Daddy

On September 17, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 145: 14

The Lord sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.

Many people do not seem to understand the basic nature of God. He is a father first and foremost. He longs to care for his kids. He does not want us to come into the kingdom so that we can serve him. He wants everyone to enter in so that he can take care of them. He wants to help us, to lead us, to show us the way so that we do not stumble but in those inevitable times when we, just like any kid, don’t listen to him and we do stumble and fall, he is there to pick us up and make it all better. He longs to be generous and kind to us and he only wants the best for us. He is there today for anyone who has fallen or lost their way. He is a loving father longing to extend his love and care to all who will receive him.

If you can embrace this fundamental truth, you will understand a great deal of theology that eludes others. You will understand evangelism, sin, healing and everything else in a deeper and more meaningful way. Begin with love, with the Father of love, and you are well on your way.

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Father Revealed

On March 24, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 1: 18                NIV

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Why did Jesus come to earth? There are a number of reasons, one of which was to reveal the Father. No one knew the Father but the Son. Jesus came to reveal God in all His glory but also to reveal Him as the Father of all.

This becomes clear as a point of contention between Jesus and the Jewish ruling class. They were Israel’s leaders, but they didn’t’ know God. Jesus tried to show them the person of the Father. The Jewish leaders were insulted because they were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the nation. Jesus spoke to them as though they didn’t know the Father, and truly, they did not.

What does any of this mean to us? We see the tension amongst the Jewish leaders as we read the New Testament, but things are different now. Or are they? It is easy for us as Christians to focus so much of our attention on our beloved and revered savior that we forget that he came to point us to the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way.” The way to what? To whom? Jesus always points to God. Though we honor and love Jesus, we are not supposed to stop there.

I came to a place in my life where I was having an increasingly good relationship with Jesus only to find I had almost none with the Father. It took me some time to come into the same kind of close and meaningful relationship with the Father.

Check yourself? Are you as close to the Father as you would like to be? Do you talk with Jesus often but only sporadically with our Father? Do you take Dad fishing and hiking with you? Or is it only Jesus who accompanies you when you leave Church? As we turn our faces towards Easter, make it your mission to draw closer to the Father. Know Him as Father. He is the one who loves you most.

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Divine Love

On March 9, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 13: 10

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.

1 John 4: 8

God is love.

A friend of mine brought up a very good point recently; one that deserves more than a mention. The substance is, how does love behave. I draw on the teachings of Bill Johnson in answering this.

There is much hurt and anguish in the world. Yet, purportedly, God loves us. Why, then, is there so much hurt? Why do bad things happen to those whom the Lord loves? My friend, Lynn, brought to my attention that some churches teach that God does not do these “bad” things to us, but that He does allow them. Not only does that sound schizophrenic but also just sick at a nauseating level. Is this Divine Love, to sit and silently watch as evil doers lavish all modes of hurt upon us? If this is the measure of Divine Love, then what shall we expect of human love?

This is where I draw upon an analogy given by Bill Johnson. What do you think of a parent who abuses their child? It is abhorrent, is it not? It is below human norms, below human decency. It is bestial at best. Now, what about a father who sits idly by and watches someone else defile his own child. Is he not a repugnant, sub-human specimen? Can you say that Father loves his child? Is he even sane? Bill Johnson pointed out that not only is this parent socially aberrant, but he is also legally and criminally negligent. In other words, human institutions would punish the father who “allows” harm to come to his child. We would want to eject him from our congregation, yet we believe, somehow, that our Heavenly Father, the one who created us, and whom we praise could be so apathetic as to stand by while someone harms His child. Is He no better a father than a human we would reject and scorn?

To say that our Beloved allows evil to befall us is to attach all those same negative adjectives to Him that we would for a negligent human parent. Our Father is not mentally deranged, nor in any measure insensitive. He is the epitome of a loving parent. When I shared with you recently about how stressed people are and gave the example of someone who verbally attacked me, my Mom called asking who she needed to beat up. That is a parent! They go to the mat for you. They risk life and limb for their children. Are we to say that our Heavenly Father is less loving and protective than our earthly parents?

Anyone who believes that cannot know Love. Love will never allow harm to another. Love is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, if you will allow me that small paraphrase. In other words, Love is the culmination of everything Yahweh Father has ever said and done. This ball of dirt we live on is here because of Love. The air in our lungs was sourced by Love. It is irrational and bordering on insane to believe, much less teach, that our beloved Father allows bad things to happen to us intentionally. But then, if we blame Him, we have no need to search for an explanation closer to home.

Believe me! Your Father loves you with a love that is beyond anything you have ever experienced in the earthly realm. He grieves at every bruise and empathizes with every tear. Take my word on this, but not for long. Take the time to come to this conclusion on your own. Follow me in faith until you can explain to your own heart the madness of mistrusting the one who loves you most. Search for the truth and you will come to know, beyond any argument, that God is Love. He is the lover of your soul. He is the strong tower you can run into, not the ignorant spectator. Be informed in the depths of your spirit that God is good.

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Praise

On August 17, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 113: 1 – 3              The Message Bible

Hallelujah! You who serve God, praise God! Just to speak his name is praise! Just to remember God is a blessing – now and tomorrow and always. From east to west, from dawn to dusk, keep lifting all your praises to God!

This is one of those verses which has different readings in different translations. There are varying nuances on the theme, and you might be interested in reading it in different Bibles. One of the easy ways to do that is to go to Bible Gateway. You can bring up this, or any other passage, in multiple translations at once. I landed here for one simple reason. The idea that simply remembering God is a blessing provoked my thinking. Having read that I backed up a sentence and thought, “Just to speak His name is a blessing.” It reminded me of a chat I had with the Father yesterday. I was about to pray for some people and began my prayer with, “Father.” I was struck by what an amazing blessing and privilege it is to get to call Him “Father.” I almost wanted to whisper so He wouldn’t figure out what a bad deal He got when He got me. There is no way I am worthy to be His own child. In fact, that is crazy to me.

I don’t praise Him nearly as often as I should. I don’t sing to Him as often as I should. I remember singing for my grandmothers and how much they enjoyed that. Maybe He loves that simple time together. And I believe when I breathe His name it blesses Him simply because I am thinking about Him. It is a blessing to me, and I believe blessing flows down that connection I have established with Him when I call His name.

From the rising of the sun, until its setting, God’s children should speak His name and lift praises. That praise gives us strength and establishes us in the way we should go. It aids us in integration and walking hand in hand with Him. Praise the Lord, all His people. Sing your gratitude. Let the air be saturated with praises to the King.

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Father

On April 17, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 16: 25, 27

But (I) will tell you plainly of the Father . . . for the Father Himself loves you.

Have you ever wondered why God, chooses to be called “Father?” I mean, He is Lord High King, God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Why does He call Himself Father to a bunch of rag a muffin humans? He could choose any title or name imaginable yet He chose to be a Father. Why does He ask us to love Him rather than just to serve Him?

That is an amazing question, isn’t it and an interesting perspective. I think it highlights that, above all else, God is love. He wanted a family to spend His love on. Love requires someone to share it with. Love demands acts of kindness and goodness. Wouldn’t those be a bit lost on servants? No matter how good God treated a servant, they could never rise above that station. They could never receive His intimacy. A servant doesn’t crawl up in the Father’s lap and take a nap. God wanted children He could dote on and spoil. He chose to have kids instead of slaves.

I think this question tells us more about God than many of the questions we might ask. It explains why He does many of the things He does and even how He feels. Ultimately, His desire is that all people join His family and let Him save and bless them. He is a good God and above all else He loves us. That is truly amazing and wonderful. Fill yourself with that good news today.

Do you have a need we can help with today? Write us at IveyMinistries.org.

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A Child is Born

On December 10, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 9: 6

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

I find this a heart-warming passage as it brings to mind images of the baby Jesus and Christmas. It is also fascinating to me. In this one passage is so much explanation of the once foretold, now realized Messiah. Remembering that this is an Old Testament passage creates an understanding of pre-Christ expectations. Yet, I suspect most people who lived before Christ and even those who experienced Jesus didn’t fully appreciate what this passage reveals. I wonder how much I fail to see in it.

The book of Isaiah is my favorite Old Testament book and you can see why. The revelation God gave Isaiah of the Messiah was very detailed and complete. It was also imbued with the passion of Christ which, amazingly, Isaiah was able to transmit to us through his writing. We feel the enthusiasm of the coming Messiah even as Isaiah revealed that this Savior would come as a baby. That had to have rocked a few people off their feet. I am sure they were expecting a powerful, glorious being to descend from heaven to right all the wrongs and restore the nation of Israel. Instead, they got a baby, but hey, they shouldn’t have been so surprised. Isaiah told them a baby would be born and that this baby would be the son who is given to us from God; a gift of love.

People did grab a hold of the part about the government resting upon the savior’s shoulders but they didn’t understand. They thought he would come as a usurper, a military leader and that he would take over the government which ruled the nation of Israel. Of course, at the time of Jesus’ life on earth, Rome ruled over Israel. The Jews expected, therefore, a conquering hero. I don’t believe that is the vision Isaiah saw. The government spoke of was the government of the whole earth. This government truly is about the laws which govern the earth. Those laws go far beyond political institutions to include gravity, hydraulics, and all the physical laws as well as all of the spiritual laws, most of which we don’t even have names for. These spiritual laws are a bit reflected in the close of this verse where Jesus’ titles are given.

How is the babe, who is revealed as the son of God, also known as the Eternal Father? Spiritual conundrum # 1. He is the Mighty God and the Prince of Peace. How do those harmonize? In God’s kingdom, there is not tension between those two roles. Jesus is God the Father and the son, who is a prince. He is the God of might and yet the prince of peace. These two roles sound like they are in conflict, but it takes a God of gentle yet formidable power to bring about peace. His power is not a threat but rather a comfort. His power actually brings peace when we soak ourselves in it. It is His ability to cause all things to work together which ultimately eliminates conflict. There is no need to strive or try to best one another because in Him, all needs are met.

I hope you find comfort and peace in this passage today. Some prayers will make better sense now as you embrace God as Father and Son. In one breath, we speak to the Father, who is the son. The son has come. He was given to us; a child and a king. He is our Lord and yet our best friend, and even our father.

Let me leave you with one thing more to ponder, if Jesus is Father and Son, what does that make the Holy Spirit?

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Carried by Love

On June 1, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 68 : 5 – 6          Passion Translation

To the fatherless he is a father. To the widow he is a champion friend. To the lonely he gives a family. To the prisoners he leads into prosperity until they sing for joy. This is our Holy God in his Holy Place! But for the rebels there is heartache and despair.

We saw yesterday that God is the perfect parent. Notice that the first three sentences have to do with family relationships. I think that is significant. Families provide individuals with much, so God stands ready to repair and restore family relationships and to be the person each of us needs whether a parent, brother, sister or spouse.

One version says that He is the defender of widows. Women didn’t have any standing of their own. They were either under the protection of their father or their husband. When a husband died, the powerless widow could easily become destitute and a target for those who prey on the weak. In fact, many had to turn to prostitution as the only means for generating income. It was rough, but God saw their plight those many years ago and He sees the challenges today. He is the champion of the widow, her defender, so if a person takes on the widow, he is taking on God. God stands in the shoes of the widow to protect her and her children.

Also, there are no lonely in Christ. He has ways to provide a family, beginning with Himself. He knows that humans need social contact and He does not want any of us to feel lonely.

The most interesting part, though, is His response to prisoners. What kind of prisoners do you think God has in mind here. I don’t think this is the conventional use of the word. The King James refers to the prisoners as those bound in chains. Looking in the Strong’s Concordance causes one to come away with the notion that these are people who are bound or who are being held against their will. God’s grace and compassion absolutely extends to people who are incarcerated as a result of their actions, but this verse seems to convey an image of those being held against their will or restrained. In that regard one might think in broader terms as in any person who is bound by anything or anyone. It might refer to someone who is imprisoned in an unhealthy relationship, maybe by marriage or maybe familial. Others are held captive by their past. Really, there are many ways we are shackled but the key is that God is here to set you free. But that is not all. He wants to shower you with prosperity until you sing for joy. That is so over the top and when God talks about prosperity He means everything in life is flowing with goodness and abundance. Sure, it means money, but it includes everything else too. God has an interesting reaction to setting the captives free. It is not enough for Him just to purchase their freedom. He wants to make up for everything that has been stolen from them as well. That is a good Father.

I am reminded of the words from Isaiah 40: 11, “In His arms He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom.” That is the picture of our loving Father. He wants to gather you up in His arms and carry you next to His chest where no harm can befall you. No matter how you have been hurt in the past, God is here, now, to restore and heal you.

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