This morning both our Sunday School teacher (SST) and our Pastor spoke on Father’s Day issues. SST, focused on God’s nature as “love”. He came home earlier in the week to find his young dog, Bodie, hiding under the table. He realized that the dog might have had an accident with his ‘business’ and, sure enough, the owner got to do the ‘paper work’. After completing the clean-up, Bodie looked at him with sad, remorseful eyes. SST called Bodie over to give him pet hugs and assurance of forgiveness. Just then SST heard God say to him: “That’s the way I am.” He has contemplated the message all week. We, in our fleshly world, mess up all the time, but our Heavenly Father loves us so much -- each one of us -- that He sent His own son to clean up our messes and, even more than that, to take our punishment. Each time we mess up He is ready to forgive us and show His never ending love to us. God’s great love is beyond our understanding. 1 John 3:1.
Our Pastor preached on the importance of a Father’s love and presence. He noted statistics about the fatherless which show that they are:
- the majority of murders
- ½ of the state prison population
- abuse drugs
- tend to be school drop outs
- commit rapes
- tend toward violent behavior and
- have a high incidence of suicide
Gary Smalley and John Trent share parenting insights in their book The Blessing. They presented four ingredients needed to make children secure and able to grow into normal, functioning adults.
1. Meaningful touch;
2. Spoken message of affection and love;
3. Assurance of their value; and
4. Vision of a wonderful future.
Parents who train up their children with these elements, encouraging the strengths and skills of the individual child, raise up responsible adults and leaders. Our Heavenly Father gives us undeserved love through His amazing grace. This is what men (and women) should be and pass on to their children: a Godly example.
This is an older hymn that I have long loved.
The Love of God by F. M. Lehman,
incorporating the poem written by a Jewish poet in 1050 as the third verse.
A Verse for Today:incorporating the poem written by a Jewish poet in 1050 as the third verse.
1 John 3:1 NIV
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
I thank God for faithful fathers everywhere, and especially for those who strive to show God’s awesome example of unconditional love to His children.
