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Our Father

“When ye pray, say, Our Father…” Luke 11:2

Wow!  Let those two words sink in for a minute…  Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, instructed every believer to address the holy, sovereign, omnipotent God as “Our Father!”  To have Him as Master would be a privilege.  To know Him as Teacher or Friend, a greater privilege still.  But to be able to call Him “Father” is beyond comprehension!  We ask in amazement along with the psalmist, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Ps 8:4)  What right do I have to approach God as a son?  How can this be possible?  “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”  I was adopted, and Jesus made that possible!  You know what it means to be a child of God, right?  If we’re children, then we’re “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ!” (Rom 8:17)  Isn’t the Lord gracious?!!!

From the time of conception, we are like children before our Lord.  When Jesus talked to Nicodemus about salvation, He compared it to the birth of a child.  “You must be born again.” (Jn 3:7)  The parallels don’t stop there.  We find that once a child is born, he is completely dependent on the parent for survival.  He requires constant attention and care.  If the child doesn’t feel the parent near, he will cry out until the parent comes to comfort him.  The experience is a very similar one in the new birth.  As newborn Christians, we often “feel” the Lord to be nearer, and we get very upset when we lose that sense of closeness.  But just as the child matures and doesn’t require the “visible” presence of a parent all the time, we “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord” (2 Pet 3:18), learning to trust less in the visible evidences of God’s nearness and instead walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7) in the knowledge that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).

Just like our relationships mature with our natural fathers as we grow up, so our relationship develops and matures with the Lord.  In my adolescence, my father seemed to be more of an authority figure.  I was keenly aware of his “do’s and don’ts” and of the consequences of not adhering to the rules.  As I’ve aged, however, my father has become less of a disciplinary in my life.  If I act like a child, then he may still rebuke me as you might a child, but most of our time together now is spent communing as friend with friend.  Through the same faith Abraham exhibited, we grow as individuals in our relationship with the Lord and come to be called a “friend of God.” (Jms 2:23, Jn 15:14,15)  Though we are always to be as children in some respects (like in desiring the word of God as in 1 Pet 2:2), the Lord expects us to grow up in our understanding (1 Cor 14:20) and function as mature adults in His kingdom.  Our relationship with Him will be richer and fuller as we spiritually mature, but remember, He will ever be due the honor and respect of a parent for He is our “everlasting Father.” (Is 9:6)

We considered last week the relationship that I believe to be the clearest picture of our relationship with the Lord, namely that intimate relationship between a husband and wife.  This week we will examine another relationship God uses to reveal how we relate to Him.  We are looking at “The  Parent-Child Relationship” on pg 233 of Ken Boa’s Conformed To His Image.  God has given us a wealth of instruction in His word on how to be good parents for He is our example as our heavenly Father.  Even if you don’t have children, this relationship is one worth studying for it gives you a greater sense of the faithfulness of our heavenly Father in caring for us, His spiritual children.  As a parent, such a study is crucial in understanding how to live out Prov 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Jamie

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Love…As Christ

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church…” Eph 5:25

That’s a pretty tall order!  The verse continues on to explain what’s required to love as Christ loved: “…and gave Himself for it.”  One of the greatest difficulties in my Christian life has been in the area of understanding IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE what it takes to be a godly husband.  At the same time, if I had to pick one earthly relationship that has taught me the most about the Lord, without a doubt, I would say that it has been my marriage.

At one time, I foolishly thought that God had provided more explicit instructions to wives than to husbands in the Bible.  I used to be jealous over God giving women great passages like Proverbs 31 that detailed the qualities of a virtuous woman and how those qualities were to be lived out as a wife.  It always stood out in my mind that the ladies got 6 verses at the beginning of 1 Peter 3 regarding their spousal role while we guys had to be content with one verse in v. 7.  Whenever I would read the directions given to men and women in Titus 2:1-8, verses 4 and 5 seemed to be very detailed and specific in a woman’s responsibility as a wife and mother while the instruction to men was rather general and vague with nothing explicitly about my role as husband or father.

I admit that I was pretty short-sighted until God shed more light on our main text above.  I read that verse one day and God “bolded” three words in my mind: “even as Christ.”  Wow!  It hit me that the entire Bible contained specific instruction for me as a husband because the Scripture was all about Jesus (Jn 5:39)!  Now, every time I gain a fuller understanding of Christ, I get a clearer picture of what I should be as a husband.  I must confess that it’s been a humbling experience.

So, what did Christ do as my heavenly Husband (this is going to hurt guys, but if you want to be like Jesus in your marriage, I encourage you to read on)?  To name a few things, He gave up the glories of His heavenly dwelling with His Father in order to share that glory with me!  “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Cor 8:9)  And He didn’t bestow such grace upon those worthy of it.  His acts of love were to the undeserving.  “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5:6)  He didn’t decide He was going to love those that were already affectionate toward Him.  No, the only reason “we love Him [is] because He first loved us.” (1 Jn 4:19)  When He was wrongfully rejected, despised, and persecuted, how did He respond?  “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)  Do I need to go on, guys?

Some might say, “You’re forgetting those verses about wives submitting to their husbands and husbands being the head of their wives as Christ is of the church?”  I’m not denying those verses because the Scripture is plain (1 Pet 3:1, Eph 5:23, Col 3:18, Titus 2:5) in that area, and in order for that mystical relationship between Christ and the church to be revealed in a marriage, those verses should be observed.  But, as husbands, we need to understand that the pattern of our heavenly Husband toward His bride as He walked among us was the attitude of a servant.  He confesses in Jn 13:13 that His disciples rightly called Him Lord and Master, but He makes that statement right after washing their feet to reveal that, even as their Lord, He was constantly serving their best interests.  Truly, He put Himself last, and it’s no wonder that the Father has put Him first! (Mk 9:35, Ph 2:9)

For the past several weeks, we’ve been considering the topic of “holistic spirituality” in Ken Boa’s Conformed to His Image.  The focus of that topic is to be Christ-centered in everything we do instead of living a compartmentalized life.  Our home-life is no exception to this rule and for many of us that begins with our marriage.  We’re starting chapter 17 this week where Ken discusses this concept in our day-to-day relationships beginning with the relationship between a husband and wife.  I’ve been a bit one-sided in my thoughts this week because I’m on the husband-side of that equation, but the role of both parties is important if our marriages are to fulfill their intended purpose.  It is that intended purpose that allows the married as well as the unmarried to benefit from this discussion, for as Paul writes concerning marriage in Eph 5:32, “This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.”

Jamie

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The Unchangeable God

“For I am the Lord, I do not change…” Malachi 3:6

What a comfort! Even on my best days, you can’t count on me. I may have been a help or encouragement to you last week, but this week I might only pull you down. That’s on a good day. Catch me at my worst, and you may never want to speak to me again! Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t have bad days? He doesn’t wake up with a headache some mornings and bite your head off when you ask Him a question. In your time of need, you’ll never find that He’s sleepy or unwilling to help. Instead, you’ll always find Him to be a “very present help in trouble.” (Ps 46:1) God alone can say things like, “I am with you always (Mt 28:20),” or “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Heb 13:5) Why? Because He doesn’t change!

I’ve tried to teach my children this truth. I’d like to be able to tell my kids that I’ll always be there for them, but the truth is I can’t count on myself to keep such a promise. I’m finite. One day I’ll be dead and gone. On top of that, I’m flesh, and I still struggle with sin. As much as I love them and want to be there for them, I am going to fail them at times. Because of inability, self-centeredness, poor judgment, stress–in other words, because I am human–I’m going to let them down. God never will! All that hope in Him will find Ps 125:1,2 to be true: “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.”

The thoughts this week were prompted by a statement within Ken Boa’s list of forty principles and values on page 251 of Conformed To His Image. We left off last week on #28 which contains the following statement: “A willingness to cling to God’s character in the midst of life’s pains and pleasures.” We can cling to God’s character because we can always count on Him to stay true to it! He won’t be any different tomorrow, next week, or next year. In fact, He will stay the same throughout all eternity. You can take Him at His word. He won’t change His mind. When God says He’s going to do something, you can be sure that He will because “He is faithful that promised.” (Heb 10:23)

Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel like the enemies, whether outside or inside, are too great? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut 31:6) Are you depressed because one person after another has hurt you or let you down? “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Ps 42:11) Do you find these to be unstable and uncertain times? Are you afraid you’ll wake up tomorrow and the world as you know it will be no more? “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.” (Is 51:6) I can assure you that one day you will wake up to a different world. The life we now live will not last. Everything will change, but I can point you to a sure Foundatin, a Rock that will last throughout the ages. He is “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Heb 13:8)

“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31)

Jamie

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All For The Glory Of God

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31

In our reading last week, we were encouraged to write down a Purpose Statement. I’ve never done this, but if asked my purpose, I would most likely quote the verse above.  It sums up our basic purpose whether we’re busy with big or little things. We ought to do what we do for the glory of God.

With that goal in mind, even seemingly meaningless tasks become tasks of great importance. If I’m fixing my coffee in the breakroom at work and spill some sugar, all of a sudden whether or not I clean up my mess and how good of a job I do matters! Why? Because God’s glory is at stake even in such a small situation. I’ve taken the name of Christ and what I do is a reflection on Him! A good companion passage to the one above is Col 3:23,24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” I should clean up that spilled sugar in a manner pleasing to God not merely in a manner that meets man’s standards.

In addition to a Purpose Statment, on pg 250 of Ken Boa’s Conformed to His Image, Ken has comprised a list 40 statements that he aspires to live up to. He says he reads the list from time to time and falls under conviction at his failings. That’s no surprise since the mark we’re shooting for is a high one. To quote C. S. Lewis, “The main thing we learn from a serious attempt to practise the Christian virtues is that we fail.”. We keep coming short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23)! One might think it best to quit fighting and simply give in to sin. After all, if we’re saved by grace (Eph 2:8), if we could never do enough to earn salvation (Eph 2:9), and if God forgives the sins of those honest enough to confess they’re sinners (1 Jn 1:9), then why set the bar so high? As Paul asks in Rom 6:1,2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” He’s barely got the thought out before responding, “God forbid!”

The fact is we should hold ourselves to a higher standard as the children of God. Resisting sin is not a vain effort. God’s assured us that with every temptation He makes a way to escape it (1 Cor 10:13). If we resist the devil, the Lord says he’ll flee from us (James 4:7). And though we’re saved by grace through faith, those that possess true, living faith will always manifest that faith by doing good (James 2:14-19). As Christ points out in Matt 7:21-23, many will not enter the kingdom of heaven, not because they didn’t confess Christ as Lord, but because they didn’t do the will of His Father.We’re right in the middle of Ken’s 40 goals on pg 251, these high standards for which we ought to strive to reach. They are convicting, but we also rejoice to know that in Christ, all things are possible, including these 40 principles. Let us press on then! Don’t let past failings set the rule for future attempts (Phi 3:13,14). Strive for the glory of God in all things, and one day you’ll find yourself standing face to face with Jesus Christ and realize that your flesh, that old man that resists these godly efforts, is finally dead and that you’ve been made just like Jesus! 1 John 3:2: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

Jamie