In the Father’s Hands

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“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” – Acts 7:55

Where a man belongs is up early and alone with God seeking vision and direction for his family.
—John Piper
  
 

 The crowd was thick and the people were not moving. There was a commotion in the streets as the horses drew near to the scene. I saw a women pushing her way to the front of the crowd and then I heard screaming. Being the youngest in our family I was small enough to move through the adults that were standing around. I became separated from my father's hand, but my curiosity drove me to press forward. As I came upon an opening, I caught a glimpse of the scene. The woman was kneeling in the middle of this crowd, holding a teenage boy to her chest. There were four policemen standing behind her, next to their horses. People were talking and giving different stories of what had happened when a hush fell over the crowd.

  Then the crowd began to part. A large towering man was walking toward the scene and I heard one of the policeman say to another, "Who's that?" His partner responded, "It's the dad". As the man came upon the woman and boy, he did not say a word. He knealt down, tears upone his face, put one hand under the boys knees and the other under his shoulders. Standing up again, he turned and began walking away. The boy's voice was quiet but audible non the less, "I knew you would come Daddy. It hurts so bad." The father's voice cracked as he looked into the blood stained face of his son, "I've got you now, it's going to be okay."

  As they walked away, a policeman grabbed his arm. "Sir, you can't take him. We have to fill out the reports, please - just wait for the ambulance" A stern look from a furrowed brow answered the officer without any words being used. With that the man turned with his son in his arms and walked back up the hill to the hospital entrance, where he demanded that his son be treated, regardless of his color. You see in 1956 a person of color couldn't just walk into a hospital and receive treatment. Regardless of the intent of the policemen to place blame on the boy or on the boy's who had drug him behind their truck; this father was going to ensure his son was taken care of.

  As father's we are chartered with the job of leading our families in a way that demonstrates the love of God in a way that clearly establishes a foundation that will last. We look to our fathers for loving discipline to teach us right from wrong; for ethical guidance to carry on a legacy from generation to generation; for leadership in decision making to frame our independence and for strength to make it through the struggles we will face in life. A father brings vision to a family and when led by God's wisdom and courage will ensure that his children experience the love, peace and enduring grace of the Savior.


 

 

 

© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

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When God Ran

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"So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." - Luke 15:20

  The story of the prodigal son is familiar to most.  We associate the compassion of the Father in the parable to the compassion of the Lord our God, and therefore the son becomes representative of you and I.  Dirty, smelly and filled with shame we have struggled and failed time and time again only to return to God, the Father seeking His acceptance.  Flip the pages back though and look at the beginning of the story.  We find the young, arrogant, self-righteous son demanding his portion and freedom from his father’s control.  His father honor’s the request and watches, I’m sure with tear filled eyes, as his son walks away into a world of hardship and pain.  The son chooses to leave the loving comfort that the father was providing.  The safety, the warmth and security of his father’s care discarded and deemed unworthy to this young man. 

We can picture a young man tired of being under his father’s thumb, abiding by his father’s rules, and having to tend to his father’s work.  I’m sure you can relate to his philosophy of desired independence and breaking away to prove to his father and the world that he can do it better on his own, alone, despite their warnings.  Do you think the son was crying as he walked away from his father that day or joyful?  This young man, ready to take on the world, walks away, proud and strong-minded.  He lives it up, wallowing in the lusts of the flesh and mind, and rolling in the mire of unrighteousness, only to find it painful and empty in the end.   Soon he finds himself struggling with the life he so much desired to have. Desperation sets in and we find the son longing to be in the presence of his father once again.

Can you relate to this story?  I can.  I find it representative of society in the 21st century.  We see many youth falling into this mode of longing for something different than what their parents can provide.  Longing for that independence and self-indulgence, to prove that they can make it on their own.  Living out the desires of their flesh, without concern for the impact on others or themselves for that matter.  How long will it take for society and the worldly values to overtake the ingrained values from their family structure?  At what point will we find today’s youth turning back to God, recognizing the error of their ways and seeking acceptance by the One they have intentionally denied?  We have found that so many of them are lost today.  They are led by the enemy to believe that they are unworthy of God’s forgiveness and beyond His acceptance into heaven.  From this perspective, we find them refusing to accept His existence.  By refusing God’s existence, they can continue in their sinful life without any fear of condemnation.

The good news is that God’s compassion, grace and mercy are sufficient for any sin, lust or addiction they can compile.  Regardless of the depths of their destructive nature and lust filled ambitions, the God of the Universe offers up a forgiving grace that is sufficient for their redemption.  His only requirement is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  Returning to an acknowledgment of God’s presence and authority over life, just as the Prodigal Son did.  In doing so, these individuals will find God’s arms strong, loving and open to embrace them where they are.  This is not a situation where they need to clean themselves up first and then come to the Lord.  No, for you see they could never clean themselves sufficiently enough to stand in His presence.  His love is beyond the surface, beyond the sin and filth that make up our lives.  He loves us for who we truly are inside – His child; and when we return to Him, a celebration will take place in heaven.

Our role is to ensure that this youthful generation knows that they are not lost in God’s eyes.  As they seek for that religion of “acceptance” it is critically important that they fully understand God’s love for them and His limitless grace.  They need to know that there is nothing they can do to make themselves presentable, yet even in their state, God will accept them.  Be conscious of those in your circle of influence and reach out to them where they are.  Share the good news of grace and of mercy with them, so that they are aware of God’s love for them.  You can’t save them, only God can; but you can help them see.  Be blessed.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father,

  You have given us your amazing grace, that no-one, not one shall fall short of your love.  Help us to be busy about sharing your grace with others and encouraging them wherever they are that your love is real.  Remove condemnation from our mind and heart as we reach out to the world with compassion upon our lips.  Compassion for those in sinful lives, those who are in the mire of the world’s values and living in the lie of the great deceiver, who has told them they are unforgivable.  Give us your tear filled eyes, that we might see them as the Father accepting his lost son home again.  For it is through Your Son – Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

Don't Forget the Creed

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

The wall was higher than he had originally remembered.  Generally when obstacles were in his way he was able to take them down without so much as breaking a sweat or straining his mental capacity.  Since his childhood he had relied solely on his brawn and his strength to overcome setbacks in life and the challenges that were constantly placed before him.  As he paced along the corridor his mind wandered to the moment when he last saw his child.  Years had passed, mistakes had been made and he was no longer the man that held her in his arms on the day of her birth.  There was a time in his life when she would run across the green grass of the front yard and leap into his strong arms as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and held him for all she was worth.  He would kneel down to her level and look her square in the eye and with the fullest sincerity told her, “I’ll always love you.”

How could he then have fallen so far from that day.  How could he have allowed his selfishness, his pride and arrogance to get in the way of loving his own child.  His wife had long ago given up on him and written him off, but not her, not his only child.  For some reason she had continued to write to him and stand by him, though he didn’t deserve it.  Despite her attempts to reach him, he could not wipe his memory of the awful things he said to her on that day he walked out the door.  His hand moves along the cold stone wall as he searches for the right words, the right manner by which to move on in this life.

The light at the end of the corridor causes his heart to quicken, and his breath to come in gasps.  She would now be in her mid 20’s and based on her last message, was married with a young girl of her own.  Standing at the door, his hand on the smooth surface of the 2 inches of metal that separated him from the rest of his life, his feet froze.  Once that door opened, he would have to face the reality of everything he had spent the last 20 years of his life avoiding.  His eyes were blinded by the brightness of the sun shining through the crack as the door opened, and the warm humidity of the summer day washed over him.  Stepping onto the dirt and stone driveway, his eyes adjusted to the invasion of sunlight.  He saw her figure silhouetted against the horizon and lifted his hand to block the sun.  As he did, he saw the young girl running towards him and leaping.  He reached out and caught her in his arms, kneeling down upon the stone drive, he heard these words, “I’ve always loved you Grandpa.”

Men, you own your legacy, you own the responsibility of raising your children to love God and love others as God has loved you.  Teach them that love is not conditional and that we are all broken in one way or another, but if we love through the pain, God will restore our brokenness.  It is not expected that you will be the perfect father or the perfect husband or the perfect Christian; but you have to take ownership of serving them with everything you have.  They will become what you demonstrate to them, just as you should become what Christ demonstrated to you.  Put aside your shame, your pride, your arrogance and selfishness.  Press back the desires to run and hide from the responsibility that has been laid upon your shoulders.  Alcohol, drugs, lust, greed, sex and other addictions will only cloud your judgment and your ability to love your wife and children according to the principals of our Savior.

Guard your family with everything you have, for the enemy is outside of your doors and windows trying desperately to break up the love that God has placed inside of you.  Take back what the world has taken, seek their forgiveness and pursue their love and their heart with every breath you have left.  This is your family and you need to be willing to give them nothing short of your life if that’s what it takes.  Jesus Christ died so that you might have life, you must learn to die to yourself to ensure that your family likewise has life.


PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
We are all sinners and none worthy of your love, yet you have given it freely to all who seek it.  I pray for the men today, that they might be convicted by Your Holy Spirit to stand up for what is good and right in following you.  I pray that they might find the strength to overcome the world’s desires that fill their mind and heart, and press on to pursue Your presence in everything they do.  Lord, forgive these men for their past and give them a vision to their future that is filled with Your love and purpose in their life. I pray these things in the name of Your Son – Jesus Christ.  Amen

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com