Today we continue the devotional Father Like The Father. I appreciate God’s leading and sorting of articles so that the topics and instruction we can get around be the dads are on point and speak the truth in love. I have been blessed with my interaction with them as they gave guidance and support for my posts. Bible.com introduces the devotional like this:
Throughout Scripture, God is called Father. Yet how does He father His children? What parenting principles can we learn by observing His interactions with humanity? This seven-day study will examine key Scriptures which will help you to father like the Father.
Father Like The Father
Today’s devotional is connected with the following scriptures:
‘Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” ‘
Genesis 3:8-9
‘And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” ‘
Genesis 2:16-17
‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ‘
1 John 4:10
Today’s scriptures point us to God for His love. We see how God desires an intimate relationship with us, walking through life with us and yet when we walk out of the will of God and break the boundaries He has set up to protect us we feel guilt and fear. God is omnipresent and so we can’t really hide from Him and we can’t really run away from Him and yet He loves us so much to not force Himself on us but hopes that we will make our own decision to invite Him into our lives and to choose to walk out our lives with Him. Where are you today? Are you walking out your life with God or are you trying to go it your own way and avoid God? Let’s be the dads who choose to walk out our lives with God. Let’s be the dads who choose to have an intimate relationship with God so that no matter where we are, what we are doing, what we are thinking, we are looking to live out our lives in alignment with Him and according to His purposes. Let’s be the dads who stick so close to God that He is able to speak the truth and lead and guide us in love through all situations and circumstances. Let’s be the dads who hear what God wants us to do and do it. Let’s go from being hearers of the Word to being doers of the Word. Let’s not allow the lies of the devil to tempt us into doing something that can harm ourselves or our relationships with God. Let’s be the dads who when we get off track, quickly turn back to God, humbling ourselves for what we have done, so He will forgive our sins and heal our land. Let’s be the dads to look to live out our lives in accordance with God’s example of love. Let’s be the dads who sacrifice for our kids. Let’s be the dads who sacrifice for our wives. Let’s be the dads who sacrifice for this world around us. So where are you today? Where are you in relation to your relationship with God? Where are you in relation to your relationship with your wife and kids? How will you choose to live your day? Will you choose to live your today in a way that will bring God the praise, the honor, and the glory? The choice is yours! The decision is yours! It’s in your hands!
Today’s devotional has been provided by Carlos Santiago and FamilyLife (more details can be found http://www.familylife.com)
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
For more information on communicating with your kids listen to, Blessing Your Child Through Your Words on FamilyLifeToday.com.
Pursue
- Have you ever blown it with God? Known you did the opposite of what He told you to do? How did you respond?
- “Adam and Eve knew they had blown it.“
- We see in Genesis 2:16-17 how they had the entire garden of fruit trees to eat from and only one they weren’t to eat from but the devil pursuaded them to do it anyways.
- Ever blown it and realized you should have obeyed what God had told you? How did you respond? Did you turn back to Him quickly and humbly and then ask for forgiveness? Did you try to mask or hide it? Did you try to hide from Him, like you think He didn’t know or can’t see you?
- Remember how God is our provider? So He gives us everything we need to accomplish His calling and purpose. Is that enough for you or will you allow the lies of the devil to keep you from His calling and purpose by disqualifying you through disobedience?
- Remember when you were a kid and you messed up? Remember when you heard your parents coming and how you responded? Did you hide under the bed? in the closet? under a blanket? under a table? somewhere else? It’s the same thing that Adam and Eve did when they heard God coming, they hid.
- So while you are trying to be the dads and when you see this response, how will you respond? When you see this behavior or pattern, what will you do?
- You know what they did. You know where they are hiding. Now what?
- How will you respond when they try to hide?
- How will you respond when they try to shift the blame?
- How will you respond when they try to change the subject?
- How will you handle dealing with the consequences of disobedience?
- Will you be the dads who show them how much they need you?
- Will you be the dads who embrace them and tell them how they could of and should have turn to you first?
- Will you be the dads who will invite them to come to you when they feel tempted for strength, courage, and wisdom?
- Will you be the dads who will invite them to come and confess what they did because it will allow them to only have to deal with the consequences of that event and not magnify or amplify the consequences by lying about it?
- Consider what happened with Adam and Eve and how much they needed Him after making such a big mistake.
- “God knew what they had done.“
- “He knew they needed His forgiveness and He knew exactly where they were hiding.“
- “He could have taken that opportunity to remind them of His power “
- “He could have taken that opportunity to remind them” “the futility of trying to hide from the all-knowing, omnipresent, almighty God“
- But that’s not what He did because He loved them and so “He pursued them—gently.“
- God gives us the best example of how to respond in how He responded to Adam and Eve.
- God’s example speaks more than had He lectured them about His power and who He is.
- God’s example shows that the relationship was more important than the mistake.
- God’s example shows that they could go to Him even when they messed up.
- Let’s be the dads who are more interested in our relationships with our kids and our wives than pointing out mistakes.
- Let’s be the dads who are more interested in being able to come together with our kids and our wives even when they mess up.
- Let’s be the dads who inspite of the consequences they are going to had to deal with they will know that we love them so much.
- Let’s be the dads who inspite of the consequences for their actions wants to love and forgive them.
- Let’s be the dads who inspite of the consequences for disobedience have kids and wives who know they can come to us whenever they get in trouble.
- So let’s be the dads who follow God the Father’s example and pursue our kids.
- Let’s be the dads who are proactive and go after our kids even before they come to us with a spirit of repentance.
- Let’s be the dads who are present and pursue our kids even if they hide because of a wrong doing or withdraw because they are growing up.
- Let’s be the dads who know that our kids need us in their lives, even when they are getting older and building up their independence.
- Let’s be the dads who build relationships with our kids and make time with them rather than having them withdraw into what society gives them like music, video games, and their cell phones.
- Let’s be the dads who pursue and are present so that we are always present and available for our kids.
- Let’s be the dads who keep our guards up when it comes to our kids and wives so that to help protect and guide them.
- Let’s be the dads who provide guidance to our kids even when they don’t think they need it.
- Let’s be the dads who are willing to pursue like God pursued and make the move like God did by loving us and sending Jesus.
- Today’s devotional gives us a prayer topic:
