The Way of the Father: Lessons From My Dad, Truths About God – Day 3

As we continue to dig into the lessons and the truths, let’s hold tight to God and seek Him with all of our hearts. I found this new devotional from Michael W. Smith, published by K-Love that sounds like it will be a great thing to help us be the dads. Today’s devotional will help us to consider our perspective and see how God sees us and as such how to be the dads who live our lives with the same perspective towards our kids. Today’s devotional tells us how “Because of your relationship with Jesus, your Abba Father looks at you and says, “That’s my child!” God’s first thought is of you as His son or daughter, all from a heart of love.” Today’s devotional is “K-LOVE Books’ inaugural release from artist, actor, and author Michael W. Smith, The Way of the Father, offers this five-day study to encourage and inspire every Christ-follower in a personal journey of faith with the Father.” So let’s get into it and learn more about the way of our Father and the truths of God!

Today’s devotional gets us started with the following verses: 

• Isaiah 58:6-9
• Micah 6:8

‘“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.’

Isaiah 58:6-9

‘He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. ‘

Micah 6:8

As I look at today’s first set of verses I look to dig deeper to understand better and so I am turning to the Amplified version which provides a bit more insight when it gives us:

‘[Rather] is this not the fast which I choose, To undo the bonds of wickedness, To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke, To let the oppressed go free And break apart every [enslaving] yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth; Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity], The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression], The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech, ‘

Isaiah 58:6-9

We need to understand the why! We shouldn’t just be going through the motions! We shouldn’t just be going with the flow! We need to be living with purpose, on purpose, and for the purpose which God has given us! So let’s be the dads who take a pause from the normal, the everydays, the routines, the habits, the rituals, and choose to adjust our lives for God’s glory. Let’s be the dads who take time to focus on God and His will and His way through times of fasting. Not for merit or credit but rather for a time to focus more on our relationship with God. We need to be fasting in a way that will undo the bonds of wickedness! We need to be fasting in a way that will tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke. We need to be fasting in a way that will help the oppressed receive freedom. We need to be fasting in a way that breaks apart the yokes that keep people from being able to live life to the full. We need to be fasting in a way that will provide for those in need. We need to be fasting in a way that will give people in need a place to be safe and whole. We need to be fasting in a way that meets people right where they are in order to clothe them. We need to be fasting in a way that provides for and meets the needs of our own families. We need to be fasting in a way that will let our lights shine the glory of God into this dark world! We need to be fasting in a way that brings healing, restoration, and new life. We need to be fasting in alignment with God’s Word, God’s plan, and God’s purpose so that He will be leading us from the front and guarding us against the back. So today, let’s be the dads who are living this way in order that God answers us when we call, God says “Here am I” when we cry for help. Let’s be the dads who take away from our midst the yoke of oppression. Let’s be the dads who take away from our midst finger-pointing and other types of wickedness.

As we step into our today, let’s be the dads who choose to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Today’s devotional has been provided by K-LOVE books (more details can be found here: About The Publisher)

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, please visit https://www.klove.com/books.

Take-Aways from Today’s Devotional

• Do you have God’s attention? Do you know what it takes to get God’s attention? Ever studied the topic?
• Today’s devotional shares some of the findings when it shares:
  • “worship goes hand-in-hand with justice.“
  • “There is an obedience, an action, an expression, that connects to the outward display of praise. “
  • “Taking care of widows and orphans, investing the time and energy to help people who have fallen down and help get them “out of the ditch.” “
  • “acts of obedience are worship.“
• Today’s devotional points to how connected they are and how that connection is required.
• Let’s be the dads who spend time in God’s Word to hear from Him and learn more and more about Him.
• Let’s be the dads who are interested in understanding the heart of God and as such spend time in His Word.
• Let’s be the dads who focus on people and look to touch one heart at a time which will help transform their lives for the glory of God’s kingdom!
• Let’s be the dads who follow Jesus’s example where He care for people on a personal and individual basis.
• Let’s be the dads who follow Jesus’s example and touch people’s lives right where they are at and look to meet their need.
• Let’s consider the examples from today’s devotional of ways we can do this and live it out:
  • “the guy at the homeless shelter who’s felt invisible and unloved for years“
  • “the co-worker who’s struggling in a marriage“
  • “the neighbor who knows that when you say you’ll pray for their family, you actually do“
• Let’s be the dads who meet people at their point of need in the way they need it.
  • “People want to experience authenticity, not celebrity.“
  • “They desire interaction with integrity, not entertainment.“
  • “They want to know their lives have a purpose.“
• Let’s be the dads who accept the priveledge and responsibility to share “the Good News of Jesus so that they can know the One who holds their hope and their future“.
• Let’s be the dads who accept the priveledge and responsibility to share the Good News of Jesus so that they can know “that their heavenly Father loves them deeply and has a purpose and a plan for their lives.“
• Let’s be the dads who worship all week long, not just at church or in a service or on weekends.
• Let’s be the dads who worship by the way we choose to live our lives, “day-in-and-day-out interactions with people, from our living room to the office, from our spouse to the cashier at the convenience store.“
• Let’s be the dads who live our lives as an expression of our love for God!
• Let’s be the dads who live our lives worshipping as “our expression of God’s love and life to the world“.
• Let’s be the dads who live our lives in the pursuit of justice!
• Let’s be the dads who live our lives “joining God in bringing His righteousness to the world.”
• Today’s devotional closes with the following thoughts and questions for us to consider:
  • “What if we could all accept our identity in Christ that we are His beloved?“
  • “What if we stopped trying to earn grace that we have already been given?“
  • “He already calls us His own, so the focus is not to be on what we can do, but what He has done.“
  • “What is one way your personal worship and justice can connect?“
  • “Who has God placed in your life that He wants to reach through you?“