Happy Father's Day!

    This is the one day out of the year that we set aside to celebrate dads.  We may take them to movies or dinner, buy them a present and a card, put on a big BBQ, or something else.  Whatever we do, it's to make them feel special.  And why not?  They help raise us and show leadership through tough times.  Of course, some dads do their jobs better than others.  Myself, I've been blessed with a man whose dedication to his family is exceeded only by his dedication to God.  He's a good man, and I'm glad to call him my dad.  However, I know there are many people who aren't blessed the same way, who aren't on good terms with or who don't even know their dads.  Yet I also know this.  Whoever your dad is, whether an excellent man or someone who barely deserves the title, you have a Father, and His love is far more reliable than any dad's.

     You may have gathered that I'm talking about God.  It makes sense, since He's often called "The Father" and His Son Jesus referred to Him that way all the time.  However, what exactly does it mean when we call God our Father?  That's not a one sentence answer.  You see, each of us looks at our dad a certain way, so when we call God our Father we may be tempted to see God through the same lens as we view our earthly dad.  Such a perspective can skewer our view of God.  So the question to ask yourself is:

What do you expect from your dad?

Time
Encouragement

Directives

Love
Mercy
Grace
Comfort

Keep in mind I'm not asking what you'd expect from the perfect dad.  I'm asking what you expect from yours.  This isn't a survey, just a point of reference for you.

Now that we've established that, let's take a look at Joshua, chapter 1.  You may know all about this chapter, but in case you don't, I'll summarize quickly the backdrop it takes place in.  Moses, the leader of nomadic Israel, has just died after leading for 40+ years, and in so doing has passed the baton to Joshua, the new leader charged with bringing Israel into the permanent dwelling God has promised them.  This is no easy task, even less so when mourning one's friend and role model.  We pick up the story:

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.  Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.  From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.  No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9 NKJV, boldface added)

     The reason some parts of this passage are bold is because I wanted to highlight some of the encouragement God gives Joshua.  You'll notice that God never says "This will be easy-peasy-rice-and-cheesy".  He never says "Do what you want.  I'll take it from here."  No, God is very straightforward about what He wants from Joshua.  However, He intersperses His command with a promise of success, conquest, and, most importantly, His presence.  He promised not to leave Joshua, and when you consider the amazing feats that Joshua performed afterwards, from lengthening a day to taking down Jericho, you realize the seriousness of God's promise.

     God was with Joshua, giving him the directive, the encouragement, the comfort, and the time that Joshua needed.  God never even specifically mentions anywhere in that passage that He is God the Father, yet here we can see Him being just that, a Father promising to be with His son through whatever may come.

     This isn't pie in the sky.  Life with family is a challenge, and a life with God is not an exception.  Yet when things seem difficult He is first and foremost the one we can rely on to reassure and protect us from anything.  That's what He does.

     If you're a dad you know the value of your children.  It's likely that you spend time protecting them from things as varied as immature boys (he'll be lucky to get the time of day from you let alone see your daughter) to peer pressure (no, your son does not have to join the baseball team just because all his friends are doing it).  That's in the job description, right?  Any disaster you can avert, any pain you can prevent, you'll do it.

     Now, imagine you have an enemy.  You've done nothing to this guy, yet he persists in provoking you anyway he can.  He badmouths you, curses in your face, and does every possible thing he can to annoys you.  His recent offenses have actually earned him a death sentence, and the only way to save him is to give up your child.  Do you do it?

     I know, I know.  That was a pretty silly question.  However, I asked it to put something in perspective.  We're the enemies of God until He adopts us as His children, and we deserve death.  He knew that, but wanted to call us His children so badly that He gave up His only perfect Son.  That's proof of love.  He could have written us off as the hopeless cases we were and started from scratch.  He didn't.  He gave His treasured Son, to show us how much He treasures us.  When you think about it, that's what a dad does on a smaller scale.   He gives his money, his time, maybe even his safety, for others, simply because he loves them as his own.  Multiply that by infinity, and you just might see a glimpse...
of the heart of God.


This Father's Day, don't forget to celebrate your Heavenly Father.  He gave you His all so you could call Him "Daddy".  One day you'll see Him.  When that day comes, you'll see Him as more than a Master, King, or even Friend.  You'll see Him as your Father, because He wanted you enough to be just that.

Happy Father's Day.





(NKJV Means New King James Version)
(animated heart from http://data3.whicdn.com/images/63090372/large.gif, a site not owned or operated by I-BulldogStudios)

Biblical Mining.

     If you were here on May 12, 2013, you probably read a post titled "Still the Sovereign Savior", in which we examined in brief some of the statements in Psalm 12.  The conclusion drawn was that no matter how bad things may appear to be, they are still in God's hands, and we need to keep following Him and trust Him through the hardest times.  However, there was a certain section of the Psalm that was zoomed in on, and that was verses 5-7, which say:

⁵ “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

⁶ The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
⁷ You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

                                         (Psalm 12:5-7 NKJV)

     This verse highlights how God works things out for those who are in trouble, and also how His words are pure and will be kept.  However, note the terminology used.  God's words are compared to silver purified seven times, which is impressive.  To get an idea of metal purification, check out this video on harvesting and purifying gold.

 

     This video is shown because it gives an idea of just how difficult it is, not just to extract precious medal, but even to achieve 99.9% purity in it.  Granted, the refiners of the Psalmists' time probably didn't have methods as sophisticated as this one, but you can see how much effort it takes even today to have a truly "pure" metal.  Yet Psalms attributes a level of purity much like this to God's words, and of course, the largest collection of God's words that we have are in the Bible.

     So what does this mean for us?  Simply put, the Word of God is "international standard".  Not only does is it good everywhere, but it is more purified than anything else we see on this earth.  It has no impurities, no Biblical slag.  Nothing in it is unnecessary or irrelevant.  It is 100%, absolutely, solid, pure, truth.  When you think about this, samples like the following may seem to come to life all over again.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV)

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8-9 NKJV)

"Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies." (Psalm 40:4 NKJV)

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NKJV)

     Does this sound familiar?  You've probably heard at least some of these promises before.  How often have you considered, though, how pure they are?  These aren't empty words on a page.  They aren't emotional pick-me-ups or wise sayings.  No, they're the inspired, authoritative, pure-as-refined-silver words of God, and He wrote them down for you.  The most valuable physically accessible asset in the world right now was written for you.  This Book, the Bible, gives you more than a set of instructions.  It introduces you to the Only Person Who has never failed you, the Only Father willing to sacrifice His Son for your salvation so the two of you could be in relationship.  This isn't sentimental fluff.  It's the story of God and man, and that makes it your story too.  It's been put through the fire time and again and never failed.  

What do you think?  Will you put your foundation on it?  Will you take the Word of God and run with it?

The decision is up to you.  God wrote it down, and that settles it.  God's calling you to live in faith, to believe and, yes, even expect, the great things He not only has done, but will do, for you.  Will you stick those promises and commands on a shelf, or hide them in your heart?

There's more to His word than meets the eye.

It can't be disproven, though many have tried.

It promises, mercy, peace, and grace,

And shows us how to seek His face.

Words with power, given freely,

To needy sinners like you and me.

O! What amazing love displayed

Through God's word, now to us relayed.

Put faith in His word, believe His great love.

Thanks to His power, we now have enough.

There's a lot in His words.  Are you ready to explore His riches?  They're more valuable than we can even imagine.

(NKJV Means New King James Version)

Video from YouTube.