Category: family

Life experiences often help us get a better grasp of the things of God. For example, the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac is powerful, but when you have a child of your own and then think about Abraham’s faith and obedience, true trust in God takes on a deeper meaning.  We know God prevented Abraham from killing Isaac, but He did not stop himself from killing Jesus. What kind of love is this? Who could give up his own child to rescue the undeserving?

A couple of weeks ago, our son Taylor proposed to his girlfriend Emma. She said “Yes” and now wedding plans are being made. I’m going to be a ‘father of the groom!’ I love weddings! But this one is going to be totally different… because my son is getting married. I’m not in charge, of course, but I know how my son thinks. He’ll want everyone there! “Come to my wedding! This is going to be better than a fishing tournament! Come celebrate with us!!”

(I’ve got to be careful with my illustration, because I think the father of the bride gets to foot most of the bill and since Susan and I have two daughters and only one son, I think I should be cautious.) So, for sake of illustration, let’s pretend there is no limit to the number of people that come to Taylor and Emma’s wedding and let’s pretend we rent a huge church building and an even bigger banquet hall for a spectacular reception to follow. Let’s say we have an incredible band lined up to play music and chefs lined up to cook gourmet food and flowers and decorations and bells and whistles… No expense is being spared! (Remember, this is all hypothetical…) But as the day approaches, we get a terrible report. The ‘regrets’ in the mail are outnumbering the ‘accepts’ by a huge margin. The church building is going to be empty! The huge celebration is turning into a tiny party. What are we going to do with all the leftovers? Who is going to dance to the music of the incredible band? What is my son going to think?

I know what I’ll do… I’ll invite others! We’ll not settle for an empty house! We’re going to have a celebration that is unprecedented, even if most of the guests are strangers! “Come to the banquet! My son is getting married and you don’t want to miss it!” (I know those of you who have actually had a wedding in your family are going to point out all the ‘holes’ in my illustration, but Jesus told two parables about a big banquet… below is a mix of the two. Read them for yourself in Matthew 22 and Luke 14 and make sure you say ‘Yes’ when you’re invited.)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. Go into the alleys and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet. For many are invited, but few are chosen.’”

I stayed with my parents in Chattanooga this past week. Even though I’m a grown man and my sister and two brothers are grown, my parents are still obsessed with their children. If you have kids, you understand… which should give us a tiny glimpse into the love God has for us. It is not that the universe revolves around us by any means. In fact, if we just look up we have to agree with David, who wrote: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have put into place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?”

But He does care and a case could be made that God is obsessed with us. What else explains his incredible plan to save us? The father, who went out each day to look for his lost son, is the picture Jesus paints of God. And when he saw the broken beggar, who had squandered his inheritance, walking toward home, the father ran to him, embraced his son, and threw a huge party to welcome him home. This father was also obsessed with his other son and tried to bring him into the celebration, though the older brother refused. The father wanted fellowship with both his children, but only one could humbly grasp the true character of his dad.

The more we see this extravagant love and the more we understand the forgiveness we have received, the more obsessed we become with the Father who sacrificed his only Son to bring us into his family. Surely it is the Holy Spirit who brings such realization and surely conviction of sin is a necessity. If the older brother, confident of his own righteousness, had only realized his selfishness and rotten attitude, he would have also asked for forgiveness and entered a setting of joy and peace.

I’ve been obsessed with many things in my lifetime, but what are those things worth? But “to know Christ” is worth everything. How He loves us… and “we love because He first loved us.” Is there any greater purpose in life?

“I am always with You; You have held my hand. You guide me with your advice, and later You will receive me in honor. I have no one in heaven but You; I want nothing on earth besides You. My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine forever.” Psalm 73:23-26 (NCV)

I’m not sure where our daughter, Kinsey, gets her fearlessness… I know it is not from me. She’s in Zambia this semester taking classes and working in medical clinics… and loving it. Recently, I walked in her room and noticed a journal entitled: “What Would I Do If I Knew I Could Not Fail?” So I guess it shouldn’t have surprised us to get a picture through e-mail of her bungee jumping off Victoria Falls. I think she did an even crazier thing in Europe with her brother, Taylor, last spring. They were coming to the end of their trip, getting ready to take an overnight train from Florence, Italy to Paris where they would spend a day and a night before catching a plane to Atlanta. Kinsey was walking along thinking about the smooth trip she and her brother had enjoyed when she decided to pray a bold prayer: “Lord, thank you for this gift you have given us, but we’ve not really had an adventure yet. You know our family always has a story after a trip, would you give me and Taylor an exciting one to tell?”

What does God do with such prayers? He must laugh… and in this case answered, “OK… I have just the adventure.” I can’t tell every detail, but that very afternoon Taylor and Kinsey went to the wrong tracks and missed the train to Paris. Two American girls from Boston, who had been studying a semester in France, joined them in the same predicament. Instantly these four became a team with a common, urgent goal. “It was awesome, Dad, each one of us had a unique talent to offer the group,” Kinsey shared. “I’m glad I wasn’t there,” I said. “Yeah… you would have died.” (I don’t handle these adventures too well… and I sure don’t pray for them!) Over the course of the next twenty hours, these four travelers talked their way onto two trains. One took them to Milan, where they spent a sleepless night in a train station with some interesting Italians. How they managed the last leg of the journey, I’ll never understand, but somehow they boarded a sold-out train and arrived safely in Paris in time to see a few sights before catching their plane home. “Didn’t God answer my prayer in an incredible way?!” Kinsey exclaimed. Susan and I just shook our heads.

My kids say I’m a good storyteller, but I confess I can only tell two types. If something interesting or exciting happens to me or my family I can usually create a nice tale, and I can tell stories that have already been told. For the life of me, however, I can’t make up a good story. How I admire those that can! How I love the greatest Storyteller!

A young married couple visited us this past weekend and shared of their work among the Altai people in Siberia near the border of Mongolia. These people do not read, so the missionaries’ method of sharing the Gospel was through storytelling. Jesus loved this method. Prophets of old predicted the Chosen One would come to earth telling parables… stories with a meaning. He told them to the rich, the poor, the righteous, and sinners. Sometimes people wished he were more direct, but Jesus chose to tell stories. I sometimes wonder how many he told that weren’t recorded, but perhaps I should reread and ponder the ones that were.

“Jesus answered by telling a story…”

“Then he told them this story…”

“Jesus followed up, ‘There once was a man…’”

“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There once was a rich man…’”

“Jesus told them a story showing it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.”

“He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people.”

“He told them a story. ‘Look at a fig tree…’”

“Study this story of the farmer planting seed…”

“Are you listening to this? Really listening? God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic – what a find! – and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.” (Matthew and Luke – The Message)

I still get tickled thinking of my dad and his cows. He’s like a ‘good shepherd’ with his small herd. He knows the temperament of each, he knows their names, and he talks to each one of them. When he was a school boy in Arkansas, a Sunday school teacher encouraged his class to memorize the genealogy of Jesus. My dad still recites these names quite often as this is the way he names his baby bulls: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, … Noah, Shem, Arphaxad, … Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, … Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and recently born, King David, is the thirty-fourth in line. Labor Day weekend we visited my parents and I got to go on a hike to see the cows. Daddy was pleasantly surprised to discover that a calf had been born that very morning… a baby that could not be named Solomon 🙂 . The mother was tired from her labor, but you could tell she was happy with her offspring. The little black calf wobbled around trying to learn to walk on her first day out of the womb while my dad explained to me the wonderful features of this curious newborn.

Though my dad was excited about a new calf, he paid more attention to his wobbly son on this summer afternoon. I was at the end of a round of chemo and there is no way I could have negotiated the journey without him. He showed me how to step over the electric fence while offering his shoulder to lean on as I crossed. He told me that he had recently seen a snake so I needed to watch my step. When we came to a creek, Daddy hopped from the bank to a rock in the middle of the stream to the opposite bank like a seventy-five-year-old Olympian. I stood on my side quite sure I was about to end up in the water. Seeing my hesitation, Daddy told me to wait until he found another rock to place in the creek to make the crossing easier. (I still got a little wet, but it could have been worse 🙂 .) Even four days later I had to call home to ask my dad how to get rid of a tick that had taken up residence on my body. I followed his directions to the best of my ability and I think the problem is gone. When I am around Daddy or even if I just hear his voice, I feel perfectly safe.

Of course you know where I’m going with this story. God is greater than any good father and He wants His children to have solid answers to their questions. Does God know my name? Does He have great joy that I am a part of His family? Does the Good Shepherd communicate with me? When I’m a bit wobbly on this earth (which is always), will He help me avoid messy and dangerous traps? If I have a problem, can He tell me what I need to do? Let these familiar words from Psalm 23, John 10, and Isaiah 43 give us assurance.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me…”

“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay my life down for the sheep. I call my own sheep by name and lead them out. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me…”

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you walk through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…”

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” II Peter 1:3-4 (continued below)

The lady with a rich foreign accent bent down and whispered something in my ear at the plush restaurant overlooking Fenway Park, “Mr. Davis, your bill has been taken care of. The house is yours.” I told my family ‘the house was ours’ and we ordered accordingly! There are at least three ways I could have squandered this golden opportunity:

1. I could have refused to believe the kind waitress. I could have said to my family, “That crazy lady said ‘the house was ours,’ but don’t believe it. It is too good to be true. You know nothing like this has ever happened to us before, so why should it happen now? You may only order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with chips. You may get lemon with your water if you’d like.” Wouldn’t my family have loved me for making such a proclamation?
2. I could have failed to recognize what ‘the house is yours’ meant. Before eating we were invited down to the field where the Red Sox were taking batting practice. We were not the only fans there, but it was a great chance to say ‘hello’ to a player or to get an autograph. Taylor and Kinsey, baseballs in hand, were standing close to two men when a tall player walked out of the dugout. “Mikey!” one of the men shouted and the player came over and hugged them. Some kids scampered over to get Mikey’s autograph and he graciously signed as he visited with his friends. Kinsey was standing so close she could have reached out and patted Mikey on the back. She looked over to Taylor and asked, “Should I get this guy’s autograph?” Taylor whispered, “No, I don’t know anyone named Mikey on Boston’s team.” In the first inning of the game (viewed from our seats behind home plate 🙂 ), a runner got on base allowing the clean-up hitter to come to bat. “Oh no!” I heard Taylor moan. I asked, “What’s wrong?” Taylor pointed his finger and said, “That’s Mikey!” As a golden voice announced third baseman Mike Lowell was coming to the plate, Kinsey asked, “Taylor why didn’t you tell me to get his autograph? He’s one of their best players!” “I didn’t recognize him!” Taylor replied. Mikey hit a homerun that night to help the Red Sox win the game.
3. I could have taken the family to eat at McDonald’s right before going to Fenway Park and we could have been so stuffed with Big Macs and fries that we weren’t even hungry. What a shame that would have been.

I’m glad I didn’t ruin this part of our trip, but I wonder sometimes if I make worse mistakes when God whispers, “The house is yours.” The apostle wrote, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…” and I think, “But God doesn’t really mean ‘everything.’” And in my refusal to believe what the Holy Spirit says is true, I settle for ineffective living and little witness to the power and goodness of God.

Or perhaps I don’t recognize that God’s great promises are for me. “I am with you always… to the very end of the age.” “But Christ was just saying that to his disciples two thousand years ago,” I argue. Perhaps Jesus would answer, “But you are closer to the end of the age than they were! Don’t you recognize I am talking to you? When you receive my precious promises for yourself you are able to participate in my divine nature and escape the corruption of the world. Don’t you remember that multitudes rejected God because they failed to recognize me? Pray for eyes to see and ears to hear and the willingness to obey.”

Or perhaps deep down I believe what God says is true and perhaps I even recognize his promises are for me, but when the invitation comes to participate in the divine nature and add to my faith all the essentials God offers, I say, “No thanks, I’m full.” And when the Father asks (though he already knows the answer), “Why are you full?” I must admit that with the brief time I’ve been given on this earth I have chosen to pursue lesser things. “Why don’t you sit in my presence and learn of me?” Jesus asks. “Well Lord, you know I’m a big Red Sox fan now and, you see, the playoffs have just started and I’m sure hoping they make it to the World Series, so maybe I’ll get back with you at the end of the month.” Of course when baseball season ends another activity will fill me up so I won’t be hungry for the things that count. Could I actually exchange true riches for a bowl of porridge? This is one of the devil’s key strategies in our land if you’ve not noticed. He doesn’t mind too much if Christians take their few minutes of worship every week as long as it is just ‘token time.’ If hearts are set on things other than God the enemy knows his kingdom is safe (for the moment). But how he lashes out when a believer says, “These fleeting pleasures of the world are not what it is all about! I’m not going to fill up on junk when a feast is being offered! Lord, forgive me. I am hungry for you! Fill me with your Spirit and use me as your instrument.” Though the devil despises such wisdom, the Master says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” II Peter 1:5-9