Being Fathered By God – Day 10

A busy day ahead… Change is in the wind… Being the dad my wife, my kids, and this world needs for me to be.

I found this devotional: Being Fathered By God. The devotional seems very powerful and purposeful as it calls out how “Every man has had authority figures in his life, and much of what a man perceives about God was shaped by those authority figures. His earthly father is at the top of every man’s authority list.” So I took on the offer to join the journey into this devotional. Will you join me on this 14-day journey?

Scripture from Today’s Devotional:

• 1 John 4:7

‘Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ‘

1 John 4:7

God’s Word is powerful! Be it one verse, one chapter, one book, or a series or combination, God’s Word never returns void!

Let’s be the dads who make sure we are filled up to overflowing with God’s love! Let’s be the dads who allow God to pour His love into us! Let’s be the dads who share God’s love by overflowing into the lives of our wives and kids God’s love for us and for them! Let’s be the dads who choose to love others! Let’s be the dads who choose to love other believers for the world will know who we are by our love! Let’s grab hold of what Jesus was telling His disciples and is telling us in John 13 today where it says:

‘ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ‘

John 13:34-35

Let’s be the dads who demonstrate we know God by loving our wives, our kids, and our world! Let’s be the dads who demonstrate that we have been born of God by loving our wives, our kids, and our world! Let’s be salt and light into this world by spicing things up with love and brightening things up with love!

Today’s devotional was provided by Michael Thompson where on zoweh.org they share the following: “Every man has had authority figures in his life, and much of what a man perceives about God and projects onto God was shaped by those authority figures. At the top of every man’s authority list is his earthly father. How your dad handled your heart has shaped you and contributed significantly to how you perceive God. Join us for this journey towards experiencing the heart of the Father and getting everything out of the way that is in the way of being a Beloved Son.“

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)

Through zoweh.org, you are able to download today’s devotional and many others.

For more information, please visit https://www.zoweh.org/youversion.

Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“The Sword of Aragorn“

• Ever been on the edge of something and unsure what’s next?
• Ever found yourself unsure of what is going to happen and trying to play it out in your mind?
• Ever gone through scenarios that made you nervous?
• Ever gone through scenarios that caused you to prepare for the worst?
• Ever gotten to the point where you are like “I’ve never done this before“?
• How about with God and praying?
• Ever thought to yourself “What if God doesn’t answer?“?
• Ever thought to yourself “What if I’m not ready or I’m not good enough?“?
• Ever thought to yourself “What if he does speak and it isn’t good?“?
• Ever been to or gotten to the point where you feel “uncertainty, apprehension, and the feeling that I am not qualified“?
• Let’s be the dads who in the midst of the situation trust God!
• Let’s be the dads who in the midst of the environment trust God!
• Let’s be the dads who trust God so much that in spite of the situation or environment are able to be optimistic that it is going to work out!
• Let’s be the dads who trust God so much that in spite of the situation or environment are able to be optimistic that when this works out “it will change everything“!
• Today’s devotional shares a time with us that goes like this:
  • “What do you think of me, Father? Who am I to you? I sit, still and listening, waiting for a reply. I have never done this before. It is my first time asking the Creator of all that is good such a personal question. All my previous conversations with God over the past thirty-some years of my life haven’t really been conversations. They’ve been more monologues than dialogues. I did all the talking and he did all the listening. I would give him my list and hope we would have time to get to it.“
• Today’s devotional gives us an example of how that changed and how we can change too when it says:
  • “Not this time. This time I have asked a question and I await an answer. It doesn’t take long—the distractions, I mean. Oh, look at that bird! I wonder what kind of rock this is. Wow, the clouds sure are fluffy. Re-engaging, I close my eyes and drop back to my question, God, what do you think of me? Who am I to you? My thoughts go to the epic story The Lord of the Rings and the character Aragorn. I love that story, and I love who Aragorn is in his journey of becoming. He is brave, courageous, strong, and cunning. . . . Again drifting. I suck at this! God, what do you think of me and who am I to you? The character of Aragorn invades my thoughts and my time with God again. I love how he fights for a cause larger than himself, all the while wrestling with a deep secret. I love his friends and the fellowship he is a part of. Dang it! Come on, Thompson. Back to prayer. This is serious! Stop messing around!“
• Let’s be the dads who will listen and ask clarifying questions along with wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit so we can understand what is being said!
• Let’s be the dads who are willing to hear from God!
• Let’s be the dads who are wanting to hear from God!
• Let’s be the dads who are hearing from God!
• Our wives need us to be the dads who hear from God!
• Our kids need us to be the dads who hear from God!
• Our world needs us to be the dads who hear from God!
• We need to hear from God!
• Today’s devotional continues with the story…
  • “Too late. Time is up. I have to rejoin the ranks of the men at the retreat. Pushing up from the ground I conclude, “either God must be busy or I’m not doing it right.” Neither answer feels good. Fast-forward eight weeks. It is my fortieth birthday. Family is in town and we have had a great day. Cake, cards and presents! There among the little pile of gifts and cards is a long box—a really long box and thin. I have been dropping hints for a shotgun, and by the looks of things today might be the day. Then again, it also could be golf clubs. My dad and brother are pretty good golfers and they are always trying to buy me a better game. It hasn’t worked yet, but I always appreciate their efforts.“
• Are you like me and wondering what that last present could be, would be, will be?
• The story in today’s devotional continues…
  • “All the gifts are unwrapped except for this one. Obviously, it’s the BIG ONE! I truly feel a bit giddy unwrapping it. I remove the lid . . . my eyes take in what’s inside . . . And I am stunned. Suddenly I’m both in the family room of my house and back on the side of the mountain at the men’s retreat. Because gleaming up at me from the box is the Sword of Aragorn. Tears begin to swell. Warmth pours into my body. Seconds pass. No one says a word. Then my wife, Robin, breaks in. “Do you like it? I wasn’t sure which sword to get you. There were dozens to pick from. I just knew God wanted me to get you a sword. Several weeks ago he laid it on my heart. I had another one picked out but it didn’t feel right—then this one came to me on the website as an option. Is it all right? Do you like it? It’s the sword of . . .”“
• Let’s be the dads who realize that God hears our prayers!
• Let’s be the dads who realize that God answers our prayers!
• Let’s be the dads who are ready and willing to hear God’s answer and receive it!
• Let’s be the dads who meditate on the answer to make sure we understand it rather than sweeping it away or putting it away on a shelf!
• Let’s be the dads who ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment!
• Let’s be the dads who ask the Holy Spirit for instruction and direction!
• Let’s be the dads who are choosing to walk with God and in God healthy and strong!
• Today’s devotional continues with more of the story…
  • “I already know. God has partnered with my wife to give me a sword and not just any sword. This particular sword. The Sword of Aragorn. My wife and my Father have done this: affirmed me, validated me, and invited me to see who I am. This—this—is Belovedness.“
• Do you have stories of when God spoke to you?
• Do you have stories of when God gave you something?
• Let’s be the dads who testify to God’s goodness!
• Let’s be the dads who testify to God’s faithfulness!
• Let’s be the dads who express God’s love!
• Let’s be the dads who receive who God says we are!
• Let’s be the dads who accept who God says we are, even if we can’t see it yet!
• Let’s be the dads who trust God to help us become who He created and has purposed for us to become!
• Today’s devotional concludes the story with this:
  • “The Father has given me many, many other good gifts since he gave me the sword. But I know I’m not the only one for whom he does this. What have you gotten? How is the Father showing you who you are? The Father is at work authoring, perfecting, and rebuilding something. That something is actually a someone—you and me. The Father is building his sons into men, strong and good men who bear his image. It starts with a foundation of receiving love and advances through healing our hearts through all the means necessary for our becoming his Beloved Sons. For you see, it is Beloved Sons to whom he desires to entrust his power and authority.“
• Today’s devotional closes with this advice for the lessons from God:
  • “Some of the lessons are hard. But that is what makes the “ceremony” of becoming so good. It is the process we, his image-bearers, must go through in order for Life to be redeemed and restored to us. And as I have shared . . . it doesn’t end there. We are then called to be his intimate allies, the peacekeepers, the courageous and compassionate, the fearless and caring—the Warriors of his kingdom, the men who know how to fight and know how to dance.“
• Today’s devotional challenges us with these questions for our time alone with God:
  • “Does the Aragorn Sword story invite you to look back at any packages you might have missed?“
  • “Is God taking you back to see, hear and engage in a moment of your past in which He didn’t get the credit for or the thank-you expression that comes after?“
  • “Also… this was a gift to show me who I was, a very important component to orientation. One of the 3 central questions we bring to God for answers…”
    • “Who Am I?“
    • “Where Am I?“
    • “What is the Good You are up to in my life, God?“
  • “How is God answering these 3 questions in your life?“