Sunday, June 16, 2013

Calling all Point Men

The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water..." - Proverbs 20:25 (ESV)

Father's Day.  It is always a day characterized by "mixed emotion".  Our congregation celebrated the day as a reminder of the noble calling that is fatherhood.  A thousand things could be said about the grandeur and challenges of being a father.  We took a few minutes on Sunday to talk "on the level" about being dads.  Here are some of the high points of our conversation.

God calls us to be "point men" for our families.  The image is a military one.  The "point man" was the guy out front.  He was the one with the skills to discern the presence of anything that might harm the unit of men he was leading.  They had a mission.  His job was to get them through the mission and back home safely.  What a fitting image for dads.  We are the "point men" in our families.  But, becoming a point man doesn't come naturally for anybody.  These four things are good to remember as we stay "on point" for our families.

1.  We need to work out our center.  Jesus could say "it is finished" because he stayed connected with his mission.  He stayed connected with his mission because he was close to his Father.  He often "withdrew" by himself to pray (Matthew 14:22-23).  It was during those "alone times" that he refueled and anchored himself in his relationship with the Father.  We need to do the same.  Without these times of reconnection, we dry out and become brittle.  We can't be good dads on our own steam.

2.  Work hard at staying clear.  A lot of things get into the air we breath.  Stress.  Distractions.  Pressure.  Temptation.  There are plenty of things that can cloud out minds as men and distract us with lesser matters.  Paul said, "So watch your step.  Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.  Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him" (Ephesians 5:15-18 The Message).  Our temptation is to "check out" for periods and just be there physically.  Our families need us to be "truly present" in mind and spirit.  

3.   Make sure you bounce.  If scripture teaches anything it teaches that God wants us to get up after we have failed.  Unless you are living in a tree by yourself you will experience failure of some kind.  Some failures are more impacting than others.  And, there are some big ones in scripture.  Satan wants dads to focus on failure in any of its forms.  God, says "lay it before me and let me empower you for service."  

4. Flip the switch.  Don't buy the lie that it's too late to start being God's man in your family.  That's another of Satan's debilitating lies that he wants you to put in your pocket.  Begin today!  Can we learn from the past? Absolutely!  But the only viable alternative is...forward!  That's where God calls us.  With hearts full of the Spirit and humility God can use every dad as a tool in His hands.  That's what he longs for in every home every day.  

This morning, every dad joined together in the following prayer.  Print it off and keep it close by.  It can help each of us with the four things above.  

Father, thank you for creating me.  Thank you for blessing
me with the high privilege of being a dad. I want to reflect your likeness
in my life.  

Strengthen my resolve when I’m weak.  Destroy my pride.  Increase my
humility.  Enlarge my love.  Increase my joy.  Help me to revel in the
little things; to know the difference between the important and the
urgent.   Help me to be a tool in your hands for good.

Remind me every day that time is a precious thing.  Fortify me with the
courage I need to lead my family home.  Help me to know your Son
better in the present and future than I have known him in the past.  
Amen.

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas


No comments:

Post a Comment