money at strip clubs than at Broadway, off-Broadway, regional and nonprofit theaters; at the opera, the ballet, and jazz and classical music performances combined!? Every second nearly $3100 is being spent on pornography. Furthermore, it is estimated that between five and seven out of ten Christian men report struggling with pornography. We have enabled this industry to play a major role in compromising our culture, our finances and our concept of real relationship! We each need to step up in truth and do what is right. Doing right involves turning from pornography; engaging battle buddies that will hold each other accountable; and committing to love our wives as Christ loves the Church. The truth is that real relationship is not referenced to fantasy. It is grounded in Jesus the Christ.
The Word on BELT is:Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. - Ephesians 6:14.
The belt holds everything in its proper place and the breastplate guards the heart from anything that tempts or distracts. A man is to stand firm with the belt of truth cinched tight and do what is right. That is the BELT our kids need to see.
Prayer guide: Lord, thank You for Your word. Thank You for meeting me where I am in the midst of the temptations and distractions that abound in this world. Guide me in truth that I may stay clean of the influence of pornography. Strengthen me in righteousness with a heart turned to You and to Your presence in my marriage. Surround me with battle buddies that will hold me accountable on this journey of becoming the man, husband and father You call me to be. Amen.
A faithful father stands firm with the belt of truth on and does what is right.
My son recently rebuilt the carburetor on "Laz" (the name given his '57 F-250). Over the last few years some old gas had gummed up the jets and the truck was running pretty rough. With some time spent cleaning and rebuilding, Laz was renewed, running much better.
Spiritually I have felt a lot like Laz - gummed up by some worldly experiences and bad theology from my past. I was running pretty rough, missing on a few cylinders. I praise the Lord for His word and His love in my life - it has involved some cleaning and rebuilding but He is renewing my mind through prayer, scripture worship and study. The transformation taking place is not changing who I am but rather it is making me keenly aware of Whose I am where He has me. I am not perfect but I am running much better.
The Lord is working through the daily practice of prayer, scripture, worship and study to RENEW my mind. That is what our kids need to see - that we are RENEWING our mind by His grace through His word.
The Word on RENEWING is:Do not conform to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ... - Romans 12:2.
The patterns of this world work to conform us to BUSY-ness - busy at work, busy with the kids, busy with social activities, busy with church work, busy volunteering, etc... BUSY stands for Being Under Satan's Yoke. Paul's admonition is for us to turn from those patterns and be transformed under the influence of the Holy Spirit by renewing our mind with the Word of God.
Prayer guide: Lord, help me embrace the transformation You seek. Not to be someone I am not but to be all You call me to be. Renew my mind daily through prayer, scripture, worship and study that I may be renewed and run efficiently for the Kingdom. Amen
A faithful father is being transformed by the renewing of his mind.
In my favorite burger joint there was a sign behind the cash register that read, "IN GOD WE TRUST, all others have to pay." Now that owner knew Who to trust!
Who or what do you put your trust in? I spent too many years putting my trust in the illusive financial security I sought for my family. When asked, "How much is enough?" I would respond, "A little bit more!" The high-risk funds imploded and I realized I needed to trust One much more solid than my concept of financial security to provide grounding for my family.
We tend to trust a lot of stuff - the paychecks will get deposited, the other guys will stay in their lanes on the freeway and that the doctor's opinion is accurate. There are a number of modern-day idols we trust and seek comfort in. What do our kids see when the paycheck gets disrupted, someone cuts us off on the freeway or when the diagnosis is not good news? Does frustration, even anger percolate? The Lord is teaching me that as I trust in Him, His joy and peace will be reflected. I am blessed with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what our kids need to see, and catch - Who we TRUST.
The Word on TRUST is:May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13.
Paul is encouraging the early Church to move beyond the idols of their day, to trust fully in the Father through His Son Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The timelessness of God's word encourages us to move beyond the idols of today.
Prayer guide: Lord, most days I trust in You but some days I am the guy I trust in. Forgive my weak faith. Strengthen me through time in prayer, scripture, fasting and study to trust You all my days. I pray my family sees and catches the joy and peace that is You in my life, the grounding in eternal hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
A faithful father experiences and reflects all joy and peace as he trusts the Father.
