Father's Day - - Did You Forget to Honor Your Father?

This past Sunday, I overheard a dad teasing his family that they had forgotten Father’s Day. This particular man was successful in convincing his children that last Sunday was the recognized day to honor their Dad. Only later did they realize that it was a “false alarm,” and that they had one more week to prepare for Dad’s special day. You have to admit this was an interesting ploy to help make sure that the family had an advanced one week notice that Father’s Day was quickly approaching. I might have to try that strategy next year!

Well, this coming Sunday, June 20th is Father’s Day! Hopefully, you have remembered to buy a card and/or present for that special Dad in your life. And at the same time, it is important for us to not wait until a date on the calendar to honor the special people in our lives.

As we consider the significance of Father’s Day and the importance of honoring the special people in our lives throughout the years. Let’s remember to honor our Father in Heaven every day of our lives, every decision of our week, and in every activity that we participate.

The Bible describes God as a loving and compassionate Father who cares deeply about His creation. Listen to this description of God from the Bible and see if you don’t agree with me that He is worthy of our admiration and respect!

The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! (Psalm 103:13-18 NLT)

Seeking a God who Wants to be Found

The Bible describes repeatedly the pattern of one generation of people turning their backs on God and subsequently facing hardship in their lives. Often in the midst of these life challenges, they recognize their need for God, and begin to seek Him!

It appears to me that God wants to be found, because He quickly responds by pouring blessings in the lives of the seekers. An example of this is recorded in the historical record of King Asa in the Old Testament. The Biblical record states, "For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him." 2 Chronicles 15:3-4 NLT.

Question from Bill Hybel's book Holy Discontent: What Is It You Can't Stand?

What is it about this broken world that touches your heart and what will be that “One Thing” that lead you into action and cause you to answer God’s call in your life to make a difference?!! Here is my fear … my fear is that some of us are too content with life and our situation in life and we don’t allow our hearts and minds to feel the pain of others and to experience a Holy Discontent that will lead us into action. I have heard it said that Biblical Preaching will actually …
“Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable.”

My fear is that far too often that I have comforted the comfortable and my fear is that for far too many people in Southwest Ohio we have become so comfortable that we don’t hear the cries of those who are hurting and we don’t hear the call of God in our lives!!!

So … what is it that you can’t stand? And … What is going to be your corresponding “One Thing” that will become your focus for ministry? And how will God shape that “One Thing” into a Vision that you can make a real difference in this fallen world!!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been asking people … What is it that you can’t stand? I have been asking myself that question and I have been praying that God will lay on my heart a singular focus that can not only be a rallying cry for the last 1/3 of my life … but become a rallying cry for the entire church! Here is what I have come up with so far …

I am troubled by how many people have not yet really experienced a personal relationship with Christ. My fear is that for some they don’t think that Jesus’ teachings will work in their lives or for many that they are simply content with being religious or attending church. It appears to me that Jesus didn’t call us to simply gather a crowd of church attendees, but that instead he calls us to share the life and love of Jesus in such a way that peoples’ hearts are wrecked by the love of Christ and that they fall deeply in love with Jesus! I think that if people fall in love with Jesus they will read his Word, follow his teachings, will seek out other followers to experience community, will give of their resources and talents, and will live their lives in such a way that will honor God and point others to Him and His Love!! So my one thing will be to help people experience a personal authentic relationship with Jesus!!

Advice for Graduates

This past Sunday, our church honored a number of high school and college graduates. It was an encouraging worship gathering as we honored our graduates and encouraged them to look “forward to what lies ahead” with faith and hope!

Since a couple of the graduates honored are from my family, I have continued to reflect on the significance of this important milestone of graduation. In this reflection, I came across a Bible passage that seems especially appropriate to share with graduates of all ages, but especially young people. My hope is that you will be inspired by this timeless advice as well!

Here are the inspired words of King Solomon from the book of Ecclesiastes as he searched for the meaning of life: "Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. … Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” … Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. … But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.
That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:1, 6, 12-14 NLT).

Declared Right with God

The Apostle Paul describes this personal relationship with Jesus Christ as an undeserved gift which resulted in him being declared righteous. And experiencing a declared righteousness!

Paul wrote, I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:9 NLT

Another way of defining the word “righteousness” is "to be made right with God." If a person is righteous then that person is in a right relationship with God, which means that they will spend eternity with God in heaven after death. For Paul, the first part of his life he wore himself out trying to do enough good things to try to earn his way into a relationship with God and hope of heaven, but he like so many of us learned that trying to be good enough to earn salvation is a futile effort.

But in a relationship with Jesus Christ, Paul learned that the believer is declared right with God not because of our righteous acts, but because God makes us right with Him through Christ. Paul learned that the difference between a life of religion and a relationship is the difference between the words … DO and DONE! The Christian is declared right with God not based on what he or she tries to “DO,” but based on what Jesus Christ has “DONE” for each and every one of us!

Seeking God Today!

It is human nature to procrastinate. It is especially easy to put off that which is more difficult.

The most important pursuit in life is developing and deepening a relationship with God. And yet so many of us put off the important because we are chasing the urgent.

A thousand years ago a wise king named Solomon wrote, "Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring." (Proverbs 27:1 NLT) Make sure you set aside some time today to marvel at the beauty of God's creation, pray to the LORD of the universe, read the timeless Word of God which is recorded in the Bible, and share His love with those near and dear to you!

Great Advice ... Great Investment!

One of the most practical and helpful books in the Bible is the book of Proverbs written by King Solomon. Solomon described his purpose in writing the book as follows: “Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair” (Proverbs 1:2-3 NLT).

Now … that statement of purpose describes a book that every person on earth should read!! In fact if you read one chapter of Proverbs each day, you can read the entire book each month of the year. (There are actually 31 chapters, so the reader will need to read a little extra 5 months of the year.) And yet that simple investment of time which is less than 5 minutes a day will make a huge difference in the quality of life that you will live!

Are you willing to invest 5 minutes a day to gain insights into how to live a disciplined and successful life?