The “Other” Room

DADs, how many times do you find yourself in your house and everybody in your family is in the same room except you? Maybe you brought work home to finish, maybe you have to pay the bills or just watching your favorite game on TV, AGAIN!

Every once in awhile one of your children may ask the question, “where’s dad?" In unison the other members together say, “dad’s in the other room!”

Where else would he be?

To truly be the man God uses in the family, the father must be the dad and choose to not only to be present, but to be actively engaged to be the spiritual leader!

In the book of Ephesians 6:4, Paul writes, "and DADs, don't stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Men, we cannot encourage, train, or instruct from the “other room.”

Be resolved today to change!

Stay away from the “Other Room.”

Be the DAD today and everyday!

DADs…do not stand on the sidelines of life…get off the bench…“get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day…God gives you!

So…C’mon men…Suit Up!

DADS,

Remember the old Sprite commercial’s slogan "Obey your thirst”?

I love that. I'm a goal setter and I love to encourage others to follow their thirst, their passion!

But what if what you thirst for is not what God wants you to do?

Are you willing to obey and move to what God is calling you too?

For me it’s a struggle. It’s ok to struggle as long as God is in the conversation. 

The Lighthouse Story - One of my favorite stories! (Shared by Stephen Covey)

It was a dark and stormy night… The visibility was poor with patchy fog...

Captain, captain…wake up wake up…

What’s wrong? What is it?

Sorry to awaken you sir but we have a problem…

what is it?

There is a ship about 20 miles from us traveling in our sea lane and they refuse to move

Tell them to move.

We have…they won’t move...

Well I will tell them.

Signal goes out…MOVE starboard 20 degrees…at once!

Signal returns…move starboard 20 degrees yourself at once!

I can’t believe this…I am a captain…let them know who I am...I am important...

Signal goes out...I am Captain Horatio Hornblower the 26th commanding you to turn 20 degrees starboard…at once

Signal returns…this is Seaman 2nd class Carl Jones the 3rd commanding you to move 20 degrees starboard…at once

who is this guy? the arrogance

Doesn’t he realize we are a battleship and that we could just blow them out of the water?

Let them know who we are...

Signal goes out...

This is the mighty USS Missouri…the flagship of the 7th fleet…

Signal returns: This sir is the Lighthouse…

A true story!

When I think of this story I associate us as the battleship traveling and charting our own course

and I see God as the lighthouse, the great NAVIGATOR! The GREATEST NAVIGATOR!

So often we want God the creator of all things to move! Like the captain, after all, its all about us, right?

What is one thing that you just have a hard time obeying? 

The very things we sometimes complain about are the same things put into place to protect us:

• speed limit 50 - we want 55
• curfews 11pm - we want 11:30pm
• police - we complain until we need one!
• seat belts - an inconvenience but always the first question we ask after an accident, ”Were they wearing a seat belt?"
• rules of the road - what if we had no stop signs or traffic lights?
• justice system - who would we call to file a complaint?
• Laws - too many - but we dig deep to find the law that was broken against us!
• Government - too big - but what would happen without it?

DADS, when I have found myself the furthest from God is when I know I am in the wrong and NOT living a life God wants me to. In other words, NOT in Christ, not being obedient.

When I am in prayer, reading scripture daily, coming to church every time the are doors open, life is good!

When I am not doing these things, the distance between me and God is wide. Who is moving away when that is happening? Not God. He NEVER waivers but He waits for us!

Steps towards HOPE in Christ…Humility…Obedience…Prayer…Eternal.

These are not politically correct actions. Not always seen favorable by the world. 

Why? 

They are hard!

James 1:22 (NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) 
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Great examples of Obedience in the Bible (there are many more)    

Jesus’ Example

Jesus always did the Father’s will, even when it was painful, like when He expressed in the Garden of Gethsemane the desire to have this cup pass from Him, but Jesus said, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus knew that “he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him” (John 8:29). In fact, Jesus said “for even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi to “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:5-7), and so Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Who could be any more humble than Jesus Who washed his disciple’s feet, including that of His betrayer, Judas?

Abraham’s Call

When God called Abraham in Genesis chapter 12, we see absolutely no hesitation on his part to obey God. It says ““the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing”” (Gen 12:1-2). Imagine this: Abram (later called Abraham) was to leave his family, his friends, his occupation, his home, and his worshiping of false gods to go to a land that he’d never seen before and called by a God who he had never known about before, but we see no hesitation in Abraham at all. He didn’t stop to think about it, stop to count the cost, or ask God, “Why.” It simply said, “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Gen 12:4). How many of us would have dropped everything and left it all behind to go to a strange land and being called by a God that was unknown to him? Abraham also went to the most extreme ends possible in proving that he would obey when God asked him to sacrifice his only son of promise, Isaac. That is the best example of obedience that there is in the Bible, next to Christ’s.

Mary, Jesus’ Mother

I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a greater example of obedience than in Mary, the mother of Jesus. When she discovered that she would bear the Son of God, and as yet being a virgin, she could hardly believe it. It started “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27), but “she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:29-30). Gabriel told Mary, “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:31-32). What was Mary’s reaction? Did she hesitate to believe it? Was she perplexed because she was still a virgin? All Mary said was “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38). Mary never wavered in unbelief, but simply told Gabriel, “let it be to me according to your word.” She understood that she was a “servant of the Lord” and that made her joyful enough to give her “Magnificat” in Luke 1:46-55.

WHY OBEDIENCE?

Luke 11:28 

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” 

DADs, one of my favorite old hymns is “Trust and Obey”

Below are the lyrics. There is nothing like an old hymn to “bring home" the message. 

DADS, beyond the first step of hope in Christ being “humility” is our willingness to “obey.”

Obey your thirst, just make sure DADs that your thirst is in the “right” things! BE THE DAD!

Suiting Up!

Jeff

Trust and Obey 

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

DADS,

With the many things we often place our “HOPE" in, there is always a winner and loser.

HOPE in friends, jobs, sports teams, parents, things. All temporary. All disappoint.

Even placing all our HOPE in those that love us will at some point fall short and NOT be enough.

There is a huge difference between being HOPEFUL vs HOPE-FILLED.

HOPEFUL = Something we wish for

HOPE-Filled = Something we already have. 

HOPE-Filled never leaves us. Never runs out. HOPE in Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

THE 1ST STEP IS...“Humility”

James 4:10 (NIV)

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

When we humble ourselves DADS, we will see clearly our purpose in Christ.

In our purpose we feel become hope-“filled".

I just returned from the Dominican Republic (DR), even in the midst of much poverty I saw hope. It was so evident in their outward humility not just because of circumstances, but through their circumstances and struggles many have found Christ.

Becoming a Christian doesn’t always change your circumstances but it can change how you see it and live it out.

What I found in abundance in the DR was this humility of the people. None had much to give but what they had, they wanted to share or even give away.

DADS, we cannot let go sometimes, instead we say, "I got this.”

Truth.

We can do it.

BUT you cannot do it alone for long. No one is an island.

When we do realize we need others we often go a place where we put our hope in others and into things. When this happens we have “misplaced" our hope.

So whats the answer?

Humility

That we do need God’s people and we need Christ!

Giving Him our pain, passion and purpose. Humility that we need Christ is the first step to achieving real hope.

How do we PRACTICE our humility? Many ways. Here are three ways to work on today:

1) Take wrong patiently (1 Peter 3:8-17). When something is unjust we want to react and rectify it. However, patiently responding to the unjust accusations and actions of others demonstrates our strength of godly character and provides an opportunity to put on humility.

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

2) Actively submit to authority, the good and the bad (1 Peter 2:18). Our culture does not value submission; rather it promotes individualism. How purposely and actively do you work on submission to those whom God has placed as authorities in your life? Doing so is a good way to humble yourself.

3) Be quick to forgive (Matthew 18: 21-35). Forgiveness is possibly one of the greatest acts of humility we can do. To forgive is to acknowledge a wrong that has been done to us and also to further release our right of repayment for the wrong. Forgiveness is denial of self. Forgiveness is not insisting on our way and our justice.

DADS, start TODAY!

Be PATIENT!

SUBMIT!

FORGIVE!

HOPE IS ETERNAL.

HUMILITY is the 1st STEP!

Suiting up!

Jeff

DADS,

How many times in your life have you been told that you need to “get in the game”?

What is this message of “getting in the game”?

In business it may mean preparation. In a relationship it might mean spending more time with that person.

With your family it means being the husband and the DAD!

In your walk with Christ it simply means to put on God’s armor!

In Romans, Paul writes in chapter 13:14: “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature”.

So how do you clothe yourselves and “get in the game”?

#1 – Identify with Christ and GET BAPTIZED. This gives you unity with other Christians.

#2 – Exemplify the qualities of Jesus everyday such as love, humility, truth & service!

DADS! Do not stand on the sidelines of life…get off the bench…“get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day…God gives you!

So…MEN be the DAD and…Suit Up!

The Apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 1:26, “For consider your calling,brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not manymighty, not many noble.”

Paul commands the Corinthians to consider or contemplate their calling. The word “calling” refers to their position in the world when they first believed in Christ. This issue of calling is important to Paul. He believes that in order to become a Christian you must respond to God’s call. Likewise, if you are a Christian today, it is because you have answered God’s call.

DADS, have you forgotten your calling?

Memory can be a blessing or a curse. In the spiritual life, it can be very healthy to remember what life was like before we met Jesus. If you remember where you started, you’ll appreciate much more the grace of God that has brought you to where you are today.

Do you remember where you came from?

Do you recall what you were doing when God saved you from yourself?

A preacher I listened to recently told a story about how he met with an 8-year-old boy in his congregation to talk to him about his baptism. He asked him how he became a Christian. He told me that God called him. He said, “Excuse me?” The preacher was used to hearing a lot of things, but this isn’t one of them. As he probed further it became clear that, like Samuel, this little 8-year-old boy heard the Lord calling him. Because of God’s call, this young boy believed in the One who was calling him. This is exactly what God does. He calls men, women, and children to Himself.

DADS, God is calling you to be the DAD! A DAD for the Lord!

How do we “practice” this calling?

In Ephesians 4 we receive great instructions, “2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”.

DADs are His representatives to be the light here on earth.

How do we demonstrate this calling? Practice this calling?

What is the natural outcry or fruit of the spirit? 

Service.

Our acts of service are within the calling are those things that unite us.
Our acts of service are within the calling allow us to see the different gifts we each bring to the table to further His Kingdom.

What often gets in the way of acknowledging other’s gifts and keeps us from service for some is the “danger of the single story.” The single story creates stereotypes, preconceived ideas based on our premise.

“3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Paul again was being proactive. He is saying…these are the things that we must do as Christians so that we remain united in this body.

“4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called”

DADs heeding this calling can be evident in your “Daily-Active-Devotion” to your kids and family.

I Corinthians 15:58 - NIV - 58 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

BE THE DAD TODAY!