June 17

Jun 17 - Today from Proverbs 17 we look at verse 21
"To have a fool for a son brings grief; there is no joy for the father of a fool."

He sat in the silence of his heart trying to figure out why his son would do such a thing. "I guess I'm not surprised," he thought. "He never did use a whole lot of common sense." Still, it hurts. He remembered holding his little boy on his lap, trying to answer the riddles of the universe:
"Daddy, why don't spiders get stuck in their webs?"
"Daddy, why can't I stay up late like you and mommy?"
"Daddy, why is red called red? What if it was called blue?"
The mysteries of life eventually gave way to the lure of sports. Tee ball. Soccer. He even tried football for awhile. It seemed like a normal childhood. Where did things change? Who is this young man who just yelled at his father and called him a crusty narrow-minded old dinosaur? Once again he came to the house with a 'big plan'. Not a well thought out plan, but that never was a factor. Once again he needed a little seed money to make the plan work. Of course he never managed to save up any money of his own, so he needed to get the seed somewhere else. Once again he sat across the table from his dad and enthusiastically laid out the fool-proof plan that would set him on easy street. Dad had been in this position too many times over the past ten years. The first few times dad seeded the boy - knowing it would end in failure. But, he figured it would be worth the value in life's lessons. The trouble is, the boy never learned. Once again he had to explain to his son all of the weaknesses and risks hidden in the plan. Risks his son has skillfully tried to bury beneath optimism and enthusiasm. Once again he had to tell his son "No. Not this time. If you want to invest my money in your future, then you need to listen to my instruction and take my advice."
Once again the son blew up. He was very skilled in expressing his anger when he didn't get his way. It seemed to the dad that this was the only side of his son he knew these days - an angry young man trying to hit the jackpot of life and scorning any who stood in his way. If one listened very closely in that very quiet room at that very moment, they could have heard a loving father's heart break. How he longed for that bright little boy who so long ago sat on his lap seeking the answers of life.
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God." -1 John 3:1
The amazing wonder of our sonship is that we were not 'natural born'. God wasn't obligated to be responsible for us. He chose us, and He adopted us to be full heirs of the riches of His grace. And He didn't simply do it as a benevolent gesture. He did it because He loved us. What did it cost God to adopt me? Everything. His own life. How can we look at the cross and not be moved by the immeasurable love of our Father? It is inconceivable that He would leave the glory of His supreme seat in heaven and come to this sin-laden world and give Himself over to death on a cross in order that I might become a joint heir - a child of God with full rights of sonship. But it is true, and by His marvelous grace I am a member of the household of God. Forever!
"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." -Rev. 2:4
A broken-hearted Father spoke these words to His church. His children, whom He loved and adopted with the same incredible price. Perhaps the children felt that they outgrew the need to spend time with their Father and seek His counsel and wisdom. Perhaps they felt that now that they were heirs of His riches, they should have access to them for their own plans in life. Poorly thought out plans. Self-centered plans. Plans that were opposed to the greater plans of the family trust. Perhaps they only visited the Father when they thought they needed something and never bothered to stay and visit just for the sake of visiting. Perhaps they lost sight of the wonder of their position, and what it cost their Father to place them there. Even though they may have forgotten the former days when they delighted to be in their Father's presence, the Father remembers them well - and His heart breaks.
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and him with me." -Rev. 3:20
A broken-hearted Father speaks these words to His church. That's right. These are not words spoken to unbelievers, they are spoken to His children. They are the words of a broken-hearted Father who longs to sit with His children and visit. To break bread and to talk about life. To be intimate. His love has not diminished one iota. He loves His children as much today as He did when He gave His life on a cross for them. He knew you then. He knows you now. He loves you.
How about it church; Have you forsaken your first love? Has Father been knocking on your door lately? Have you invited Him in just to spend some time knowing Him? He really, really, really loves you.
Let Him in and rekindle that special relationship that He initiated - and so longs to develop. He is your loving Father.