This is a copy of the weekly e-votional I write for our church. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox by either e-mailing me, or by going to the FBC Grapevine web site and putting your email address in the box on the right side of the main page.
This Sunday, America honors dads with Father's Day.
Two interesting anecdotes stand out:
Being a dad is biologically simple, financially obligating, relationally developing, and spiritually fulfilling. A good man can be a great dad if he desires and determines to be a God-made man.
There is an eternity of difference between a self-made man and a God-made man. While both have the capacity to be good dads, both will lead their families in a way that honors the the one who made him. To what good purpose is it for a man to give his family all the comforts of the world, but to
neglect his chief responsibilities as a father?
If you fail to put God first, you may as well put Him last. How you relate to God not only affects how you parent and what you teach your children about God, but it also teaches your children a life-long lesson about you. While hell is the eternal testimony of the self-made man, heaven is the eternal promise of those whose confidence rests entirely in God.
Being a man of God doesn't happen by accident, coincidence, or happenstance. It requires discipline, diligence, and determination. You live in a world that daily assaults you with messages of indulgence, selfishness, competition, and pride. A self-made man buys into the lies and becomes
motivated by the wrong stimuli. A God-made man filters through the clamor and listens for the voice of the One who made him.
What does God say to the man straining to hear his heavenly Father's voice?
A God-made man not only listens for his Maker's voice, but he also relies on God's provision. When the patriarch Abram was 75 years old, God promised to give him children. After 11 years of waiting, Abraham gave up on God and tried to build his own legacy. God waited an additional 14 years to give Abraham the son who would be the fulfillment of His promise.
God knew that it would take 25 years to make Abraham into the man of God capable of being the Patriarch to His chosen people. For more than 4,000 years, the world has been wrestling with the consequences of Abraham's impatience and lack of trust in God. It is impossible to predict the consequences of trying to forge your own destiny. If God has promised it, He will fulfill it. Wait
on Him, and prepare to be amazed.
Men of God gladly accept the responsibility of investing their faith in others. Remember that your family is first a mission field, and later a discipling opportunity. Seek out and capitalize upon teachable moments. Conscientiously engage your family in spiritual conversations. Share what you learn about God with those you love, and seek to learn what they have discovered. Long ago, Joshua received the mantle of spiritual authority from Moses and in turn declared, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
You, too, can lead with the same humble dedication and commitment to honor the Lord through faithful service as a God-made man, husband, and father.
Men, may God bless you this Father's day. May He speak to you and lead you to a closer walk of faith that brings Him glory. May your families be blessed according to the measure of your fidelity to the God who made you and redeemed you through His Son, Jesus, who is the Christ.
June 17, 2006 9:41 AM