Father Love

A tribute to all fathers who are present, and those who wish to be more present

My adventurous son found a place in the neighborhood

A place to swim and to play anytime he could  

A seemingly innocent area for fun

Refreshing water in which to swim and warm himself with heat from the Sun.

Oblivious of the potential of dangers that lurked within

He went to the creek frequently, and often had a friend with him

“Don’t go!” “Don’t go!” His mother cried, imagined terrors raged within

To all my pleas my boy replied “But Mom you don’t know; it's so much fun, come go with me"

It was a Saturday Morning, just as the sun brought out its rays

My husband stepped out in the sunshine with his boy that day,

Determined to walk in the paths he walked, ready to know his adventurous ways

Together they went down to the creek, this dad determined to see

My son was all excited, his dad and him, what an adventure!

This was nothing short of a dream come true,  an experience not soon forgotten

“We come this way, then go that way” the young one pointed out with pride

Following and watching with keen eyes, his dad took steps of caution

It did not take long before he saw the first snake, and then another, and yet another

“Oh no!” my son cried “How come we never saw these?” His mind was left to wonder

Five snakes was all they counted, there might have been more

Needless to say he saw the danger that day, and to his friends he made a call

What a teaching moment it was; for them both, and also for me

My husband possibly saved our son and his friends from harm

Only because he gave time to walk the paths he walked and know the thoughts he thinks

Just like God stooped down to pick us up, this father stooped so his son may learn

Fatherhood is tough business I dare say, with so many things calling for our time

Nevertheless, we need Godly fathers today more than ever before,

More especially when the children are in their prime

Only with God's help will the fathers prevail; For with God nothing is impossible for us.

O Lord please give our fathers grace to be present for their children

Help them to be the dads you've called them to be.

"These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts

And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them
when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down
and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Mothers Are Special

Mothers Are Special

 She carried him in her womb for nine months

Could have wiped him out with some complex chemical

Toxic to his unformed mass, but she didn’t.

She chose rather to partner with God in this creative masterpiece

And nurtured him within the confines of her swollen world.

She cuddled him close to her breasts, time and time again

A tender love giving him comfort

When he was put down on the playground, he ran to her

She put the smile back on his handsome face

And sent him running on his way

When he was sick, she stopped all else

Watching, praying to God that he might live

Her heart’s expectation was this; that someday he will be a man

And the world will see the rare gem that he is.

And when she thought her job was finally done,

Amidst much joy, singing and dancing,

She handed him to his wife on a platter of gold.

And he with a pledge was hers to keep.

God bless Mothers for such unselfish love!

“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” – Proverbs 31:25-28

Evidence of the Truth???

Many of us have run our lives on second-hand or even third-hand information for a long time. Someone told you that God is good, you believed it, but you don’t know what His goodness tastes like. To you, the goodness of God is a phantom of spiritual truths, nothing to be grasped. Yet the psalmist asserts with a certainty that God is good and invites us to explore this truth; “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). In other words the goodness of God is so real, you can taste it and even see it! Sometimes we really want to believe that what we have heard is true, if only we can find the evidence to prove it. 

Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, had a rare threat; The truth along with evidence came looking for him. After Jesus was raised from the dead, He showed himself to the disciples in the absence of Thomas. When the other disciples told Thomas, "We have seen the Lord!" he said to them “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). 

The next time Thomas saw Jesus, he was being presented with the Truth along with all the evidence he needed to believe. In that moment, Thomas believed! He proclaimed “My Lord! My God!” In spite of how the story ended,  he still earned the nickname “Doubting Thomas” because human beings like to focus more on the negative, but “Doubting Thomas” did believe when The Truth with evidence came to him. Thomas’ encounter with Jesus was included in the scriptures to teach us about faith to believe even when we have not seen. The word of God stands true in the presence or absence of physical evidence. However, there is so much more to glean from that story. What Jesus did for Thomas He has done for us all.

When Thomas made a passionate dismissal of the apostle’s story, perhaps he was really saying “please don’t set me up for another let down.” He was still raw from the pain of disappointment.  His faith had no structure right at that time because everything he had built up in the past three and half years had collapsed before his very eyes. The savior they had put their trust in could not save himself from the cross. The other disciples received comfort for their grief when they saw Jesus. They had their hopes restored. Thomas was still in a dark place. Thank God for the love of our Savior who stoops down to pick us up when we fall, and sets us up on the Rock to stay. When Thomas asked for the nail print, Jesus saw in Thomas a sincere quest for the truth, a desire to know God for himself. Let us take a look at the response of Jesus to Thomas. The Lord looked beyond his words.  He did not condemn him for his lack of faith. Rather, Jesus made out the time to come again, just for Thomas! Jesus wanted to put an end to his doubts, to heal his brokenness. 

Have you ever been presented with The Truth and evidence of God? A testimony with copies of the doctor’s report, a life transformed with flashes of the “before” and “after” A woman testifying of a miraculous baby after twenty years of barrenness; she holds the baby in her arms with tears rolling down her cheeks. You see a car crushed beyond repair, yet  someone comes out of it unhurt and lives to testify of the goodness of God. When you are presented with tangible evidence of God’s great might, what is your response? Do you bow like Thomas in reverence and say “My Lord! My God!” 

Or you persist in unbelief and harden your heart in stubborn pride? Do you explain away the miracle as an act of nature, a product of technology, or a stroke of luck? A man of God once testified of his son that was raised from death back to life. He stated that even with such overwhelming evidence of God’s power, some people still asked “did he really die in the first place?” The choice is yours. He who has an ear, let him hear! (Revelation 2:7).

Jesus came to this earth. He suffered and died for the salvation of man. He was crucified on the cross like a common criminal. He was brought down and buried. On the third day He rose triumphant out of the grave. His death and resurrection set man free from the power of sin, hell and the grave. The Holy Spirit at work in you is the evidence that He once was here and He is coming again. Do you believe?

How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will (Hebrews 2:3-4).

"Do You Love Me?"

I love how we have landmark events scattered along the year’s pathway.  A few weeks ago it was Valentine’s day, a day supposed to bring to our remembrance the concept of love. People ran to the stores to purchase cards, flowers, or a gift, to express love to someone in their lives. Just in case you forgot, the media did not let up, pushing out adverts by the minute. Great was the commercialization of another sentimental event of the year.  I was appalled when I heard a line from one of the commercials that said  “This Valentine, make sure you get what you want!” I was left to wonder, “Is love truly about getting or about giving?”

These thoughts brought to mind a discussion we had recently at a couples’ meeting. The subject for consideration was; “How do I love my spouse?” The discussion had progressed to the point where we read the injunction to husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). Then we  began to consider “How did Christ love the Church?” A brother broke it down in plain English and said “You know you are loving your wife as Christ loved the Church when you are willing to give up one of your kidneys for your wife without stopping to think about it” To the utter amazement of everyone, another brother blurted out “I would willingly give both my kidneys to my wife!” A great hush fell over the room as everyone considered the import of those words. Well, that room must have been full of noble husbands because right after he said that, man after man declared “I will gladly take the bullet for my wife” “I will give my life to save my wife!” I imagine that those wives filled with a renewed sense of worth, secretly prayed against any situation that would test their husband’s love to that measure!

While it is praiseworthy that a man is willing to lay down his life for his wife, let us ask ourselves what little things we may also willingly give up to preserve and protect our cherished ones and  the relationships we hold dear. Little things like our rights, our pride, our time, our friends, or something so little as our money! In the midst of a conflict, you may find out that these seemingly “little things” are magnified in value when you are the one required to give it.

Consider the love story of Jacob and Rachel in the book of Genesis. Jacob had deceitfully obtained the blessing of the firstborn meant for his brother Esau. Out of the fear that Esau might kill him, his mother helped him flee to live with his uncle Laban. Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.  Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.  Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel. “Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.”  So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast.  But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)  And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.”  Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 

 Jacob did a quick assessment of his situation. He ran away from home to flee the wrath of his brother Esau whom he had defrauded of his birthright. He had sowed deceit, he was reaping deceit. Jacob would not even raise his voice with Laban, or make a big case of his deception lest he loses the opportunity of ever marrying Rachael. It dawned on him very quickly that he if he really wanted the love of his life, he would have to work twice as hard! Any man could have given up at that point. However, because of the strength of his love for Rachael, Jacob put in another seven years of service for the woman he really wanted. We may not be able to go into all the cultural details of this account, or the deceit of Laban possibly  in conjunction with his people. What I find interesting is that Jacob put up with all that.  For another seven years. Jacob gave his energy, his time and his life to serve for the woman he loved. He put career dreams on hold, or slowed them down simply because having Rachel was important to  him.

If you are a woman and you are feeling that all you have to do is sit back and be a receiver of love, think about Ruth (Naomi’s daughter in-law) who gave up her gods, her people, and her father’s house to embrace a superior love and commitment. Perhaps you gave up your father’s name, you moved away from home, and you have given up many things since then. Whether you be a man or woman, boy or girl, when you think love, remember that the currency of love is giving. Now imagine a world where we learn to love like God!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

New Beginnings

The Month of Beginnings

Welcome to 2019! The year 2018 is gone, buried in the sands of history, never to be lived again! We have a brand new year; that is so awesome to me. God is eternal, He lives in a timeless zone. Time is for us, to help us organize our lives, to help us plan, to help us take stock of where we are in relation to where we are going.Without time, we would totally lose our bearing. So God gave us the gift of time and made provision for new mercies every morning. Thank God that failures, pain, and defeat do not last forever!  Whatever you cannot accomplish in one day, the sun goes down, you lay to sleep, and awaken the next morning ready to start again. In the same way, when a year completes its course, and a new one comes around, it is your opportunity to begin again.

January is the month of new beginnings. We must let go of the failures and disappointments of the past year and have faith in God for a better year. We believe that through every experience, God is working out His purpose in our lives. Some people have faith for a better tomorrow; they dream of achieving great things, but they do nothing towards it. We cannot continue to live in the future. Today is the time to begin living out those dreams and visions we have always put off for “sometime later.” I urge you to be urgent about executing your God given dream and purpose.

Take a step of faith, move in the direction of your dream. Make a commitment, put some money and time on it. If you have always dreamed of going back to school, go register for classes. If you dream of starting a business, draw up a business plan. If God has been calling you to Ministry in any capacity, go for it! Give God your best! If God is prompting you to get married, move forward by faith, Whatever the Lord has laid in your hands to do, do it with all your might.

The place to begin is the place of prayer. The word of God tells us, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3). Then we must write out the vision or dream clearly. The Book of Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.” We must begin to bring out those things that God dropped deep within us and communicate them with someone who is ready to run with it. The Bible says, “So that a herald may run with it.” Share your dreams with a herald, not a dream killer.

After the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and shared with her God’s plans for her life and for the whole world, Mary was perplexed by the information. Then she remembered that the Angel had pointed her in the direction of her cousin Elizabeth, a woman of God, of the same spirit. Mary girded up herself and set out on a journey to find Elizabeth. As soon as these two ladies met, there was an explosion in the Spirit and confirmation of purpose. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost and began to make prophetic utterances in accordance with all the Angel had said.  Mary with her faith strengthened, broke out into a song of praise.  

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?…For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.” Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:41-47). May God grant you discernment and wisdom, and lead you to those people He strategically placed in your life to help you achieve your destiny in Jesus’ name.

 “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” (Isaiah 60:1)

The Christmas Love Story

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  A time to be merry, to celebrate the Savior’s story. Young and old alike sing the yuletide chorus, giving the Father glory. We recount the tale of shepherds and their flocks on a cold winter night. We celebrate the light that shined so bright in deep darkness. The Angels sang Glory to God in the highest as Love came down from Heaven, wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger. Anyhow you look at it, Christmas is one big love story. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

God sent His son to the world through  a virgin betrothed to be married to Joseph the Carpenter. Joseph’s romantic dreams were shattered when Mary announced she was with child. Joseph loved Mary dearly, and he had held the conviction that she was the woman for him. However, Joseph was also a “just” man, a keeper of the law. According to the law “If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death” (Deuteronomy 22: 23 -24). Also “If a man marries a girl who claimed to be a virgin, and then finds out that she is not, they shall bring the girl to the entrance of her father’s house and there her townsmen shall stone her to death” (Deut. 22:20). He knew the law demanded her public disgrace and even death.

 Many a man would say “if I cannot have her, I will ruin her for any other man” but not so Joseph! This man was far ahead of his generation! At a time when the law taught men to give an eye for an eye and mete out just retribution for sin, he extended grace to Mary from his broken heart. After much soul searching, he determined to put her away privately and spare her the drama of public disgrace. The Lord took notice and spoke to Joseph in a dream. But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” “She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20).

If like Joseph someone has broken your heart, betrayed your trust, or let you down, Christmas is a good time to extend the grace of forgiveness to them. Let us put away the thirst for revenge and let God be the judge. Sometimes we are so concerned that our offenders should get the deserved punishment for their sin that we lose our peace. The question is “How do you even know the just recompense for sin?” Do you know the exact measure of retribution appropriate for the hurt you received?  Joseph had a hard time determining an appropriate course of action because he tried to put Mary’s “sin” on a scale against the backdrop of who he knew her to be.  Alas! Only God knows what is in man! Only God is able to weigh the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  When we sit on the seat of the avenger we take the place of God. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:18 &19).

After much thought, Joseph found a place of temporary relief.  He would put Mary away quietly and protect her from public disgrace but God told him, “No Joseph, not so fast!” His life was deeply intertwined with the greatest Love story ever told. Joseph was instructed to take Mary in, and give her and the child a roof over their heads. God told Joseph he will have the honor of naming the Messiah; “You are to give him the name Jesus” What an honor Joseph had! I thank God that he swallowed his pride and went with God’s plan. Today, every time the story of redemption is told, his name is written in letters of gold. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul admonishes; "If it is at all possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all men" (Romans 12:18).

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32)

In Retrospect...

 

 I love the month of November! Not just because it is my birth month, but also for what it brings. It is that time of year when people get to step back from the hustle and bustle of life, spend time with family and friends, and thank God for His many blessings. So often, however, we only get to thank God in retrospect, after we have been through the situations in our lives.  While in that moment, we are too busy seeing what “could have been” or “should have been,” to appreciate God for what is. 

I

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”  “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil (2 Kings 4: 1-2).  Like the widow in the story, when faced with a situation, our mind quickly goes to what we do not have; “I don’t have a husband, I don’t have money” The man of God was trying to redirect her by asking “What do you HAVE?”A  roof over your head? A jar of oil?  Some friendly neighbors?

I heard a preacher say recently “looking back now, I realize I had good children, but I didn’t know it then!” How sad that we should miss out of the pleasure of enjoying God’s blessings because we are too engrossed with our perceived lack or discontent. The Bible says God brought the first animals to Adam to see what Adam would call them. I picture a loving father sitting back to enjoy the child’s squeals of delight as he unwraps his gifts. At that moment, it’s all worth it! The thoughtfulness that went into selecting the gift, the money and time spent, the sacrifice made, all pale in comparison to the pure delight of a grateful child. We rob God of that same delight when we are ungrateful.

The book of Ruth tells a captivating bible story. There was a famine in Israel. Naomi and her husband Elimelech along with their two sons left Bethlehem, the house of bread, to Moab where they thought to find bread. They ended up dwelling in the land of Moab, and Naomi lost her husband and two sons there. Then she heard that the Lord had blessed Israel and there was food in her home country again. As she returned to the land with Ruth her daughter in-law, Naomi raised a bitter lamentation saying “I went away full, but now I return empty.” In retrospect, Naomi could say that she was “full” because even though she lacked bread or food at the time, she was blessed with a husband and two sons. Isn’t it interesting how we do not quite appreciate what we've got until we lose it? At this point, she would have gladly borne temporary pangs of hunger to have her husband and sons beside her again.

What do we learn from these stories? Be thankful for little things; a roof over your head, the love of family and friends, the oil (or money) in reserve, a neighbor that cares, and a God you can call Abba Father! He is the one who promised that He will never leave you or forsake you. He has assured you, “I have good plans for you, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope, to bring you to your expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). Even for that alone, you can be thankful! Don’t wait to look back, thank God now!

Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).