Tag Archives: expectations

The Unknown Father 5

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Sometimes as I read the Bible I hear things in my mind.  No, I am not crazy thank you very much.  I mean, I can hear what is going on in my sanctified imagination.  As I was reading Mark 9:14-29 I could hear this father as he talked with Jesus.  I could hear the emotion in his voice.  I could see the tears in his eyes.  I know because there have been times that I have stood before God my Father just like “The Unknown Father”.

Today I want to look at his longing.  We all have desires for our children.  We want them to grow up healthy and be successful.  We want to attend their wedding.  We want to walk our daughters down the aisle in a snow white dress and give her away to a man in a snow white tuxedo.  A longing is prolonged unfulfilled desire or need.  As I write this I am reminded that I will never perform my son’s wedding.  He has no desire to play basketball or throw a baseball with me.  These are just a couple expectations that a father has.

Look at Mark 9:18, “And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”  Notice what this father said, “and they could not.”  He was longing for his son to be whole; but, the disciples could not heal him.  Once again his hopes were dashed upon the rocks of life.  Once again he had dreamed of his son being whole.  Yet, his dreams were crushed again.

I am guessing that you; my reader, know how this man feels.  You have watched as your hopes were dashed on the rocks of the sea of life. Don’t give up hope.  Keep that longing and take it to God and give it to Him.

So, how are you doing?

Covered Head To Toe – The Shield Of Faith

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When I was a reserve police officer we did some training in an old abandoned farm house.  We were simulating serving a warrant.  I remember going into the house with my partner.  We were dressed heavily as we were using our duty weapons; but, they were loaded with bullets that contain a paint ball instead of a bullet.

I remember going through the house and wondering when the persons inside would jump out at us.  Then it happened.  Another officer pretending to be a bad guy jumped out and shot me in the back.  It peeled the corner of my vest under itself and left a bruise that was a real shiner.

It was at that moment that I wished I had a shield.  Look at Ephesians 6:16, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”  This “shield” is a large door shaped shield.   You could crouch behind it and be covered by it.

As we go through life we become the target of our enemy, the devil.  He hurls flaming darts at us constantly.  The Word of God tells us that one of our defenses is our “shield of faith”.  This door shaped shield of our faith will protect us from these attacks.

What about your faith?  Do you even have faith?  Faith is a confident expectation that God will do what He said that He will do.

So, how are you doing?

Happy Friday The Thirteenth!

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I remember a number of years ago while I was a police and fire dispatcher our department made a lot of changes.  One thing they changed was the numbering system for both police and fire.  I remember one police officer in particular who is a solid Christian man was given the designation of 13E13.  This tells that his department is the thirteenth police agency on the system and the he is an enforcement officer and he his the thirteenth officer from the top in that division.

He was actually excited to get this number.  The powers at be would not let him keep it.  They said if it were ever reassigned that the next officer might not have the same idea about it.  The number was retired before ever being put into service.  You see superstition is rampant in police, fire and EMS.

Some would say that today being Friday 13th is an unlucky day.  I found not one thing in the Word of God about luck or being lucky or the opposites either.  As a matter of fact, I found much the opposite.  Look at Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  The word “expected” is Hebrew and means an end and expectation.  This is taken from the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordence.

In other words, God is saying that He has a plan for each and every one of us.  He has an end for us just like a beginning and He has expectation for us.  The problem is that we live deeply below His expectations for us.  Cheer up, get up and live up to the expectations God has for you.  If you don’t know what they are then ask Him.  He has written you a love letter called the Bible.

So, how are you doing?