Do I look like my father?

There is a Facebook app I have seen the last few days called the Like Parent app. It is supposed to show which parent you look like. Perhaps because of this, and because Father's day is approaching, I have been thinking about my dad. My dad has been with the Lord for more than 20 years now and I don't think of Him everyday.  But there are days ... When I do something that reminds my sister of him and she says, "you are acting like Hubert." Or when I need someone to work on a vehicle I think of him. He was one of the best mechanics I ever knew. I am told I look like my father (forgive me for bragging but he was a handsome man) and I'm told I act like him at times. So this got me to thinkin'. How much do I remind people of my heavenly father?

The born again child of God has a heavenly Father as well as an earthly father. So I wonder, do I remind other people of my heavenly father the way I remind them of my earthly father? The Bible gives us a list of the characteristics of God in Galatians 5:22-23. They are called the fruit of the Spirit. Here are a few of them.

Love
Joy
Peace
Gentleness
Kindness
Patience
Self-Control

These are things I hope people can see in me. In fact, Jesus said that others would know we were Christ's disciples by our love for each other. I think what he was trying to tell us is that the child of God should have some characteristics of the Father. The more we walk with God the more like him we will become. We tend to be more patient, more understanding, more compassionate when we spend time with God in prayer and in his word.

There is another father the Bible talks about. He is the father none of us want to be like. The Bible calls Satan the father of lies among other things. In John 8:44 Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are of their father the devil? How could he say this? Because they were showing the fruits of their father. These are listed in the same chapter of Galatians. They are called the works of the flesh.

                                  Hatred, jealousy, murder, envy, just to name a few...

 This is the default setting of humanity. We are born with these things in us. We don't have to learn them. They just come naturally. But the Spirit of God has a way of remaking us into His image. Little by little, as we yield to Him, His Spirit softens us and we begin to show God's traits rather than the traits of the enemy.

As father day approaches I hope I am reminding others of my father. I know I will never be just like Him on this earth. There is always something else He has to work out of me. But I pray everyday that I can at least remind someone of Him so that they can get to know Him as I do.

Sincerely,

Sullivan Jones

Carrying the Ark in the Desert

Does the world ever seem to big? Life's troubles seem to mount up until there is just no end to the frustration? Maybe it is because we are trying to carry our problems on our own. Allow me to relate a story from the Old Testament.

Many of us know the story of the children of Israel wondering around in the desert for forty years. They lived as Nomads with tents, camels, etc. They also had a special tent that was reserved for the worship of Jehovah. There was a special box called the Ark of the Covenant that went with them wherever they roamed. It was kept veiled behind a curtain until it was time to move. Then there were special instructions about how to carry it. The priests had to carry it by hand. There were rings on the Ark and poles inserted through these rings. Four priests would gather around this ark and carry it on their shoulders.

I heard this story all my life in Sunday School but never realized the miracle behind it until I heard someone explain it. The box was only about 3ft 9 in by 2 ft 3 in. It wasn't that big. But there was a solid gold lid on this ark. There are different estimates but some say that the lid alone weighed several hundred lbs. So imagine this - four men carrying a big wooden box, covered in gold, with a solid gold top through the desert heat. How utterly impossible! How could four men carry a box weighing between three hundred fifty and six hundred lbs on their shoulders at all, let alone in the desert heat. But this is where the miracle comes in.

You see the presence of God surrounded the Ark of the Convenant. When the camp was set up the cloud representing God's glory hovered over the Ark. When it was moved, the presence of God was with it. The answer to the riddle is in the presence of God. When the priests, acting according to God's command, stepped up and picked up the box, it lifted. The presence of God made the Ark light enough for those four men to carry it.

The application for us today is simple. If you feel you have a burden to big to carry, give it to Jesus. His presence will make your burden light. He is big enough to carry both you and your burden and never get tired. When you are going through a battle you might have to have a few more prayer meetings but that is what trials are for - to make us spiritually stronger. The extra prayer will serve you well. On the other side of the trial you will realize God carried you the whole way through.

He is a big God! Give him your burdens today and just see how much better you feel!

Trusting Jesus Daily,

Sullivan Jones

Count Your Blessings

I Thessalonians 5:18 - Be thankful in all circumstances.

Life can be a struggle. None of us is exempt. Flat tires, dead batteries, and the like happen to all without discrimination. If we allow them to, these things can drain our energy and purpose. Sometimes the simplest things can make the whole world sour. We can began to think that everything is wrong when so much is right. Sometimes we just have to stop and look at life from a new perspective.

There is an old song that says, "when you're worried and you can't sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep." There is always something to be thankful for. And truthfully most of us have far more to be thankful for than to complain about. Be thankful! It's free and it never hurt anyone!

Thankfully,

Sullivan Jones