A FATHER'S PLACE

“A man finds joy in giving an apt reply and how good is a timely word!”

Proverbs 15:23

Sitting in a restaurant recently, I watched a little girl climb up to her father’s lap, snuggle deeply into his arms and say warmly, “This is my safe place!”

Fathers, YOU are the “safe place” for your children. Without exception, you are their protector and provider. That’s all children really need from you. They just want to be in the same place as you, with you, and have you totally be with them.

It’s simple. They desperately, urgently need your time with the TV, cell phone, and computer all off. Your children need a safe place where you can ask them the important questions . . . and where they can answer them safely. “How are you and the Lord getting along?” “How can we pray today?” “What’s worrying you the most?” “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today?” “What’s the best thing you learned?”

They need the safe place you give them so they can cry or laugh, be silly or silent, challenge or cherish, and have it all be okay. They just need a time to relax and sink into your arms and your heart with no distractions or agendas. Then they will always know that they can come to you, pray with you, and if you have truly opened the door to them, come to you for help.

Your children need a place where their opinions and perspectives are respected, and where God always has the last Word. They need a leader in their life who is a gentleman not a general. Being a father is far more than being a disciplinarian. Keep in mind that knowing the Lord is on your side means it’s okay to be gracious, assured, relaxed . . . even human.

Your children need a family shepherd. You don’t need to show them absolute and infallible authority. Just live your life with a powerful thirst for God and they will be thirsty for Him all the days of their lives.

Here are some wonderful words of wisdom to consider:

The Lord needs Fathers who:

·       Are committed to their children.

·       Know their children.

·       Are consistent in their attitudes and behavior.

·       Protect and provide for their children.

·       Love their children’s mother.

·       Actively listen to their children.

·       Spiritually equip their children.

The Lord needs Fathers who teach:

• Kindness by being thoughtful and gracious.
• Patience by being gentle and understanding.
• Honesty by keeping his promises to his family no matter what.
• Courage by living fearlessly with faith, in all circumstances.
• Justice by being fair and dealing equally with everyone.
• Obedience to God’s Word.
• Love for God and His Church. 

Father's Day prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for entrusting these children to me. Help me to be the father you need me to be in every situation. Give me the strength and patience to truly be available for my children whenever they need me. Provide me with the wisdom and the words that they will need in the coming years. Allow me to love them with Your heart, hold them with Your Hands, guide them with Your Word and see them through Your Eyes. Amen.

GET ANGRY

Be angry but do not sin.

Ephesians 4:26 (NRSV)

There is no doubt about it, Jesus was angry when he drove the moneychangers out of the temple. In His rage He tore through the place because they had taken a place of worship and turned it into a "den of robbers." This was His Father’s house and these greedy merchants were using it for unrighteous profit and gain!

But, what is behind this story? Why were they in the Temple in the first place? Moneychangers were supposed to be an answer to a problem raised by Roman coinage which had the image of Caesar on them. Because the Roman Emperor’s face was on all the coins, they were unacceptable for Jewish Temple ceremonies. All the people visiting the Temple had to exchange their Roman coins for coins that were acceptable.

If you have traveled to other countries then you have had the pleasure of trading American Dollars for the local currency. Whether it was at a bank, the airport, or the hotel lobby, this is a very profitable enterprise for the moneychangers.

The moneychangers Jesus confronted, however, had brought their little shops right into the Temple itself. In constant competition with other moneychangers, their priority was to take advantage of worshippers coming to the Temple. What made the situation even worse and what incensed Jesus even more was that they were also selling sacrificial animals within the Temple walls. Considering only their profit and the money they could make from weary travelers, they had no concern for the fact that these animals could violate the sanctuary. The most sacred place of worship had become a commercialized circus.

How dare they? This was his Father's house! He shocked them all by turning over their tables, scattering all the precious coins across the pavement. With a whip he forced the traders out of the temple and released the sacrificial animals they were selling into the courtyard away from the Holy ground. When things calmed down and the Temple was cleansed, you can be certain the people there wondered what had come over Jesus. Yet, no one protested. They all knew Jesus was right.

The anger Jesus experienced was the kind of righteous anger that boils through our veins when we witness a clear and unmistakable injustice. Christ's example tells us there are times when a Christian ought to get upset about the injustices of our world. And there are certainly no shortage of injustices. While we are certainly not to use our anger as an excuse to sin, to offend those we love, or to force our will on others, our Lord does want us to express and use our passionate, righteous anger to cleanse the world of those things He finds offensive. Which of God’s battles will you take up and fight for today?

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord, infuse me with a sense of passion for changing the injustices of this world. Give me the vision to see what offends you and grant me the courage to fight the good fight with righteous anger. Please don’t let me turn away from the things you need me to see. Help me to face each of these with your strength, always following the glorious example of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

FILLING THE EMPTY SKY

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 14:17-21

In September 2003, NASA decided to look into the emptiest section of the night sky. At a point southwest of the Constellation Orion, there is a tiny spec of sky with very little to see. This spot of emptiness is only about one-tenth the size of the full moon, but scientists were curious about what the Hubble Space Telescope would find in a place where there appeared to be a complete void. So they took picture – a very long picture. For eleven days the sophisticated orbiting satellite pointed its camera at this little area of nothing.

The resulting photograph is one of the most astounding discoveries in history.

Known as the Ultra Deep Field, the image shows 10,000 previously unknown galaxies. Every point of light in thisphotograph is an entire galaxy, each containing hundreds of millions of stars. And this is only one tiny view of the universe our Lord created.

Even in smallest places where there seems to be nothing, God has been at work in more ways than we can imagine. Every place He goes is filled with His abundance!

That is why it is so important to open your heart, your mind and your life to God’s presence. The Disciples worried there would be no way to feed the thousands who had come to hear Jesus speak. In response, Jesus told them to pass the empty baskets to the people. But, they were far from empty. Like the baskets He filled with loaves and fishes, or the limitless night sky He filled with stars, Jesus will fill you to overflowing.

Take a lesson from the Hubble Telescope: the longer you open your eyes, the more you will see God’s work in your life. The longer you open your heart, the more you will experience His love. And the more you open your life, the more you will be filled with His grace and blessings.

Open yourself. Open wide and allow the Lord God to pour His abundant overflow into your every dark corner. Like those hidden galaxies, you may find He has been there all along.

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, You have filled the void of space with endless wonders for us to see! I confess I have not filled my life with You. But, that will all change from this moment forward. Fill me with Your love in the same way you have placed stars in the sky. Place within me an endless faith for You, so that I may show the wonders of Your kingdom to the world. Amen.

FILLING THE EMPTY CHAIR

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

                                                Matthew 11:28

An old story. But one worth remembering . . .

Without no where else to turn, the daughter of a very sick man called the local pastor to come and pray with her ailing father. When the pastor arrived, he found the man lying in his death bed, his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The pastor assumed the elderly man had been told of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said.

"No, who are you?"

"I'm the pastor of the church just down the street," he replied. "When I saw the empty chair, I assumed you knew I was coming."

"Oh, the chair, yes, well," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the pastor quietly shut the door.

"I've never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my

life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it never made sense to me. So I never bothered."

"I just plain forgot about prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago when my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. It’s really easy to do. Here’s all you have to do. Sit down on a chair and place an empty chair in front of you. Then just imagine seeing Jesus seeing sitting there.’ I gave my friend a look because this was sounding a little strange, but he just said, ‘It's not weird. Remember, He promised, 'I'll be with you always.' So, He really is sitting there with you. So, just take a few minutes and speak to Him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now.’"

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that now I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd send me off some where."

The pastor was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to keep praying no matter what. Then he prayed with him, and returned to the church.

Just two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her father had died that afternoon. “Thank you for coming to see him. I know he enjoyed his time with you. He seemed very encouraged when you left.”

"Did he seem to die in peace?" he asked.

"Yes, when I left the house around two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me one of his corny jokes, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him, but he had passed. But there was something strange, In fact, beyond strange. I really don’t understand it. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed."

Today’s Prayer

Lord, thank you for giving me peace, rest and comfort all the days of my life. Remind me today that I can rest my head, my heart and my life upon you anytime because you are with me all the time. Allow me to accept your love, your kindness and your friendship even when I forget that you are right beside me in the light and the dark, the beginning and the end, now and forever. Amen.

THE CRUSHED LAMB

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,

‘Look, the Lamb of God,  who takes away the sin of the world!’”

John 1:29

On the yard of a little church in small town in Germany stands a statue of a lamb. At the base of the statue is a simple inscription that reads: MEMORIAL TO THE CRUSHED LAMB.

You see, after World War II, a group of men began working on the tall roof of the church to repair damages sustained during the fierce battles that took place nearby. One of the dedicated workmen lost his footing, tripped and fell off the roof, plummeting to the earth below.

Quickly, the other men race down the long latter with very little hope of finding their friend alive. As they descended they began shouting to the other nearby people of the village to come and help. Though deep in their hearts, the knew there was little that could be done. It was a terribly long fall and only a miracle could save the man from being killed on the hard ground

Finally reaching the ground, the men found their companion moaning and in pain, but very much alive!

Then they realized the man was lying on top of something, as though he had fallen onto a strange cushion. When they lifted the man to his feet, they understood immediately what had occurred. A lamb had been feeding on the grass at the wall of the church. The poor little lamb had broken the man’s fall and saved his life, but lost its own in the process.

He was so grateful that he had the statue of a lamb erected in the very place where he fell.

Take a moment and think about this little lamb. How something so gentle and kind was sacrificed to save the man’s life. Isn’t it strange how we feel such compassion for soft, furry animals? Just picture the tiny creature lying peacefully on the grass, his eyes closed for the last time.

If your heart is touched by this story and the image of the crushed lamb, are you not also touched by the image Jesus being lowered from the Cross? Does you heart not ache in the same way? Are you not grateful for the miraculous way in which His death saved your fall?

You may not be able to erect a statue in honor of the sacrifice He made for you, but isn’t it time to build a place of honor in your heart?

The next time you take communion, remember the Crushed Lamb and where you might be had He not broken your fall. Remember, you are in the presence of Jesus, the One who saved you. And if we can feel such loving compassion for the little lamb at the church, then certainly our hearts can be filled with love for the Lamb of God.

This week’s prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for the Cross. Without your sacrifice I would be falling to my death right now. Because of your love I have nothing to fear, not even death itself. Please remind me of your love every day of my life. Let me never forget what you have done for me. Guide me and strengthen me so that I may also be a living sacrifice whenever and wherever you may need me. Amen.

IT'S TIME TO DREAM

In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

Acts 2:17

When he was 16, Booker T. Washington decided he wanted to go to school. The year was 1872, and for a boy born a slave, who had no idea who his white father was, this was an enormous leap of faith. He set his sights on the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. With nothing but a small sack of old clothes, he started walking from Malden, West Virginia, to the school….500 miles away.

Eventually he made it to Richmond, about 80 from the school. He worked there for a few days unloading pig iron from ships and sleeping at night on the ground under a boardwalk. Finally, he continued his journey and reached Hampton Institute.

And while his challenge of getting there was over, the task of getting admitted to the school had just begun. Seeing no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to attend, he approached the Head Teacher and asked her to admit him right away.

Later, in his memoirs, Booker T. Washington recalled the rest of his story. "Having been so long without proper food, a bath, and change of clothing, I did not make a very favorable impression upon her, and I could see at once that there were doubts in her mind about the wisdom of admitting me as a student."

While Booker waited anxiously for her decision, he watched as the teacher admitted several others. But, he would not let his dream die. Then one day he saw a small opportunity. Having run out of delay tactics, she said to him, "The adjoining recitation-room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it."

"It occurred to me at once that here was my chance," he remembers. "Never did I receive an order with more delight...I swept the recitation-room three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four times." He cleaned every corner of the room, even the walls and closets.

"I had the feeling," he continued, "that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to her. She was a woman who knew just where to look for dirt. She went into the room and inspected the floor and closets: then she took her handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodwork about the walls, and over the table and benches. When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, `I guess you will do to enter this institution.'

"I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed."

Not only did Booker T. Washington pass that “examination”, but he stayed on as janitor to pay expenses all through college. In June 1875 he graduated on the honor roll and as one of the commencement speakers.

Booker T. Washington was a man of faith and a dreamer who backed up both with action. What kind of dreams are coming from your faith? Remember, the greater your faith in the Lord Jesus, the greater your dreams will be. He is the maker of dreams and visions. And when you allow yourself to see through the His eyes, then you will begin to see the incredible life that awaits you.

It takes faith to dream great dreams. Because faith makes your dreams come true. And the time to take action is now.

Today’s prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to fulfill every dream you have for my life. I know that this can’t happen without you guiding me and giving me strength. Please share the vision you have for me and walk with me as we make this dream come true. Today, remind me to stand up and take action, knowing that through you all things are possible. Amen.

WILL YOU CROSS THE LINE TODAY?

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it.

Luke 19:41

On March 3, 1836, only 183 men remained to defend The Alamo against a huge army led by Santa Anna. Two hours before dusk, the Mexican guns suddenly stopped firing. The end was near.

The Commander of The Alamo, William Travis quickly assembled his men. He told them that no reinforcements were coming. "Our doom is certain," Travis told the tired, beaten men. Then, Travis pulled his sword from its sheath and drew a line in the dirt. He asked every man who was committed to remain in the Alamo, fight and die to cross the line.

Topley Holland was the first man to cross the line. Others quickly followed. Another man was Colonel Jim Bowie. He was very sick and unable to cross the line on his own, so he called for help. Four men carried him from his cot and lifted him over the line. On March 6, the Alamo fell. Every man within her walls died.

But, as their lives ended a great new beginning sprang forth. Because of their choice to cross the line, the Republic of Texas was born from their sacrifice.

The moment Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He had crossed the line. The end was near.

This should have been the happiest single day in Jesus' life. Yet, we read that “He wept over” the city. Why? After all, huge Passover crowds had come out to greet Him. So many people, in fact, that the Pharisees murmured, "Look! The whole world has gone after him!" Yes, when Palm Sunday began it appeared as though Jesus’ preaching ministry would be a huge success.

But Jesus knew better. He knew how disloyal the crowds would become. He knew that when He needed His people the most, they would all forsake Him and run away. This same welcoming crowds would escort Him to the Cross.  Today, they were shouting, "Hosanna!" By Friday, they were shouting, "Crucify Him!" Before this week finished, Jesus would be arrested, tried, whipped, humiliated, spat upon, cursed at, betrayed, crucified, dead, and buried.

He had crossed the line. But, as His life ended a great new beginning sprang forth.

He shed His blood for us. And now He draws a line in the sand and asks you to cross over to His side. Make no mistake, if you choose Jesus, you will need to make a very special kind of commitment. Now is the time.

As we approach Easter, will you cross the line to the Cross of Christ?

This week’s prayer

Dear Lord, I offer my eternal thanks for your Son Jesus Christ. He died for me so that I may spend eternity in your glorious presence. Please guide me so that I will not take lightly my commitment to Jesus. Help me to live a Jesus kind of sacrifice. Amen.