The Greatest Father

Posted on by Shannon

There’s a lot of angst in the world about fathers. How many television shows feature people trying to find missing fathers, or absent fathers trying to reconcile with their children, or people struggling to grow up without a father at all? It would be nice if all families had kind and devoted fathers, but that’s not the case. But there have been some exceptional ones in history.

Charlemagne, king of the Franks (ancient France) and of the Romans in the 8th century, had 20 children. He was careful to educate all of them – even the girls, which was unusual at the time. One of his sons was found guilty of conspiring to kill the king, but Charlemagne took pity on him and found a way to save him from execution. He was a father who cared.

One of history’s worst fathers was, surprisingly, Constantine the great who made life much easier for early Christians in the 4th century. One of his sons carried out many of his father’s military campaigns, and they were quite close. But for some unknown reason, Constantine had him executed and all monuments dedicated to him destroyed.

Most men try to be good fathers, but the job comes with little training. Whether you’re ready or not, fatherhood is thrust upon you when you have a child. We look for models to follow, and the best of all is God Himself.

God is the father of all mankind (Acts 17:24) and provides for all of us, whether we are good or evil. He created the nation of Israel and treated them as His sons. “When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son” (Hos.11:1). Through the sacrifice of Jesus, He adopted us as sons and cares for us every day. “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor.6:18). Through God we learn to care for our families, to love each one of our children, to shield them from danger, to treat them special, and provide them with guidance.

Kings, emperors and ordinary men have all struggled with fatherhood. You don’t have to be rich and powerful to be a good one. God Himself shows us how to perform this most important role He has bestowed upon men. Whatever your circumstances, if you’re a father you can do it well.

 

– Tim Johnson

A Citizen of the Kingdom

Posted on by Shannon

The poet Maya Angelou once wrote, “There is nothing quite so tragic as a young cynic, because it means the person has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.”  Cynicism is something that seems to be entrenched in our society, just ask any of the teachers in our congregation and they will tell you how difficult it is to teach someone who is indifferent to the world around them.  Theodore Roosevelt once gave a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris during his presidency entitled “Duties of a Citizen”, which had some encouraging words on how to view cynicism.  “The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twisted pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt.  There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement.” It is easy to fall in line with the cynicism of our culture, but as Christians we are held to a higher standard concerning attitudes toward life.  As we read in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” We are to be an example to those who are mired in negativity, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10).

-Jon Jackson

A Reasonable Faith

Posted on by Shannon

In Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre there is a ladder on one of the
ledges referred to as the Immovable Ladder.  It was believed to have been left there
by a mason working on the building in the mid 1700’s.  As time went by it remained
and it has gotten to the point where the ladder cannot be moved because in 1964
Pope Paul VI decreed it represented the divide between the Catholic and Orthodox
churches and it should remain there until the two reach a state of agreement on
ecumenism.  Is this the type of faith God wants for His people? Judging by scripture I
sincerely doubt it.   It seems that man has always placed emphasis on things around
him that have great age and mysterious origins; it is often falsely labeled
supernatural.  When in reality the supernatural, what Christians call the things of
Spirit, is really quite straight forward and laid out plainly by God through His
inspired Word.  He revealed His son to man in a plain matter. “And a voice came out
of a cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him!’” (Luke 9:35).  He
gave man the way of salvation and the Great Commission directly. “Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I commanded you.” (Matt.
28:19,20).  And in numerous verses given man His overarching will for His creation
“fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecc.
12:13).  It is easy to get caught up in the superstitions of our culture but let us have
the confidence to remember that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” in the
image of the Almighty God.

-Jon Jackson

All Things Royal

Posted on by Shannon

With a royal wedding his weekend, the attention of the world is on London, England. It’s also Victoria Day weekend in Canada. And just a few weeks ago, everyone was excited because Prince William and Kate had their third baby. All things royal is certainly on people’s minds.

In Canada, living so far away from these events makes us feel a little out of touch, even though we appreciate them. Sure, the royals like to occasionally visit our country, but very few of us have any direct links with the royal family. None of us will attend the wedding, cards and flowers will be ignored, and we can’t call them up to congratulate them. It’s as if they are living in a different world.

The apostle John spoke of another kind of royalty in his Book of Revelation. He said the actual words of the book came from “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1:5-6)

Jesus is far above any royal family in this world. While they don’t know it, Jesus even rules them. It’s the personal nature of Jesus’ rule that is so impressive. He gets involved with each of us. He loves each of us, paid the price to save us from our sins, and made us His own Kingdom. Each of us is a priest serving God. We can speak to Him any day of the week in prayer, and He listens. No wonder John exclaimed, “To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

The events in London are fascinating, but what we have with the King of kings is much more valuable and enduring. Some day He will welcome us into His home.

To Him be the glory!

– Tim Johnson

Time to Run

Posted on by Shannon

This is the time of year for marathons, before the heat of summer invades. Every major city seems to have one; even smaller cities host runs of various lengths. Perhaps the most famous is the Boston marathon; they’ve been doing it every year since 1897. This year’s race took place on April 16th with 26,948 runners; all but 5% of them finished. People come from all over the world to participate, including a good number who do it in wheelchairs.

Many of us are getting older and the thought of running a long race seems preposterous. While it’s certainly appealing to those who are young, some seniors actually run marathons. Eighty-five-year-old Katherine Beiers, a former librarian from California, was one of the last to finish the Boston marathon – but she did it!

The Scriptures compare the life of faith to running a race. In Hebrews 12:1-3 the writer says we must “lay aside every encumbrance” to do it. Runners don’t need baggy clothes or heavy footwear; they slim down and try to be as light as possible. Likewise, Christians disentangle themselves from sin and the distractions that come with it, and “fix their eyes on Jesus.” He crossed the finish line ahead of us, so we focus on Him and what He did. The secret of running a long race is endurance, for no one can do it by speed alone. It’s not a sprint, it’s carefully measured work. Many Christians forge into the life of faith in a hurry, but they don’t last. We live with determination and stamina. How you serve the Master at 70 years old is quite different than how you did it at 25.

The apostle Paul also spoke of running the race. “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim” (1 Cor.9:26-27). He was always aware that he could easily veer off the track or give up entirely. “I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” Let’s be aware of how far we’ve come in life as followers of the Lord and make sure we don’t give up in weariness as we approach the end. Jesus is waiting there for you.

Run with endurance.

– Tim Johnson