Habit/Tradition or Following God

How much of what we do in this world is due to habit or tradition and not really in the line of following the commandments of God. Take going to church as an example. We tend to go to church on Sunday’s, but why? Are we doing it to worship the Father and come to Him, or are we doing it because it is what we have always done. Another example is giving to the church. Are we doing it out of habit and not really conscious of our giving, or are we thoughtful and prayerful with every gift.

I believe that we have to push tradition aside and be more thoughtful in our following of God. We have to do things consciously in service to Him and prayerfully considering all our actions in relation to the glory of God at all times.

“⁷You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

‘⁸This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

⁹in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

— Matthew 15:7-9 (ESV)

As I read this morning in relation to my study of the word “father”, I was brought to this passage and at first reading, I was drawn to the honoring of father and mother. But, as I read on and multiple times, I found what I believe God wanted me to find. The title of the passage in my ESV Bible is “Traditions and Commandments” and that is where God wanted me this morning.

I see in the verses that Jesus is speaking with the religious leaders about traditions and commandments and how all will break them. He speaks to them to say that if there is something to be broken, it should be the traditions as they are not from God in this time. Tradition falls into legalism and does not necessarily involve thought and prayer. We are doing them because the law says to and not because it is right.

I have a saying to “Focus on Getting it Right, and NOT Just Getting it Done”. Tradition falls into the “getting it done” for the sake of doing it. Following God is “getting it right” and requires thought and prayer in order to do so. Notice in the verses above that Jesus calls out the religious leaders for just getting things done and not really thinking of whether or not it is indeed right and in following of God.

Where are you in your actions? Are you working through things using tradition and/or habit? What if you were to be more thoughtful and prayerful to follow God and “get it right”?

Love Your Heavenly Father More

This should go without saying, yet, Jesus said it. Yes, He did.

“³⁷Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” – Matthew 10:37 (ESV)

I love my father here in this world. Where he may not have been the man that raised me day to day, he was the man I could call dad. And still, even though he is still with us here in this world, I do not love him as much as I love my heavenly Father.

My heavenly Father will be with me forever and will never leave. I devote myself to my heavenly Father just as He is devoted to me. I am to raise Him up as He will raise me up. I will follow Him and He will carry me. My earthly father has his life and immediate family in his household that he cares for and lifts up. My heavenly Father has all of me and you and everyone that He cares for and lifts up.

There is a saying in sports, “play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the name on the back”. This is in reference to name of the organization and the last name of the person. Translating this to this message is to say we are to serve the family of God more than the family here on earth. I have to remember to follow and be with my heavenly Father and family more than my earthly family.

What father are you loving and following more? Are you concerned more with the love of your earthly father or your heavenly Father? What if you followed and loved your heavenly Father more and served the family of God?

Quid Pro Quo with Jesus

This may sound to some that Jesus wants something from us to give something to us. I guess to some degree that is true and I have to say that I am all in with that way of thinking.

“³²So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 10:32-33 (ESV)

Here we find Jesus indicating that when we acknowledge Him, He acknowledges us in return. And, the opposite is true as well. Notice that in order to be acknowledged by Jesus, what we are to give in return is simply acknowledgment of Him. And, we will be denied when we deny Him. There is the something for something in return.

I will say that where it is simple in word, it is not as simple in deed. I must acknowledge the LORD and do so with all that I am. I give myself over to Him with all of me and when I do, I am acknowledging His greatness and holiness and rule over me. I am to be fully committed to His rule over my life and actions and now and future. In return, God will devote all of Himself to me. And there we have the quid pro quo.

Here is where things are a bit different in the idea of the quid pro quo with Jesus. Once I have given myself to Him, He does not turn His back on me. Even when I may fall away due to my human qualities, He does not abandon me. Even when I may not acknowledge Him fully, He does not turn away from me. Even when I may experience challenges, He continues to support and love and acknowledge me. So my quid is just the full acknowledgment of Jesus and He provides the forever quo.

Jesus is family who will never turn His back on me. Since I have joined the family, He comforts, guides, protects, defends, and acknowledges me for eternity. I gave Him me and He gave me Himself.

What are your thoughts on what you get from Jesus? Are you looking for something from Him without giving anything of yourself? What if you remembered the quid pro quo with Jesus, you acknowledge Him and give all of yourself to receive all of Him in return?

OUR Father

This morning I was led to read in the book of Matthew the Lord’s Prayer. In fact, I have been led here a number of times as I am sure that most have. I was even reminded that God is OUR Father and not just mine.

“⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹Pray then like this:

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

¹⁰Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread,

¹²and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.’”

— Matthew 6:8-13 (ESV)

Above is the example/model, from Jesus as to how to pray. I will admit that until a few months ago, when speaking of God, I would personalize Him to me, or if I did recognize Him as for all, it was more in and out of habit as opposed to doing so intentionally.

What changed, well it was a sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer that went verse by verse over a number of weeks. One of the sermons was on the first line or opening of “Our Father in Heaven”. You see, “Our” refers to the family of us with the same last name. We are all children of God. When praying to Him, I have to remember that I am not just praying to my heavenly Father, but to OUR heavenly Father.

I know, yes, there are those times when prayer is very personal and for me directly. I will pray for myself and God’s hand over me and around me. Even this morning I was praying for His watch over my reading of His Word and the work He has for me in this day. But, I opened my prayer by speaking to “Our Father” and not just mine. And then pivoted to mine praise and request.

I have to remember to be selfless with the LORD and pray to “Our Father” as He is not just my God, but the God and Father of us all.

What does your prayer to God resemble? Are you selfishly reaching out to your Father? What if you opened with speaking to “Our Father” and them pivoted to your praise and requests?

Our Everlasting Father

This morning I am reading in Isaiah about the coming of Jesus. I am here for verse six and as always, God presents to me that which He wants for me.

“⁶For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

— Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

Jesus, born and named. The name I am looking at is “Everlasting Father”. He is to be, born as, and will ever be my Father.

I know that it may be difficult for some to imagine the magnitude of Jesus. I know that every day I am amazed at all that He does, did, and will do for me. And as such, I am brought back, reminded of it all thanks to the Word of God and my study of it. I get so caught up in the world and what is going on in it that I “forget” that whatever happens, it was and has been scripted by God and He is now allowing me to witness and experience it. All that goes on in my life is made possible by God and will continue to be so for eternity.

Jesus is our Father forever. He is the one born into the role from God so that He would be able to experience all that I will experience. He knows the difficulty of this world and the Word of God guides me through it with the help of the Holy Spirit.

I am grateful for my Father and all that He does, did, and will do.

How are you seeing Jesus? Are you seeing Him as a figure for today? What if you see Him for the eternity that He is, everlasting and remember that He does, did, and will do all for you, His child?

Rich in Wisdom

Wealth is something that is fully and completely misconstrued in our society today. There is the general thought that wealth is related to what you have in the bank or what monetary items you can display. There is very little thought to the wealth of biblical design.

“³He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,

but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.”

— Proverbs 29:3 (ESV)

This morning I am reading another verse that iterates that which makes a father glad, wisdom. And as I look at this verse, I find myself looking to the last word, wealth. I am thinking of just what is wealth to look like for me as a follower of Christ. Is it what I have the capacity to purchase or how much I have in the bank or what others can see as I display the monetary value of things I have? And then I look at the first part of the verse and see the riches that I should be counting on, wisdom. Solomon, who was extremely monetarily rich, knew that all of that would not last, and as so, asked God to make him wealthy in wisdom.

I have to look at the same approach as Solomon and know that all the money in the world will not last. It can and will be squandered on foolish things. When we look to our monetary wealth as the measure of our success, we are brought to the place of superficial value in the world. Think about what one can do with all the money they have. They have the ability to buy things for people and provide things for people and prop themselves up with all they can give to others. But, what about when the money is gone, what is their station in life then. When that which provided your value, money, dries up, then the prevailing consequence is that one is now forgotten as there is nothing more for them to give to others.

I have read and heard of too many instances where those who acquired great monetary wealth were found to be destitute sometime later as they squandered all of the wealth and do not know how they will provide going forward without that wealth.

Then we have those who have built their wealth on the intrinsic, like knowledge and wisdom. For these never want for anything and are always contributing something. These are those who may not have all the monetary wealth in the world, yet somehow they are always found giving to others. And in those contributions, there is no fanfare or spotlight on them as they give, yet those who receive are better off than they would have been with an extra $20.

This is where the true wealth is found. God provides and blesses. It is from those blessings that we are able to impact. We look to often at what we want instead of what we need and confuse the two. The needs are the provision and the wants are the blessings. When I am seeking for provision of wisdom I am rich with all I need and then when God blesses me with more, I am able to provide as opposed to squandering it all on me.

What is your idea of riches? Are you looking to have all that you want and that will somehow make you better off? What if you were to see your wisdom as the provision that makes you rich and God’s blessings as that which you can share with others?

Truth, Wisdom, Instruction, and Understanding

This morning as I continue my study of the word “father” I am led to Proverbs 23. As usual, God had plans for me and my learning this morning. Too often I go into something expecting one thing and receiving something entirely different.

“²³Buy truth, and do not sell it;

buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”

— Proverbs 23:23 (ESV)

Where yes, if you look at the verses before and after the above, there are the references to “father”, I also see that which is in the one verse above, and that is truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

It is not a coincidence that Solomon asked for wisdom from God and not riches. It is too often that we go looking for the quick “fix” to what seems to be working against us. I know that I just want things to be over as opposed to understanding them. Yet, God, our Father, is glad in us when we are wise.

“²⁴The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.”

— Proverbs 23:24 (ESV)

And it is more than just wisdom that we should be seeking. It is truth and instruction and understanding as well.

I pay attention to politics for the purpose of understanding what is there and what is coming. In doing so, I have to spend a lot of time sifting through the deception, half-truths, and outright lies that are presented. It does not matter the side of the aisle you are on, there is plenty of it to go through. And yet, there are those who are allowing themselves to be duped as they accept what they are told and do not seek with wisdom for the truth and understanding. They are averse to the instruction as it is easier and faster just to take everything at the word of those speaking.

Our Father wants us to seek the truth with wisdom through instruction to gain understanding. When we do, we are blessed with discernment and can then act according to God’s plan.

What are you accepting from others? Are you allowing others to dictate what you know? What if you were to seek truth using wisdom through instruction to gain understanding of God’s plan and how you might execute His plan?

Be Wise for Your Father

It is so easy to say, “be wise”. But what is wisdom?

Wisdom: a: ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: INSIGHT, b: good sense: JUDGMENT – Merriam-Webster Online

It is one then to have knowledge of a topic or subject or instance. It is quite another to know what to do or how to use that knowledge in application. I know that there are a lot of things that I have stored up over my years that really do not have much application in the world on a day to day basis. I like to call all of that useless knowledge.

Now where useless knowledge is just that, useless, most of the time, there are times when it becomes invaluable when applied in the right circumstance. As an example, spouting off the atomic weight of iron, 55.845 u, at a dinner party is of little value. But that same bit of information in an interview for the job of a scientist is invaluable. That is the knowledge of the subject or “INSIGHT” as opposed to just having the information.

“¹The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.”

— Proverbs 10:1 (ESV)

I am a father to two sons and both of them are very intelligent. They have demonstrated their knowledge in their schoolwork as well as in the world with what they have accomplished, and I am very proud of them. But, I will say, there are times that they do not really use their intelligence and it is a bit perplexing. When they are demonstrating that knowledge and wisdom in their choices to apply that knowledge I am just beaming. Yet, when they seem to have left their brain at the house when they left I can but shake my head in wonder.

All of this applies to our relationship with God, our heavenly Father as well. It is up to me to do the work and demonstrate my knowledge through application and bring my brain with me everywhere I go. I am here to please only one, and that is God. I do so as noted in the above verse by being wise. And Just what is wisdom but “INSIGHT” and “JUDGMENT”. It is my job to be conscious of my work to ensure that I am demonstrating wisdom throughout.

Of course, there will always be those times where I will not be the most wise. I will make mistakes as will we all. There will be time where I am caught up on the moment and God, as well as others will simply shake their head. But, those should be the exception to the norm and rule. I am to be focused on doing the work of Christ and when I am, I will be able to work to the application of knowledge and avoid the foolishness.

What is your approach to using that which you know? Are you out there using it foolishly? What if you were to be out there using it to demonstrate your “INSIGHT” and “JUDGMENT” and WISDOM?

Lean on the Father, He Loves You

When we are small, we learn from others and who better than our fathers. Jesus learned carpentry from His earthly Father and to be the example of God from His heavenly Father. The reason we learn from them is that we trust them to teach us that which we need to know. We have the relationship with them and they with us.

As we grow and take on more and more information we begin to take on that we may know more than those who we have learned from in the past. We begin to move faster through things and as such, less and less will seek the council of those we did before. And, we may even begin to look on those others as holding us back. My son recently called me to discuss something. In the conversation, he was looking at information on the internet and was pushing back with me on the validity of what I was saying as to what he was seeing on the internet. It was not until he made a phone call to “check” on what he was reading that he found that I was correct in my assertion.

“¹¹My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

¹²for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.”

— Proverbs 3:11-12 (ESV)

It is easy for me to lean on myself for what I need. I have the mental capacity and the physical ability to do those things and make it on my own. But, the thing I lack is the experience or knowledge of what comes next. This is where others have the advantage and why we should lean on them. Our earthly father loves us and wants us to have the best knowledge based not on today, but on what is to come as a result of our actions. The heavenly Father loves us and wants us to take the right actions as He already KNOWS the results.

Back to my son. Shortly after the realization of my knowledge, he came to me with another request and since he knew that I had recently done the exact thing, he was seeking my help to resolve the item. He and I worked together to resolve and where I did not remember all of what was needed, he trusted that I could get it resolved based on my experience.

It is up to us to lean on those who know. As we grow older, those in our physical lives may not be there to direct us any longer. We will however always have our heavenly Father to lean on. He loves us more than we deserve and only wants what is best for us. We have to remember that He already KNOWS the end result and certainly wants us to get there.

Who are you leaning on? Are you looking to yourself to find the information to get you to the end? What if you leaned on the one who loves you and KNOWS the end already, the Father?

Heavenly Father, Example to Me

“¹³As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”

— Psalm 103:13 (ESV)

I have to remember that it is from God that I draw my example from. Yes, I have my earthly father as noted above who shows compassion to his children and I should draw from there. But, as we look further back, I have to know that the compassion of the father came from the Father.

I recently wrote that we are to leave our father and that we only have our earthly father for a short while in this world. Remembering that and understanding it, I have to draw on my heavenly Father for the example of what right looks like.

I have mentioned before of my mission and values. One of, actually my first value, is it “Be the Example”. And the description of that value is to “Demonstrate what right looks like in any and all situations. Following the example provided by Christ Jesus.” This speaks volumes to me as I read this morning of the example that the LORD provides for us as our heavenly Father. He is our example and whatever we learn from others should be held to the example of Christ.

Where do you look for your example? Are you seeking guidance solely from those around you in this world? What if you were to seek to follow the example of our heavenly Father as His is the one copied by those before us and, He never leaves us?