A Father Stamp

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:19 KJV

It does stretch one's mind a bit to think about the qualifications of being a true spiritual father. Our interpretation of what that means could be quite different than God's interpretation. Does God have a spiritual father stamp that He uses to identify such men?

Some men look the part of a father-but they are not-while other men don't look the part of a father and are. Perhaps it would simplify things a bit if God would give us a clue as to what His thoughts are on the subject.
We could offer our thoughts on this subject, but it would probably come more from natural reasoning rather than from spiritual discernment.

Since we do respect the elderly, we tend to make spiritual fathers out of them even if they are not. The idea of respecting elderly men is an honorable thing to do and should be our practice, but that doesn't necessarily make them spiritual fathers.

Even though God is our real spiritual Father, He has anointed certain men to carry the spiritual father mantle in a practical way.

I met a man many years ago that was different from all the other men I had known. He was an exceptionally strong man whose claim to fame was that of tearing a full size phone book in half with his bare hands. He was occasionally invited to do this amazing feat in the school gymnasium in front of a crowd of screaming young people cheering him on.

You would think such a man would be loud and boisterous, but he was quite the contrary. He was a quiet, gentle, dignified man who walked close to the Lord. He always loved me as his own son and we remained friends until he went to be with the Lord.

His ways were worth emulating because of his gentle spirit which came from a platform of strength. I think maybe God had stamped him with the spiritual father stamp just for me at that time of my life. It wasn't his ability to rip a phone book in half that impressed me, it was his character.

The highest desire of man should be that of being a prism…reflecting the Heavenly Father, so others may be drawn to God through him. When people are drawn to the Heavenly Father through us…perhaps that is an indication that we too have been stamped with the spiritual father stamp.

Father,

My highest goal and deepest desire in life is to reflect you. I want to say as Jesus said in John 14:9, "He that has seen me hath seen the Father." He also said in John 5:19, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the son also does."

Father, I realize that spiritual growth is a slow journey. My desire is to always be a learner as I grow spirituality, but I especially want to be a reflection of You.

Amen

DITCH BEDS AND PARK BENCHES

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalms 4:8

If I have learned anything, it is that all life experiences have character building values that are needed for our next steps in life. What may seem difficult at the time usually turns out to be a valuable experience.

Looking through today's glasses to appraise experiences that took place back in the 1940's is unfair to say the least. For that reason the story that I am sharing today is not for appraisal, but for praise. Since circumstances were much different back in the 40's than they are today, my story is not a unique one. Many men and boys of all ages experienced similar things.

When I was barely thirteen years old I decided it was time for me to leave home and make my own way in the world. As I look back I am not sure how I thought I was going to accomplish that but nevertheless I was on my way.

I did not have any money when I left home and I do not remember having any strategic plans as to how I thought I was going to get any money.

My worldly possessions consisted of a small cardboard box which held my other pair of pants, a couple of homemade shirts, an extra pair of underwear and my other pair of socks which needed darning badly. By today's standards that did not seem like much of a wardrobe but back in those days it was all a fella needed.

Not having any food did not seem to be that big of a deal either because there was always a Good Samaritan who was willing to share their food with me every day or so. Actually, at the time, I did not think that life was all that bad.

Sometimes at night I would sleep in the ditch beside the little two lane highway. I called it my ditch bed because I would cover myself with the tall grass on either side of me in order to keep off the dew. At other times I would find a good firm picnic table in a roadside park and use that for a bed.

I remember looking up at the stars at night and somehow being thankful for the simple things of life; such as freedom and a place to sleep. Today it may seem strange that a thirteen year old kid would think those kinds of thoughts but I really was grateful. Perhaps it was while laying in my ditch bed or on my picnic table bed that I learned the lesson of being thankful for even the small things in life.

Over the years God has blessed me and I can well afford to buy anything I need or want, yet I am still thankful for my humble beginning. Even today I still appreciate the small things in life such as a new pair of socks, a good meal and above all, a soft bed.

It has now been over sixty years since those first glorious days of discovering the world. I often think of those wonderful days with warm feelings knowing now that it was God who graciously walked me through each one of them. Somewhere along the way I received the gift of gratefulness and therefore I feel blessed to have met so many wonderful mother and father type folks that helped shape my life forever. I am sure God must have had something to do with all of that.

Father,

I thank you for trusting me with such a wonderful beginning. I thank you Lord for all the people you put in my life in those early days. It is as though You put an artist brush in each of their hands and allowed them to paint one stroke of my life. My life painting has many colors in it. Many of those colors are like parables that only make sense to You and me. I thank you Father for allowing me to experience those precious times while sculpting my life.

Amen.

OLD ORDER/NEW ORDER

Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

Psalm 31:23 ESV

Several years ago the term old order became popular in the church among the up and coming 'stars' of the kingdom. If someone wanted to do things the way they had done them in the past they were considered to be old order. Even though no one really said it, everybody knew that the old order people should be put into a spiritual nursing home for their own safety. Otherwise, they could get run over by the new order people.

The term new order usually meant those who were much younger and less likely to get out of line with what God is doing today. They also preached a fiery coming-out sort of message. Their hair was a bit longer, their cars were more expensive and the words that poured from their mouths were smoother than fresh churned butter.

In many cases the thought of them actually praying for the needs of people hinged on being absurd. That was a job for the old order people and certainly not for the set men of the new wave.

Whether those allegations were completely true is not the issue. The fact is there are many of the past generation who served God faithfully for years who now feel unequipped to minister effectively along side the new powerful "generals" of today?

After all how can singing hymns that are hundreds of years old compare with singing choruses that are only a few hours old. How can meeting in a red brick building with a steeple on top compare with the excitement of meeting in the local shopping center? How can dressing up to go to church and wearing a suit and tie compare with dressing down and wearing shorts and sandals

Regardless of how abrupt it may feel this present move is of God. There is always a cost when changing the guard and it must be paid for the sake of the kingdom.

One generation is not preferred over the other. As a matter of fact we should seek out the faithful leaders of the past and incorporate them into what God is doing today. This present generation has a desperate need for fathers which can only be filled with what is commonly known as the old order.

In my opinion the thought of a wise man of God retiring and for all practical purposes being put in a spiritual nursing home is deplorable.

Perhaps we need to empty those spiritual nursing homes and start digging for the treasures of revelation that can only be found in the generals of the past.

Father,
Help me to see the value in those who are ahead of me as well as those who are following me. My desire Lord is to be a perpetual learner. I also desire to be a spiritual depository for others to make withdrawals from the wisdom you have deposited in my life.
Amen!