Last week I wrote about having a guide for a journey to a foreign land. About Jesus being our BEST guide! And then we sang the song "Only Jesus" by Casting Crowns at church. ( I know I have used this song before, but this is a bit of a different twist)
SO...being Father's Day this past Sunday got me thinking about our earthly fathers. I came across a poem I had written in 1999 about the earthly father my children have been blessed with.
Honor thy Father….
I have an earthly father that
I am thankful for,
God provided him for me
to show me love and so much more;
To ride a bike, to tie a shoe,
what it means to provide and love,
how to work and how to share
and to honor the Father up above.
But today when we honor our fathers
I must remember the one
who is Father to so many
by giving His only Son.
His hands may not have tied my shoe,
but they have been there to catch my
fall,
when I learned in whom I had to trust,
that on His name I have to call.
Though I have strayed and
thought I knew best,
His love and mercy
have never been at rest.
And now He has been gracious
to find a man for me,
a sweet and wonderful father
for our precious three.
And with his hands
he tends the bike, and ties the shoe,
he will teach and he will love.
But the most important thing that he
will do;
Is put God’s word in his 2 hands
and read the Bible truths,
Or clasp them together in humble prayer
seeking what to do.
He will show our children he is a man
who puts his faith in no other,
that he alone can never stand
without honor for the Father. ©Tracey Thompson 1999
So I was thinking about the legacy that my father would leave, my husband would leave, father after father popped into my head.
I hope fathers realize that they need to guide in more than just the earthly tasks, but in heavenly ones as well.
BUT not just fathers, all the men who have influence over the younger generation, you are being watched more than you probably realize. What kind of guide are you being?
📖 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:7-8
📖 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
In everything you do, you can have a positive influence. You can point/guide those who are watching to Jesus and all that He represents;
📖 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
Humility
📖 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
Love
📖 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10
Compassion
📖 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:6
📖 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:15-17
Mercy
📖 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:12-13
📖 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. Luke 1:50
What legacy are you leaving those who are watching you?
If we could ALL point our younger generation...anyone we meet....to Christ....wouldn't that be a wonderful legacy to leave behind!
My prayer is that my legacy is…...only Jesus...I pray it is yours too!
Only Jesus Casting Crowns Click on the link to hear this powerful song!
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