Father Knows Best!

In 1954 a popular radio show came to life in the hit sitcom "Father Knows Best," about a wise family man, Jim Anderson, his plain spoken wife Margaret and their children. The show was based around the idea that whenever the kids need advice on anything at all, they can always turn to their father, because as the title stated father knows best.

The show worked because the advice and wisdom from their Father always worked. You knew they trusted his wisdom and respected his authority. Today, when we look into our lives and our faith, and ask... does our Heavenly Father know best... and we come to a real answer when we see how we've either accepted or rejected His wisdom. Statically did you know that...

87% of Americans claim their religious faith is very important in their life today.

and 69% believe that God is the “all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the universe who still rules that world today."
 

while six out of ten adults (60%) believe the Bible is "totally accurate in all of its teachings." Yet, less than half of that 60% ... (44% actually) strongly agree with that notion.
 

But the stat I was the most struck by stated... that among those individuals who are associated with the Christian faith, only half (50%) rate themselves as being "absolutely committed" to the Christian faith.
 

The problem of spiritual influence is not a lack of people who are open to the Christian faith... it is the conviction of us who are already associated with the faith. Plenty of people believe in the existence of God but a much smaller amount trusted His wisdom and respected His authority!

Making the question that every believer ought to ask themselves... Do I believe that Father Know Best?

Because if we trust His wisdom and respect His authority or if we believe in His existence but with no conviction live under personal authority... either way, it will affect the way each of us hears scripture.

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

The truth is... people don't lose trust in God's wisdom or respect for His authority because He makes flawed decisions. People question His wisdom and reject His authority because they have a different definition of good, pleasing, and perfect!

Can you risk everything for love?

Have you ever been afraid that you might waste this ONE life you've been given to live? Fear, and the desire for safety, keeps us from doing what we were designed to do.

Spiritually, the Apostle Paul wrestled with this same idea. He wasn't satisfied with just being saved. He knew God had called him to something greater. He knew salvation was the first step in a greater journey... a journey towards the image of Christ.

Romans 8:29
For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

God has called us to something greater than our salvation... He'll called us to risk everything on a relationship. Today, risk is ugly concept in our culture (we live in the day of helmets and seatbelts) and a completely forgotten idea in our faith. Instead, we live in a generation where lives are dedicated to power... or work (or specifically the success that comes from work)... or wisdom... or even freedom. Honestly, in life... if and when safety becomes someone's chief goal, or need... then their life will naturally gravitate to either power, work, wisdom, or freedom as means to achieving their safety.

But here's the rub for those of us in Christ... God never called us to safety. In fact, sin took safety off the table. And truthfully, when it comes to God's plan to be in relationship with us... it was anything but safe. So let me show you the risk...
Look at the amazing imagery in...

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders.

The slaughtered Lamb (Jesus) surrounded by four creatures. What four creatures?

Revelation 4:7
The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

Lion = Power... Calf = work... Man = wisdom... Eagle = freedom

Revelation 5:8
When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb.

Bowed before the Lamb... a slaughtered lamb. A lamb who was sacrificed out of love. And here's the amazing truth in the middle of this passage... One day, on this day, the most powerful, the most successful, the most wise, and the most free will all bow before the most loving. Power, success, wisdom, and freedom might be keys to safety but God hasn't called His children to be safe... He has called His children to be conformed to the sacrifice of love.

Everyone wants a piece of you

Manage your time or it will own you!

Every day we ask, or think, and check multiple times a day... "What time is it?" We surround ourselves with watches and clocks, reminders and alarms... We always want to know what time is it? Important information, but it's always old news, it's always changing, time is always moving to the next tick.

 Instead, I needed to get my minds wrapped around different question! I think we need to move from "what time is it" to asking ourselves "what am I doing with my time?" "What time is it" is a question of schedule, "what am I doing with my time" is a question of purpose.

The hard truth about our time is the value of it to both the world and to God! And no matter how much we want it all we eventually come back to the reality that Life and God want to spend our time differently. Every voice in our lives is pulling us towards some goal, some purpose, some agenda... needing us, wanting us. Yet what we discover is that God is calling us towards a different set of goals, different purposes. Our time is valuable to God because His purpose for our lives is a small part of His greater story!

We are a small part of God's greater story.

The world tells us to live for the moment... enjoy the moment! There is no purpose in life it's all about our success, our enjoyment, our glory! And, the reason why we think our time and our lives should be all about "my" glory OR we begin thinking that there is no purpose... there is no point at all... is because we don't know the context for why God has given us these years on earth. We've never bothered to discover how we fit inside of God's story.

 It's the lure of the moment, of the flash and using that hook sin blinds us to God's will and uses time to keep out of God's will. How? ...by showing us that... There are no lasting benefits from an isolated act accomplished and there are no immediate consequences from an isolated exclusion of the act.

 A long sentence with real teeth. We run once and don't see the weight fall off. We eat a salad instead of a burger... no change. We prayer and don't see an immediate answer. We decide to sit and spend time together as a family but attitudes in the home don't change. One act, one isolated act and nothing happens so we don't think it's going to help. OR we do run, but miss a day and nothing bad happens. We miss a quiet time and nothing bad happens, later on we need to make a hard moral choice and last time we let our guard down spiritually nothing happened so it will be fine! Sin has sold us on the power of the moment!

But the true power of time is not in the moment but in the investment of a path... in our willingness to know God's plan and follow it in every good day and every bad day... for a lifetime.

Time

Ephesians 5:15-18

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit:

Every day, our lives are filled with decisions that reflect our priorities, and the activities we consider essential for life. In Ephesians 5:15 Paul is telling the church in Ephesus to be careful... Pay careful attention because life will draw out our true priorities. He's telling us be careful how we live because we can't have it all.

Ladies, let me relieve frustration for some of you and totally send some of you over the edge. You can't get the kids everywhere, you can't get it all cleaned, you can't get it all balanced at work, and fix- cook- and serve every morning and night, then be able to kiss your husband good night. Super woman is a myth. To survive we must make hard choices and these choices will do two very real things... choices calm the chaos, and they reveal our priorities. 

Men, we can't work seventy hour weeks, coach the ball team, make repairs at the house, and then stress out hoping your wife kisses you good night.

BUT, we can't seem to choose... so, we're frustrated and tired! But, how, how did it happen? How did we get roped into such a frustrating "day to day" existence? ... caught up in such unreal expectations? ...left all alone with overwhelming responsibilities?

First, we exchanged the essential for the necessary. Time is limited, opportunity is limited...

16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Days are evil because time is limited, only so many days in a life, only so many hours in a day. Every day we run from activity to activity, from kids event to kids event, back and forth between parent and spouse, between employee and home maker. These are real conflicts, leading to frustrating decisions, and what we're discovering is that...

The necessity of everyday stuff can block us from the essentials of a healthy relationship with Christ.

We can't break free, we don't know what to drop, and we can't slow down enough to think about re-prioritizing... one, because it makes us feel guilty and two, we're scared, we're scared that we'll get run over, left behind, or simply let someone down. So what can we do?!?

1. Align your daily necessaries with God's essentials!

2. Step up and step into your Biblical covenant roles!

3. Everyday... be filled with the Spirit...by craving your relationship with Jesus!