Father Like The Father – Day 6

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:

• Genesis 2:16-17
• Psalms 147:3
• Genesis 3:21

‘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

‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. ‘

Psalms 147:3

‘The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. ‘

Genesis 3:21

Today’s verses speak to me about how much our Heavenly Father cares for us. He cares so much that He sets healthy boundaries, not to keep us from a full life but to protect us from the threats, the temptations, and the behaviors that would bring harm and pain. He cares so much that He finds us in our pain and suffering and steps in to heal our broken hearts and bandages up and puts dressing on our wounds. He cares so much that He comes in and heals our pains and comforts our sorrows. He knows what we have need before we even ask and has it prepared for us. He is our provider, making what we need in order to help us to step in and move forward into His plans and purposes.

God set healthy boundaries when He told Adam and Eve: “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.”

God meets us right where we are at, knowing what we are going through and in the midst of the pain and the sorrow, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

God was there when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and created their own coverings when they realized they were naked after eating from the tree of knowledge and yet as they were removed from the garden, God provided for them out of compassion when He “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”

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.

Show Compassion

• Can you be the dads who after giving clear and concise instructions that give a very simple choice and yet your kids do it anyways can show compassion?
• Can you be the dads who won’t let one mistake be the end of the story for your kids?
• Can you be the dads who shows mercy rather than harsh and immediate punishment?
• Today’s devotional speaks to how God, our Heavenly Father responded when Adam and Eve were in the garden and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Let’s pause to see what they have to say:
  • “When God spoke to Adam in the Garden of Eden, He was very clear. Everything in the garden was fair game, except for one tree that was off limits. Eating from that fruit carried the death penalty. With all the lavish abundance present in the garden, the choice should have been simple, yet that is precisely what Adam did.“
  • “By all accounts, the human story should have been a very short one. God should have confronted Adam and Eve in the garden and killed them on the spot, but He didn’t.“
  • “This seems like an odd way to start the human story. It’s usually not a good idea for parents to make threats that they don’t carry out. Good parents know that once you declare a penalty, you need to stick to it. You must be true to your word. You must “take the toy away”, “ground them for a week”, or literally “turn the car around and go home.” If you don’t follow through, your kids learn to ignore you.“
  • “So what happened? Why are we still here? Why didn’t the God of justice; the God who cannot lie, immediately wipe out the human race?“
  • We get the answer: “God is also a God of mercy.”
    • “Had He killed them on the spot, there would have been justice, but no mercy. Had He simply erased their sentence, there would have been mercy, with no justice. Instead He delayed its execution long enough for the relationship to be reconciled. By choosing to delay, He found a way for mercy and justice to coexist.“
• Let’s be dads who are equally interested in mercy as we are in justice!
• Let’s be the dads who can look at the situation from a higher perspective and act like our Heavenly Father!
• Let’s be the dads who turn to God to help us figure out the right balance between mercy and justice!
• Let’s be the dads who don’t lean too hard in either direction! Let’s be the dads who have balance! Let’s turn to God for wisdom and discernment in and through every situation!
  • “Lean too heavily on the side of justice and we parent with a cold, iron fist. Our children may obey us, but they do so out of compulsion. As soon as they break free from our control, they rebel.“
  • “But if you lean too far on the side of mercy, and our kids grow wild and unruly.“
• Let’s be the dads who are compassionate like God was compassionate with Adam and Eve after kicking them out of the garden as we read in Genesis 3:21 above.
• Let’s be the dads who can balance tender mercy and justice, even when it comes with hard labor and pain, like God did by clothing Adam and Eve as they were leaving the God to live out their lives of punishment working the land.
• Let’s be the dads who don’t give up on our kids!
• Let’s be the dads who love on our kids even while they are working out the hard labor of their punishment for disobedience.
• Let’s be the dads who speak love, speak life, and speak hope to our kids in the midst of their trials and troubles so they don’t lose hope but instead know that they shouldn’t give up on themselves because we aren’t giving up on them either.
• Let’s be the dads who let our kids know that we will be here for them in and through it all.
• Let’s be the dads who demonstrate our love for our kids by being active in their lives.
• So what does that mean we have to do? We have to be the dads who show compassion to our kids!
• Today’s devotional closes with the following prayer:
  • “Pray that God give you the wisdom to be able to parent with both justice and mercy.“