God is Responsible for you: Prodigal Son - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) April 22, 2022

Remember the story of the prodigal son? Told by Jesus in Luke 15:11-31, the parable is about a young man who demanded his inheritance from his father. (Note, a child typically receives their inheritance after the passing of a parent. What does it mean when a child wants their inheritance before a parent's death? That's a discussion for another day). Against all advice, he took that wealth and squandered it. He then had to take a menial job and hungry, had to eat pig food. One day, he realized his father's servants had it better. He also concluded that if he went home, apologized, and sought to work as a servant in his father's house, he'd be better off than living on pig slop.

Humbled, the young man started his journey. We are told in Luke 15:20 - “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The lost son was warmly received and a homecoming party was held in his honor.

Just like the prodigal son, we often think we will do a better job handling our affairs by ourselves. When we get to thinking that way, we demand that the blessings and gifts our Father has for us come immediately. And when God obliges, we use them for our own desires instead of His purposes. The result is we end up squandering what we should have patiently waited for.

Praise be to God, that even after making a mistake, our loving Father doesn't abandon us. Instead, like the father of the prodigal son, He waits eagerly, watching out for our return. And when we return, all of heaven gives glory and rejoices (Luke 15:10).

Knowing this, why then do we struggle to wait for what God has for us? Why can't we be patient? After all, we know that God will fulfill His promises and won't let us down, right? The trouble is in the waiting. We've been conditioned to desire immediate gratification. However, God doesn't always work that way. Sure, sometimes we'll have our desires and prayers fulfilled in the blink of an eye. However there are times when He will allow us to wait even if that constitutes a struggle. Indeed, what God said is contained in 1 Peter 5:10 - And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (NIV)

The God who is responsible for you will take care of you. He wants you to trust Him and know that you will receiveyour birthright at the right time. The waiting might not be easy but you have to remember that after a short spell of struggle, our Father Himself will remove the dust left behind from the suffering. He will bless you with clean garments, so you stand strong in Him. You'll have what was promised and more, if you just let your Father, who has all responsibility for your welfare, perfect you and all that is around you.

Lord, increase our faith in You and grant us Your grace to wait patiently and persevere, IJMN, Amen.

See you at Noon!

God is Responsible for you: Leashed vs Unleashed? - Tuesday P & P (for others) April 19, 2022

Have you ever seen those kids at the mall whose parents put those dog leashes on them? Fine, I exaggerate. Unlike a dog leash, this one doesn't go around the child's neck but is connected to a backpack that usually looks like a teddy bear or some other cute animal. Also, they're branded as harnesses or tethers. Yet, a leash is a leash no matter how it's packaged, right? Now ask yourself, in your walk with God, do you want to be the kid who walks with his parents in the mall leashed or leash-free? We've been learning about God and how He's responsible for us. As a good Father, it's His job to get us through the 'mall of life' without us being kidnapped or getting too adventurous (read trouble) if we were to wander off. After all, crazy things happen at malls nowadays. So, if you're a child of God, with a penchant for being naughty, you can take the approach of Jonah (discussed on June 15th, 2021) who was instructed to go to Nineveh and prophecy. Jonah, using human logic, had a tantrum of sorts and decided to get in a ship going in the opposite direction, as far away from where God was leading as possible. By now, we should all know how that ended: he ended up on a sinking ship, was thrown into the sea then landed in the belly of a fish, which spat him out on Nineveh's shores. He was stubborn, but God put a leash on him and despite his shenanigans got him safe through the chaos of the 'mall'. You can also move like Elijah. We talked about him on November 5th, 2021. If you recall, Queen Jezebel threatened God's prophet and in fear, he ran into the wilderness. This right after ridding the Kingdom of Israel of 850 false prophets and showing the people that God answers by fire. And, he prayed to open the heavens and send down rain on a parched nation that hadn't seen rain in 3 years. That same man of God ran when his life was threatened. How did God deal with this servant? With kindness. Unlike disobedient Jonah, Elijah was fed miraculously, visited by angels, spoken to by God and reset in his ministry. We can be the kids that are gently guided back to the path of righteousness or we could be the kids who walk with a leash until we learn how to behave. The choice is ours. It doesn't change the fact that God won't relinquish His responsibility for us. After all, He knew us from before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5). He had great plans for us from the beginning of time (Jeremiah 29:11). Is He expected to just let us live and act however we like, and squander the great destiny that's in store for us? Oh, if we keep up the tantrums He'll eventually let us do what we like because He ultimately respects our right to choose. Particularly if one commits the sin unto death (1 John 5:16). But, is that choice you want to make? I'm a parent and I assure you I know the sweat I've put into my offspring. I'm determined to do all I can to keep them on the right path. Can you see how God would do the same and more for us? So, in your walk with the Lord, who are you going to be? A Jonah or an Elijah? Consider becoming more like Philip, who when instructed by the Holy Spirit to follow a certain chariot, he ran to obey (Acts 8:29-30). May our Father help each of us to listen, hear, and obey with zeal, IJMN, Amen. See you at Noon.

God is Responsible for you: Your Father - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) April 15, 2022

"I am your Father." That's the message the Lord wants us to not just hear but believe. This can be very difficult for those of us who never had fathers or fathers who didn't quite rise to the occasion. However, the Lord says in 2 Corinthians 6:18 - And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

A father - a good father - takes full responsibility for his offspring. Think of Job. He was a man who prayed for and made sacrifices to God on behalf of his children just in case they'd sinned (Job 1:5). He didn't need to, but he knew he was crucial for maintaining the spiritual relationship between his children and God. Then there's Caleb, who gave his daughter and her husband land in the hill country. But when his daughter, Achsah, came asking for a spring to water the land they'd received, Caleb didn't just give her one, he gave her two (Joshua 15:19). He wasn't going to let his daughter's family struggle for water resources.

Consider Jairus, as well. He was a religious leader in Israel during the time of Jesus Christ and likely the type that despised the Son of God and all the miracles He was performing. Why? Because Jesus was a threat to the long-standing religious hegemony. And yet, when his daughter fell sick and was close to dying, he went searching for Jesus to save her (Mark 5:22-23). He put his pride and societal reputation to the side, choosing instead to get his beloved daughter the help she needed.

These are examples of good fathers in the Bible who did the needful for their children. Can you imagine, God is all this and so much more to us?

God is responsible for you and all you have to do is accept His help. Take His hand and let Him lead.

Far too often, we question our ability to ever be worthy of the Lord. However, we need to accept we're not worthy. This is because we are sinners who fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23). Once we accept this, we can be grateful that despite our imperfections, we receive His grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. No matter what we've done or not done. All we have to do is accept that we are sinners and accept Jesus as having paid the blood price for us. Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

If we submit and commit to be led by our Father, He will keep us on the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3). In fact, 1 Corinthians 1:8 states, He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He takes the responsibility to get us to where He wants us to be. He sent Jesus for this very reason. When we open ourselves up to Him, He sends us the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us in all things. All we need do is ask for help, listen, and obey.

Now, this isn't an excuse to just live our lives however we want. We can't think to ourselves, "well, God's going to help me out so I can just live as I like." To sin, believing that grace will cover all, does not work (Romans 6:1). We are warned to not continue in sin, to not allow it to enslave us again once we've been freed by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus.

Regardless of all the grace, God still expects us to be obedient children. All through the Bible He promises good things for those who obey. We are to honor Him, the blood sacrifice of the Lamb, and the presence of His Holy Spirit by walking in alignment. Living lives reflecting the fear of the Lord, giving Him praise, and loving others with godly consideration and love are but some ways to achieve this. We just have to do our part and the Lord does the rest. He carries the load and extends us grace, which He promised is sufficient for us to get through each day as we wait to get to the end - eternal life with Him.

May the good Lord, our Good Father, continue to work in us the desire and power to please and serve Him, IJMN, Amen.