"Sons of the Father"
Scripture Reading:
1 Chronicles 28:9 "As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
1 Chronicles 28:9 "As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
Devotional Reading:
We had a great Men's study this evening discussing our family of origin and leaving a legacy. Great time with the men. How many times have you seen a son who follows in the footsteps of his father? Some take over businesses, the family farm. Some jump on political bandwagons. Others become preachers like their fathers before them. Imagine a son who becomes a fireman, because his dad was a fireman. Dad was a Christian and taught his son not just words but actions: serving in the church, helping those who needed help, making himself vulnerable and available even when he was worn out and tired. It’s easy to see why the son works just as diligently and conscientiously. He was taught strong work ethics, to honor God and use his talents to serve God. Throughout his life, he also worked alongside his dad in mission projects, helping hurricane victims, and ministering to elderly. Think of the conversations in which the father patiently instructed his sons in the principles of God–perseverance, diligence, patience, and honesty. King David had words of advice for his son, Solomon.
Sometimes we teach our children and pray they follow our instructions. We want them to be polite, to obey the law, to respect authority. But the greatest instructions we can ever give them is to seek God, to honor Him, to depend upon Him, to rely upon Him and believe wholeheartedly. David is instructing Solomon this way in the passage above. So many times David failed in his own relationship with God. He broke commandments. David lived with the consequences of his sins. Yet, God loved David. He forgave David. He restored David because David repented. And David, though he failed in many ways, he still trusted God. He passed on his faith in God to Solomon as he handed over the responsibility of building God’s temple. As parents, we do not always live up to what we should. We may not always be as patient, as kind, as generous, as sacrificial or obedient as we should be. My dad knows his own flaws. Yet, as his son, I will always have a legacy from my father. I will not always get it right, but I will always be real and genuine. According to Dr. James Dobson, 8% of children who grow up in a homes where dad does not model the example of Christ and Jesus is not taught by example of Worship and church attendance will go on to have a relationship with Christ. Do the math, without dad being active in worship (corporate, public and private) 92% of those children will not come to saving faith in Christ Jesus!
Sometimes we teach our children and pray they follow our instructions. We want them to be polite, to obey the law, to respect authority. But the greatest instructions we can ever give them is to seek God, to honor Him, to depend upon Him, to rely upon Him and believe wholeheartedly. David is instructing Solomon this way in the passage above. So many times David failed in his own relationship with God. He broke commandments. David lived with the consequences of his sins. Yet, God loved David. He forgave David. He restored David because David repented. And David, though he failed in many ways, he still trusted God. He passed on his faith in God to Solomon as he handed over the responsibility of building God’s temple. As parents, we do not always live up to what we should. We may not always be as patient, as kind, as generous, as sacrificial or obedient as we should be. My dad knows his own flaws. Yet, as his son, I will always have a legacy from my father. I will not always get it right, but I will always be real and genuine. According to Dr. James Dobson, 8% of children who grow up in a homes where dad does not model the example of Christ and Jesus is not taught by example of Worship and church attendance will go on to have a relationship with Christ. Do the math, without dad being active in worship (corporate, public and private) 92% of those children will not come to saving faith in Christ Jesus!
Keep the Son in your eyes,
Pastor Ben J Lahay
Galatians 2:20
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