A fathers' advice to his son (part three)

Part three of a three part letter. If you have not already read parts one and two you may want to do that first.

   Eighth: It is not about me! It is about Him! It is all about bringing glory to the Father and realizing that I can do nothing of value by myself. “I do nothing of myself but as my Father taught Me.”(John 8:28) That is Jesus talking. If He can do nothing without the Father, then neither can I. But with Him, look out! “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13) “If you have the faith of a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, go and it will be removed.” (Matthew 17:20) The question we must ask is not what do I want to do with my life, but what does He want to do with my life?  Where is He working that I may join Him in His work?

  Ok, fine that is all great right? But what about specific guidance for my son? Should you stay in the Army and go Special Forces, get out and run crazy through the woods, or something in between? (See point seven.) Pray! Pray without ceasing for your “Daddy” to let you know what direction He would have you to go. Yes, you can seek the counsel of other godly men and women but it is only your heavenly Father that can guide you aright. He is the one who has “formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) and has a perfect plan for your life. He will not force you to go the way He has designed for you but He will show you and, oh yes, usually you will not know why He has allowed certain things to come to pass in your life until much later. When Moses spent forty years on the backside of the desert shepherding sheep and goats he did not know it was preparing him to shepherd Israel. When Paul spent nine years in the desert searching the Scriptures, he did not know it was preparing him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Now, most of us are not going to get big jobs like that but He gives us much smaller jobs that are just as important for the growth of His Kingdom.

        As I look back on 57 years I can tell you that the most important and enjoyable job that my Lord gave me was to be a husband to your mother and a father to you and your brother and sister. There is no adventure, no sporting event, no promotion, no riches, no power, no prestige, or accolade that can possibly compare with the joy it has been, and continues to be, to say that your mother is my precious wife and that I have priceless children who all love the Lord and make me proud every day. Nothing in life can compare to the investment you put into the family that He has entrusted you with and to see that you have a legacy of men and women who are faithful followers of Christ. It is the ultimate joy that gives me pause to praise my Savior often and fervently.

       I am not telling you that you need to run out and find a wife right away. I am just telling you that you don’t need to think that life will end when you are no longer single and a world-class adventurer. Life will just be beginning. No SCUBA dive, parachute jump, black diamond ski-run, surfing trip, exotic vacation, trip to Jerusalem, Australia, or Argentina, can compare to the joy of waking up every morning in the same bed with the women that loves you and has given her life to spend with you. Nothing can compare with watching children grow up in the nourishment and admonition of the Lord and knowing that, even though your mother and I didn’t do it “right” we had a God who took our meager attempt and honored us with a bountiful crop!

     Now, I know that I am more fortunate than most men in that the Lord blessed me with one of the most incredible women on this planet. So I can tell you that although we were tremendously in love when we were first married, with the help of the Holy Spirit who controls both our lives, we are so much more in love today and it is a love that is still growing. I confess that the best commandment the Lord gave me was: “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,” (Ephesians 5:25) and “’For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) So don’t think that getting married and settling down will ruin your life. On the contrary, it will give a purpose and meaning in life like no other thing. One of your jobs is to become a husband and father so that there will be a godly legacy for your life. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:1) and “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

       So there it is. I am still your earthly father and unlike your heavenly Father, I will not be with you always and I will fail you just as I have failed you in the past. But, I will always love you and will do as much as I can humanly do to be there for you and pray for you wherever you are and whatever you do. I can love you unconditionally because the Holy Spirit empowers me to do so and will always be proud of you and tell the whole world that you are my son, “in whom I am well pleased.” May our Lord guide you daily as you seek His will for your life and as you take one step at a time on this journey called life.

May God continue to bless you today, tomorrow, and always.

I love you my son,

 Dad

PRAY:

1.    Lord help me to remember that I can do nothing without You but with You I can do all things that You want me to do.

2.    Thank you Lord for the trials and trouble you have put into my life and help me to learn the lessons You want me to learn in adversity. I will rely upon You to carry me through the battle today.

3.    Help me to be the man or woman You have ordained me to be “from the foundations of the world” to be your beloved son or daughter in the family and situation where You have placed me.

A fathers' advice to his son (part two)

Part two of a 3 part letter. If you have not read part one you may want to start there first.

  Fourth: My life is not my own. “You are not your own for you were bought and paid for at a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19a-20b) When I gave my life to Christ, The Holy Spirit took up residence in my body and “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”(Galatians 2:20) I am to die to sin everyday and allow the Holy Spirit to fill me and control my life. “Be not drunk with wine, which is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.”(Ephesians 5:18)  If I allow my flesh to control me then what I get is the same old man that was around before I was saved. But I desire the fruits of the spirit to control my actions and not the fruits of my flesh. They are “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.”(Galatians 5:22)   They can only exist if I willing yield myself to the control of the Spirit each day. (Oh and by the way, the Spirit is not a thing. It is God himself and He has taken up residence in this earthly tent called my body!)

    Fifth: Our main goal in life is to bring Glory to the Father. Life is not about what you own, who you know, who knows you, what you are called, where you have been, what you have accomplished, or any of those things. Life is about knowing the Savior of the Universe and allowing Him, through the Holy Spirit, to take control of every facet of your life. When people think of you they should not think of how good or bad a person you are, what you look like, how you dress, what you say, where you went to school, and how ugly your children are. They should look at you and glorify your God in heaven. They see Jesus in you when you talk, when you act, when you interact with other people. How does Jesus act? “But when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion, because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) Do people see Jesus in you? They can if you allow the Spirit of the Living God to fill you daily and direct your paths.

       Sixth: “Don‘t worry, be happy” is how the song puts it but the Word of God says it much better. “Be anxious for nothing.” (Phil 4:6) Also: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) You, perhaps more than most people your age, know that God has been active in your life. You have seen His hand in your selection for college, in your assignment to Ft. Carson to your brothers battalion, the helicopter He sent you to ferry you to Baghdad and back, and your deliverance from IED’s  (Improvised explosive devices), snipers, and assorted other enemy attacks . These are signposts or markers in your life that show you how intimately your heavenly father knows you and cares for you. God is not so busy taking care of the universe that He is not with you at all times. “For He Himself has said: ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”(Hebrews 13:5) Whenever you wonder if God is looking out for you just remember these markers. They tell you that He takes a personal interest in His adopted son (that’s you). He has watched over you in the past, He is watching over you now, and He is going to continue looking after you in the future. He cares about you personally. I remember the first Bible verse I helped you memorize as a 4 year old in Michigan. Do you? “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) And don’t forget this one either: “’the Lord knows those who are His,’” (2 Timothy 2:19b)

       Seventh: Pray! Pray in the morning when you rise. Pray when you sit down to eat. Pray when you need help in making a decision. Pray before you go out on a mission. Pray while riding down the road. Pray when you come back from a mission.  Pray when someone you know is sick, in trouble, in danger, or just needs encouragement. Pray for your family, friends, coworkers, and yes, pray for your enemies. Pray when you have some time alone to talk with God about what is going on in your life. (He knows it all but He wants you to know Him and to lean on Him.) Pray without ceasing every waking hour of the day and then pray before you put you head on the pillow for some well deserved sleep. “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”(James 5:16) Jesus commanded us to pray. He modeled to us how often to pray and how fervently to pray. He prayed for specific things, such as: “let this cup pass from Me.” (Matthew 26:39) but always he prayed that the will of the Father be accomplished. Then He accepted the answer that His Father gave him. (Read point two again.) There is no such thing as unanswered prayer! God will answer. He may not answer as fast as you would like and He may say no, but He will answer. “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2) “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.”(John 16:23)  Furthermore, He always gives more than you ask for and definitely more than you deserve. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:29)

PRAY:

1.    Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit today! Guide and direct my words, my thoughts, and my actions today. Let You be seen by how I live my life with You in control.

2.    Lord help others to see Jesus in me. Let me be a witness for You in my home, in my school, in my work, and in my neighborhood.

3.    Lord help me to be more faithful as a prayer warrior for You and Your kingdom. Bring people to my mind that I may intercede for them today.

A fathers advice to his son (part one)

   The following is a copy of a letter I wrote to one of my sons 12 years ago when he was in the middle of making a decision about staying in the Army or getting out and doing something else. He had just finished a tour in Iraq as a Infantry/Cavalry platoon leader and was returning to the U.S. (Since it is a little long I am publishing it in 3 parts.)

Dear Son,

         Well, I have been putting off writing this letter for at least a week but I need to just sit down and let it flow. I know that you are going through some trying times as you try to determine what God’s Will is for your life and what you should do about the Army, further education, and life in general. What I have learned in my 57 short years about life and its decisions may be of some interest to you and hopefully, you can glean something from this collection of thoughts.

   First: I have learned is that life is not about what I do. It is about who I am. My job primarily is to spend time in God’s Word every day and time alone with the Master to allow Him to teach me and mold me into the type of servant/steward that He wants me to be. So I’m not to worry too much about the vocation I am currently in but I am to focus on being the best that I can be at the job I have as a soldier/teacher/worker and do the best job I am capable of for my current boss. (The principal is that I do not really work for my current boss, “And whatever you do, do it heartily to the Lord and not to men.”(Colossians 3:22) My God is interested in my character and whatever He allows to come to pass in my life is for my good, even those painful and annoying events. It is great to have a job that you love, but it is more important to have the best attitude you can about where God has placed you. Henry Blackaby (author of Experiencing God), puts it this way: “Just do the last thing God told you to do.”

    Second: My heavenly Father loves me more than any other person in the world! He has my best interest at heart and always, always knows better what I need than I do. He is my “Daddy’ and even when things don’t make any sense, I know that He has allowed it to be a part of my life and it is not some random act. It has been ordained for me since the beginning of time and it is for my own good. “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, And in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:16) Also, He will not forget about me and all that I am going through. “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15)

    Third: My job in life is basically very simple; to love God and to be obedient to the things I know I should do. I know what to do because God has provided Scripture for me to read and it is at my fingertips always. Scripture is reliable. I can depend on it. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that a man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”(2 Timothy 3:16-17) Every time I open God’s Word He is speaking to me. I have access to the very words of God that He has allowed to be written down. “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.: (2 Peter 1:20-21) The Scripture is your guide and light. “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)  

    That means I must learn and obey what my Daddy has to say about life. He tells me things like: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there be food in My house, And trust Me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out such blessing that there will not be enough room to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10) “Let your yes be yes and your no, no” (Matt 5:37) “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and the end of the earth.”(Acts 1:8b) It means I need to know the Scripture, to understand the Scripture, and to have a burning desire to be obedient to that which the Holy Spirit has taught me through His Word. “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:23) “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”(John 14:15)

PRAY:

1.    Lord, I am trusting You to guide my path for every decision I need to make in life. Help me to seek your Face everyday and to listen to Your Holy Spirit as He speaks in the “still small voice.”

2.    Help me to be obedient to what You are teaching me in Your Word everyday and help me to be quick to obey also!

3.    Lord, thank you that I can depend upon You to guide my path and help me to take the best road of the many that are set before me.