march 6, 2011 A Great Dad

A Great Dad
Read Deuteronomy 25-27

Deut 26:19 God has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.

FOCUS ON the phrase “he will set you in praise”. What does that mean to you?
I’m thinking of a loving father at graduation time. He sits in the audience and watches his son cross the stage to receive his diploma. He thinks of the difficult times his son has endured, working through the homework, struggling with the math, rebelling against some teachers. He is mindful that his son’s journey through school hasn’t been perfect—and even has been terribly difficult.
And then he considers his son’s successes. The improvement in his grades from his freshman year to his senior year, his acceptance into college, and this moment of graduation.
His son has made it. The difficulties of getting to this day are behind. There will be difficulties in the future. Today is a day to celebrate. He gives praise to his son. He points him out to a stranger nearby. No one else in the auditorium matters. That is his son, and he is pleased. He praises his son in his heart for many things, but most of all he praises his son because he is his son.
God loves you in this same way. He stays with you. You matter so much to your Father he sent Jesus, his son, to die for you, to welcome you across the stage to life eternal. He loves you so much he has sent his Holy Spirit to care for you, to guide you through the tough times, to keep you walking across the stage, to keep loving you and honoring you—to stay with you.
Yes, God the Father stays with you. After all, you are his child.


Pause and Consider: isn’t God a great Dad?