Not Forsaken: Day 5

Here is the devotional:

Imagine a classic summertime backyard barbecue. Can you smell the burgers, brats and baby back ribs on the grill? Maybe you’ll cap the night with a classic marshmallow roast over an open fire.

Now imagine you have just one minor problem…you don’t have any teeth! You’ll miss out on the char-grilled delicacies because you haven’t matured to a place where you have what’s necessary to enjoy them.

Our spiritual lives can be just like this! We can stagnate and miss out on opportunities because we haven’t matured.

You see, God not only showers us with a Father’s blessing, He invites us to grow up by modeling our lives after Him. With our new identity and spiritual DNA, we’re called to grow up to be like our Heavenly Dad. As Ephesians 5:1 puts it: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.”

We’re invited and called to be like our Father. We look up to Him and notice how He does things – the way He talks, moves, and answers. We put our feet in His footsteps.

What’s incredible is that God hasn’t left us on our own to figure out what to do; He gives us His Holy Spirit’s power to lead and guide us. As a perfect Father, God participates in our lives. He’s saying to you and me, “Here, let Me show you how to do that.”

Here are three markers to think about, to aim for, as we imitate Him and grow into spiritual maturity.

1. Awaken: to who we are and whose we are. As the popular worship anthem says, we’re no longer slaves….to abandonment, fear, unworthiness, insecurity, abuse, addiction, dread, comparison, or loneliness…we are children of God!

2. Accept: the implications of our new genetic makeup. We throw off the sin and old ways of life and run toward the new and good things God is calling us to do.

3. Adopt: the behavior and character of God. Study how God moves and works. Devour his Word. Talk with him. Emulate the pattern of his ways.

You have been adopted by a perfect, loving Father—now go be like Dad!

Here are the scriptures referenced:

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2 Peter 1:3 KJV

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Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Hebrews 6:1 KJV

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Here are Stu’s thoughts:

When I was a child I did watch my earthly dad and how he did things.

I learned a thing or two…

I learned how to not hit my finger with a hammer so I wouldn’t cuss out the world for doing so.

I learned that throwing your golf club in the lake because you didn’t hit the ball correctly is stupid.

I learned that if someone bumps the table while I am writing to just start over instead of ranting and raving about it.

I also learned that hiding your sin will not help you as they all come out in the open eventually anyway.

I also learned that cheating on your wife breaks a family apart.

Those are actually good things that I learned. I still have anger issues though.

I don’t remember who helped me learn to walk, ride a bike, read, write or anything like that. Though more than likely it was either my mom or one of her three sisters.

Where I am now in life I want to be more like my Heavenly Father.

I want to be more forgiving and loving. I would love to have loads of patience. God exhibited a lot of patience with me!

What about you? Did you learn good things from your dad? Or did you learn both good and bad things?

You know it doesn’t matter how jacked up our dads were or are for you younger readers.

Once we accepted Christ into our hearts we became the children of God. Grafted in or adopted in if you prefer.

We became born again into the family of God. He is our Father and we will spend not just 40 to 80 years with him but an eternity. Forever and ever!

Our earthly fathers body will perish and decay as will ours but our souls will live forever.  I want to emulate my spiritual father with whom I will spend an eternity with.

I want to be closer to him than I am with anyone on this planet. I want to love as he loves. I want to be able to forgive others as he does. I want to die to my flesh and allow the Holy Spirit to live within and guide to that purpose. To be Christ like.

I’m tired of this fleshly body and all its’ desires…

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Father,

I come to now humbly asking that you give me the strength needed to die to my flesh daily and to allow the Holy Spirit that dwells within me to shine and flourish! Teach me to love as you love. Teach me to forgive as you forgive. Help me to talk to you more frequently like I use to. Create in me a new heart and refresh me!

May I take from your Word what you want to me gain and not what others want me to see. Often times they are not the same.

I want to be able to praise you for who you are even when my day “sucks”.

Draw me closer to you Father.

Amen