Out of the Mouth of Babes
Out of the Mouth of Babes
I recently had the privilege of speaking at the state homeschool convention in Portland, Oregon. On Friday I had a few men’s workshops and offered The Christian Home and Family Worship for free, to those who would commit to reading it within thirty days.
Saturday morning, one of the dads informed me he had read the entire book the previous night. Before he left for the second day of the convention, he spent some time with his eight year old daughter. He asked her if there was anything she would like to share with him so he could pray for her.
She looked him in the eye and said, “Did you learn that at the conference?” The two of us looked at each other and burst into laughter.
But as I pondered his words, my heart was stirred. This short and wonderful father-daughter interaction spoke to me on several levels.
First, the dad diligently read the book in one evening, and applied what he learned at the first opportunity. He was not only a hearer, but a doer of the word. Kudos to him.
Secondly, he is a lifelong learner. He devoted two days to attend a conference to be a better husband and father and be with other kindred spirits who are seeking the same things. My eyes are welling with tears as I write these words. I love these guys for investing time to be a better servant leader in their home. May God bless and keep them!
Thirdly, eight year old children don’t miss much. That precious child was right on target. She knew her parents were attending a conference and was not surprised when they were different at home as a result. What an impression her dad made on her as she witnessed this humble man learning and growing.
Abraham was ninety-nine years old and still learning lessons from His Heavenly Father. One of my sons told me once that the most encouraging thing about me was I was always learning and growing. May God help us to always be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Jesus has another name for humble, committed, lifelong learners. He calls these precious individuals, disciples. And not only disciples, but also brothers, sisters, and friends. Matthew 12:50 “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
John 15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
Summer Refreshment part 2
For those of you still enjoying your summer of refreshment, here are a few more passages to encourage you in your relationship with your Dad.
1 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” (John 15:9)
As much as the Father loved the Son, so does the Son love us. I love this statement and the tremendous implications. God the Father, told His boy, “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”(Matthew 3:17) These same sentiments are ours as well. Since Jesus loves us as He was loved, we too are beloved, well-pleasing, children of God.
2 “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5)
We were loved with a GREAT LOVE. We were loved when we were unlovable. We were sinners, separated, without hope, BUT GOD being rich in mercy, made us ALIVE! Hallelujah.
3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)
The kind of love God extends to us is not to simply get us to heaven, but to make us family. We are His children. He is our Dad. His Spirit witnesses with our Spirit that we belong to Him. And so we are His and He is ours. Amen.
4 “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)
He never gives up on us. He never grows weary of loving. He loves His own to the end. He is utterly committed to us. His love is never ends.
5 “If God is for us, who can be against us? For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor …. , will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31, 38-39)
Nothing can separate us from His love. Nothing. As the wizard of Oz says, “not no way and not no how!” Paul is more articulate, and more wordy, but I think you get the drift. Nothing means nothing.
6 “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Revelation 1:5)
Unconditional love is costly. He paid the highest price to free us from our sins, which separate us from His love and care.
7 “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14)
If you have trouble, as I do, assimilating this wonderful love, divine affection, and eternal care, consider praying this prayer every morning.
“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
Steve
New Books
For the past few years I have been in the process of writing four books which I believe are important to building a family of faith.
Learn more about the books here.
