3 Truths on Father’s Day
Father’s day is upon us… so let’s consider a gift which is endless… First, let’s consider the playing field…
We have an enemy, and it’s not those people we disagree with or who believe differently than we do.
It’s not people on the other side of the political spectrum.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. (Ephesians 6:12)
Our enemy is oh so much worse.
He is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
He pummels us with lies over the entire course of our lives.
He pummels the men in your life again and again telling them who to be and what to do, what is real and what is right.
His false messages are insidious because they don’t sound so bad… at first, at least.
But, of course, if we believe them, if we follow his lies, they surely debilitate us… Keeping us unsure of ourselves… Causing us to be satisfied with merely surviving… Making us tired… Making us feel underutilized and isolated.
And, eventually, these lies lead us to our deaths.
So, here we are.
In a upside-down, severely messed up world… A world screaming for redemption, A with a vicious enemy and O’ so many earthly agents of the evil one… So… here we are… in a world telling us that the odds stacked against us… In a world one can some days feel that it is impossible for us to ever live the way our God designed us to live.
Yep, on the surface… things can look grim.
But..
Stop…
Look Up…
Listen carefully…
These are lies… they are not the Truth…
Why?
Because opposite of all those lies is something much greater… It is the Truth of God… It is the Truth of Jesus Christ.
It is the Truth of His Spirt that Lives in us.
And, furthermore…
We are designed to be agents of His Truth… encouraging one another, telling the people in our lives the Truth we see in them, helping them to stand strong in the face of all this deception and malice… Yes… to shine the Light of Jesus Christ into the mixed up, dark world.
So…
This father’s day…
As a unique and powerful gift, consider three things you can tell your husband… your dad… all the dads God has placed in your life…
Remind him that he Is Never Alone
Jesus promises he is with us wherever we go—when we’re home, when we’re at work, in tough circumstances, in every difficult call, every difficult meeting. “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
Remind him of this.
But tell him that you are with him too.
For your husband… remind him of your wedding vows—to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.
Remind him that you are a team, that you are with him in every victory and every failure, every joy and every struggle.
Remind him that he Is Loved, No Matter What
Hear this clearly… we are each precious sons and daughters of an outrageously loving Father God.
God’s love for each of us burns bright and true.
It will never dim.
Not ever.
Not even a little. If you were to plot his love on a graph, the line would be high and flat.
It wouldn’t fluctuate over time; it would never swing in response to our good actions—or even our worst. He doesn’t love us more because of the things we’ve accomplished or acquired in life.
Remind your him of this.
But remind him too that you love him for who he is—the love of your life—not for what he does and what he brings home.
Remind him that even in these trying times that you are Not Worried
For husbands… for dads, granddads, for all caring men… it sometimes feels like worrying is just a part of being a man.
So often, they worry about the bad things that might happen—to them, to us, to loved ones.
So, they, like each of us, strategize and plan about how to get out in front of all those things.
And as we know, and the Word tells us… all that worrying can hang over our lives.
It can haunt our thoughts and steal important moments—moments that should be joy-filled.
But, hear this clearly…
Jesus teaches us that we don’t need to worry.
For he didn’t come so that we’d live lives haunted by fear.
He came and died to set us free from such things (Gal. 5:1).
He assures us that our Father God will take care of us, whether we worry or not (Matt. 6:26).
So, this day…
Remind your husband… your dad… or other father figure which God has placed in your life … of this, as well.
But even more, tell him that you are not worried.
Tell him you trust God.
And tell him that you trust him too.
Encourage him.
Tell him you believe in him.
Tell him that you know it’s all going to be okay, somehow.
Most importantly…
Tell him that you pray for him regularly… (And do it !!! )
Maybe even…
Write your version of all these messages on a card.
Or, perhaps better still, tell him with your own words, looking directly into his eyes.
However you do it, surprise your husband… your dad… your God sent earthly father with these uncommon, right-side-up gifts on Father’s Day.
Draw Close, He is Near=