June 2018
Happy Father’s Day! My heart and prayers go out to all the fathers who feel they are failures when it comes to parenthood. As you experience God’s love for you, He’ll increase your love towards your children, making it unconditional like His for us.
“And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.” 1
Teens for Christ…
Listen to a letter from Jeff in Texas, who is a fine example of a father reaching out to teens in the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC):
“The reason why I’m writing you is because of a preacher I happen to be listening to, mentioned your name as he was telling your story. It was your testimony that really got my attention.
“I go to the JDC on Sundays to minister to the teens. They’ve dome everything from killing, rape and drugs. I get asked the question all the time, ‘Will God forgive me for the things I’ve done?’ I tell them, ‘Absolutely, He makes all things new.’
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2
“You and I both know that evil as all around us. And when people do harm to others, we want them to die for the sake of justice. I think the Lord had other plans for you. Even though you’re in prison, you have another chance with Him.
“I was curious to see if there was a movie about your forgiveness, and there was. It’s called “Forgiven: The Charles Watson Story.” The daughter of the mother’ whose life you took, said she forgives you. I started crying. I said to myself, ‘Only God can do something like that!’ That’s a miracle within itself.
“Do me a favor. Write me a testimony on what made you decide to give your heart to Christ and how He has changed you. I would like to read it to these teens at JDC. You would be a great inspiration to them. I really believe it would give them hope. I love you brother, and I’m praying for you that you become a huge inspiration on people’s lives. God Bless, Jeff, TX”
A Father’s Love…
There is perhaps no greater responsibility in life than being a father. Our children require our love, acceptance and guidance in order to grow and develop a sense of Godly worth. This is an awesome responsibility, so let us check on how we’re doing. Consider for a minute how you’re doing in each of these areas.
- Provide emotional support, sharing parental love and acceptance
- Provide a safe, healthy environment
- Provide financial security
- Spend time with your children
- Teach responsible values
- Establish fair and consistent rules and limits
- Provide spiritual insights and values
If we’re honest, we may lack in a couple of areas. Now we know what to pray for, asking God for help and for His love and grace to increase and abound in our lives.
“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.” 3
Knowing God Loves You…
As we grow in knowledge and understanding of God’s love and grace, we overflow more and more with His love. It’s a common fact that we must know that we are loved in order to love. But missing out on a loving childhood is no excuse to not know love, since our loving heavenly Father heals and empowers us to love. Breaking the cycle enables us to plant seeds of love in our children, so they will know love and grow up to be loving parents.
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 4
We get to know God’s love by reading His love story, The Holy Bible, meditating scripture, building our faith by hearing the Word and understanding His love as displayed at the cross for your sins.
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 5
But it takes God to open our eyes to His amazing love for us. I’m like the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears in Luke 7:36-50. Jesus said, “I tell you, her sins – and they are many – have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love” (v. 47, NLT). “We love him, because He first loved us.” 6
Overflowing with Love…
As a child, I was aware of God’s love, even memorized John 3:16 in Vacation Bible School, but I never came to know the power of God’s love to cast out my fears. 7
It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal the knowledge of God’s love. As the apostle John wrote: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.” 8
I call it the baptism of love, which I received in overflows after I was born again. While reading the book “The Holy Spirit and You” by Dennis and Rita Bennet, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit experiencing my first overflow. Then, many times over the years, I’ve been bathed in the Spirit of love while God comforts me during times of tribulation. Now, I find myself overflowing daily.
My heart’s desire is that you can come to know God’s abounding love, so you’ll be enabled to show His love to your family, friends and the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 9
Won’t you surrender to His love today?
A Prayer for You…
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your heart as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” 10
Scripture References (NLT):
1) Phm. 6
2) 2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV
3) Phil. 1:9
4) 1 Jn. 4:7,8, KJV
5) 1 Jn. 4:9,10
6) 1 Jn. 4:19, KJV
7) 1 Jn. 4:18
8) 1 Jn. 2:20, NKJV
9) John 3:16, NKJV
10) Eph. 3:16-21