Healthy civilizations have recognized the critical role of fathers since ancient times. In the last verse of the Old Testament we are told, “An he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:6). This wound to fathers is a wound of absence – emotional as well as physical. You can kill living organisms in two ways. You can smash it, or you can just leave it alone. In the souls of men, the weapon of destruction is shame. When dads don’t embrace, encourage, guide, value me, I must not be worth much.” A real man is real. He walks in truth, even when it costs his image of being in control. He wants to face and overcome3 his inadequacies, so he can fulfill his calling as a husband, father, worker, and citizen. The problem with missing min in the lives of young boys is that they then look to mom to fill the gap created, and then later grasps onto his wife. But no woman, no matter how present, loving, and helpful, can be a father. Today … READ MORE

Because God has given us a perspective on the future and we know that He will bring it to pass; Because of who the sovereign God is and what He does for His own, nothing can supersede hop in Him as a source of lasting joy. Those who hope in Him are able to endure the most difficult circumstances of this life by trusting in His plan even when it does not fit our own, after all no matter how uncertain this life seems, God always remains the same. A follower of Christ can look forward even to death with joy, because the Savior has fulfilled the death penalty for all who believe (1 Corinthians 15:54-55) All the glorious facets of Christian hope will be consummated when Jesus returns for His bride (1 Corinthians 1:8). While the believer’s hope will not be entirely complete until the time of that resurrection, the one who chooses to follow Christ possesses a genuine hope that will purify their lives, and thereby verify that they are true believers. Psalm 146:5-6 gives the believer reason to rest in their circumstances, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is … READ MORE

God has revealed His plan for us, not because we have a right to know, but because of His Divine Grace. This grace is extended toward us so that we may have hope in the midst of our lives. The Bible is full of God’ -given promises, which are divine guarantees in which any follower of God can confidently trust. We do not have to worry when circumstances seem to spiral out of our control, and we seem to be in the midst of trial. We need to remember that it is in the trials that we often see the hand of God working to bring us peace and security. We must remember that “He will never leave us or forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5). Because of God’s love, He has revealed to us that life for the follower of Christ, will not be an easy life, but one that is filled with fulfillment and contentment. He reminds us that since the world hated Him, it will hate us also (John 15:18), but it is through God’s grace that we have hope and perspective in the midst of the struggles of life. Don’t lose heart my friend, turn your eyes heavenward, … READ MORE