God is a Father; Satan is a kidnapper and abuser

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen 1: 27-28)

This morning I was thinking about the nature of how God interacts with us versus how Satan interacts with us.  God created us and loves us as a parent does a child.  He loves us deeply and has high hopes for us.  He sets rules on our behavior because he has wisdom that we do not, and until we develop that kind of wisdom through experience, he gives us commandments to keep us safe and healthy (individually and as a society) (Ex 20).  He encourages us ("You are fearfully and wonderfully made" Ps 139:14; "For I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope" Jer 29:11), and wants to see us succeed.  He wants to have a relationship with us and sent his son to give us a path to forgiveness and salvation (John 3:16-17).  Ultimately it leads to relationship and familial closeness.

Satan on the other hand comes to us in the guise of freedom and novelty masquerading as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14-15).  He twists our thought processes to turn parental rules into seemingly binding regulations (Gen 3:1-5).  For his own personal ambition and power mongering he seeks to lead souls outside of God's protection and to worship of himself (Rev 13).  He encourages us to sin as he sinned in his own fall from grace (Ez 28:11-19), and he wants to turn us into ugly replicas of himself instead of the images of God that we are.

The contrast between God and Satan and their motivations have become clearer to me as I have kids of my own.  It's a strange thing to move from being focused on your own life alone, to giving of yourself to your children and their needs because they are so hopeless when they are born.  Children are a blank slate.  They move instinctually, but they have no real awareness of who and what they are.  They need to even discover their arms and legs and the motor skills to even roll over.

As a result, as they grow, parents strive to teach the child to understand their surroundings, giving them limited freedom and set rules commensurate with their ages to keep them safe.  When they misbehave, we discipline them out of love, not out of hate because we know that they need to have a sense of right and wrong in order to be successful people.

I would contrast human parentage with kidnappers who abduct children.  Most of these children are abused and them murdered.  Others are used as slaves for personal gain or sold into prostitution.  None of these kidnappers are committing their crime for the sake of the child.  There is no sacrifice or love in their motivations.  They are simply seeking their own gratification and power mongering attitude.

When I became a Christian and moved from the parentage of Satan to the parentage of God, I entered a household and became an adopted son (Romans 11:13-24).  I went from being lost and striving toward nothingness and despair to having a structure and having a loving parent.  I used to suffer bouts of deep loneliness and pits of emptiness in my soul, but since I received Christ and the Holy Spirit came to indwell within me, I have not had that feeling once.  Someone has always been there with me.

I honestly shudder to think of where my life was headed and where I was going, but now I stand on firm ground and have a surety and confidence within me that I didn't have before.

I need to remember this lesson because my parents were definitely well meaning and well intended, but they were absentee parents.  They were contented to ship me off to the television and have me play quietly in the corner while they weren't bothered.  I needed God badly because I needed His Fatherhood in my life.

Now, as a parent of two children, they'll need me to be like God the Father and not follow the template of my own parents.  Actually, I want them badly to have both - To know God first and foremost, but to also be directed to God by a loving parentage.

We often have preconceived notions about God based on our experiences with our own parents.  I used to think of him as somewhat distant and very angry about sin.  Sort of how I relate to my dad who ran our household more through intimidation than anything.  Although I do still think that God becomes angry about sin, I now realize that there is a tremendous overwhelming love as a parent first and foremost.  His anger is not at us, but at the sin itself.  His love for us drives Him to coax us out of a meaningless and deadly lifestyle into adoption into His family.

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming for me even when I was in the depth of my despair.  You heard my soul calling out for meaning and desiring something more from life, and You came to show me Your love and healed my soul.  I pray for Your help in being a father and a husband, that I may take Your ways and live them out daily in my interactions with my family.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Walking the Rocky Road of God's Call

"Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you." (Gen. 12:1)

God's unusual calling. It can strike in many ways and is rarely conducive to our own convenience. Abram was a man of some means, and the heir of his father's fortune as the oldest son. However, God asked him to trust the calling on His life to leave His father's house, leave his inheritance, and venture out to a new land.

Now, Abram wasn't a poor guy and apparently he had many servants and livestock from his launching point in Haran, but it was still a big risk to go to a new place with no assurances of success other than God's calling.

And that reminds me (as it always does) of my personal obligation to the Lord. Do I trust Him? Am I willing to sacrifice everything that I have built up in this place to go to another at His call?

When my wife and I were praying on whether to move here to California, we were relatively set in Seattle. We had a really good life with the prospects of buying a new home, and a good steady paycheck. Everything we had was growing in a way that promised us a nice, secure future. But we felt a pressing from the Lord to move. We tried to suppress the calling for a time because we didn't have any arrangements in CA and we were fixated on maintaining our material security, but the Lord kept at us, telling us to move and to trust.

And so we moved and doing so was a huge weight off our shoulders, and we were confident that the Lord would provide. However, now that we have settled in here, we are finding that the job market is tough and our provisions are being met by our savings. So where is God?

I am confidently writing today, in the middle of this quandary, and I can say that He is with us still. I don't know how it will all play out, and there times of frustration and heavy prayer, but my wife and I don't feel like we made a mistake at all. We may have had a good secure life in Seattle, but our spiritual life was slowly decaying. What we have found here in our new place is a renewed love of the Lord. Again, not all the pieces of what the Lord will do for us here is known by us (in truth, we know nothing except today), but still our faith and confidence in Him is renewed.

One of the key truths that I have learned during this time is that God's path is straight and narrow, but it isn't without its difficulty with steep inclines and deep valleys. It has become fashionable in today's Christianity to think of God has one who rolls out the red carpet for His servants, but I believe the reality can be the direct opposite, where He increases the level of difficulty in our lives in order to develop our characters.

I think again to the story of Abram, and we see that although he reached the land of Canaan, a famine there pushed him into Egypt where the Pharaoh temporarily took his wife as his. Although God's calling and promises were still intact, they did not flow absolutely perfectly. Things developed over time, and even the fullness of the Lord's promises took generations to fulfill. (Gen 12)

In Gen 14, we also see that in the context of the world at the time, Abram was not a major player. The major political battles were being fought by the Kings of the various cities, and they kidnapped Abram's nephew Lot. I was reminded that God isn't looking to use the world's most powerful men, as they usually have their own selfish agenda on their minds. But, He will use the most humble, faithful and obedient instead.

Sometimes the mission we are on doesn't end with us. And it shouldn't. God isn't planning for just my family, but He is planning for generations of our descendants. So I sit here writing, knowing that I may not do anything of worldly note with my life (actually, I am certain I won't), but as long as I keep my children focused on the Lord, I will be setting my generations up for a large kingdom work. And that is my heart's deepest desire.

Lord Jesus, I know that You have a greater plan that just my life and my generation. Our job isn't to gain worldly power, but instead to simply be obedient to Your word and Your calling as You reveal it to us. My heart's prayer is to remain true to You and to that truth. Help me to focus my eyes on You and be a good parent to my children. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

The Necessity of Gratefulness

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they [nonbelievers] are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Rom 1:21-22 NKJV)

Giving thanks. We are about to celebrate this very worthy act through a national holiday tomorrow, and it is very fitting that I ran across this passage today.

Although it describes the nature of why people do not believe in God, it interestingly highlights a nonbeliever's lack of gratefulness as a root of their unbelief in God. When I look at myself, I realize that when I am focused on everything that I lack, and my desire runs hot for more of this or that, I naturally fall out of a fellowship with God.

God counsels us not to worry about our material needs:

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." (Mt. 6:31-32 NKJV)

Instead of worry, we are to appreciate everything that we have been granted by the Lord, and recognize that the sheer goodness of God is in front of our faces. Have we ever gone hungry? Have we gone naked or without proper housing and facilities? Do I lack in any great miracle when I am able to play with my wife and child daily and see them in good health? Is not my daughter the greatest miracle that I could ever ask for?

In all of these tremendous blessings, I must give thanks. If I ever lose this kind of proper perspective, I will undoubtedly spiral into bitterness over what I don't have. And the selfish wants of the world know no bounds. There will always be more money or possessions to desire. When those are not good enough, there are people to control and destroy or individuals of the opposite gender to exploit. This is a futile line of thinking that ultimately darkens the heart from seeing and knowing the goodness and peace of God.

Sometimes gratefulness does not come easily when the pressures of the world push in against me, but a thankful spirit is a choice. "Lord, I will not focus on what I lack or the problems I possess, but instead, I will entrust myself to You, knowing that You will straighten everything out while providing for my every need."

Lord Jesus, may I maintain that very same spirit of thankfulness today and everyday. May I turn away from dwelling on worry over the things that I really have little control over, and instead make a choice for you everyday. Thank You for all the love, provision and wonder that I have the honor of experiencing daily. In Your name of great faithfulness, Amen.

Who Is God?

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea" (Ps 46:1-2)

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Ps 46:10)


We live in troubled times. That is something that my generation has not known a whole lot of. Yes, we faced recessions, but they reversed course fairly soon only to push our prosperity to higher heights. Now, we may be faced with a time of declining fortunes and prospects, and the resultant shifts that are part of these upheavals create unsettling fears.

In Psalm 46, God is described first as a "very present" help in times of trouble. He is not an absentee God who only looks upon us with disengaged interest, but instead He is near to us in the times of our struggle and trial. Even if the world were to fall apart around us (and sometimes it can feel that way), He is near to us.

Because we face desperate moments, our temptation is to run around doing this or doing that. We want to remedy our situations as quickly as possible, and if we aren't in control of the solution to our problems, we'll busy ourselves with deep states of worry. Paralyzed, we sit contemplating all the terrible possibilities, our brains running 100 mph, while our bodies are unable to move.

It is at those times that God most wants us to remember who He is. Instead of worrying about the things we cannot control, He would like us to recall what we know of Him. He is God of the universe, who spoke every quark and atom into existence. He spoke and out of nothing came everything we know. He knit us lovingly together in our mother's womb, and declared that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He thinks constantly about us, with thoughts for us that outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore. He knows the plans He has for us, plans for welfare and not calamity to give us a future and a hope. He orders the steps of a righteous man. He works all things for the good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purposes. He makes all things new and His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. He will never leave us nor forsake us. The Earth is the Lord's and all it contains.

The God who is all these things can do anything and has a good plan for our lives. If we are His, then these promises are not exempt from us, but rather they were spoken specifically for us! If He is for us, who can be against us? Nothing in all creation can separate us from His love. If we are going through struggles, He will make our paths straight.


Lord Jesus, forgive me when I grow discouraged and when I forget who You are and what You've promised to us. I know You are faithful even when I feel like I'm in the bottom of a pit of miry clay. I do not need to worry because Your plans are good for my life, even if my life never comes out the way that I've imagined it would be. Regardless of how it all flows, me and my house will serve You, Lord God.

Getting Over Myself

"He must increase, but I must decrease."
(John 3:30 NASB)

These last four years have been pretty rough for me. Tremendously busy with marriage, having a child, and seeing my career excel to new heights. What that busyness did however, is slowly decline my relationship with the Lord to the point where I was doing a lot, but not really abiding in Him. My attitudes became more arrogant because I had money coming in and we could afford what we wanted within reason and prudence. I didn't have to rely on God all that much.

As a married couple, my wife and I became more cynical and judgmental of the people around us. Never to the point of being jerks in public, but in private we would make lots of comments and jokes. We were clearly arrogant and full of ourselves, but never really realized that it was a symptom that we were no longer fully following the Lord with all our hearts.

We moved to a new city because our prayers led us here and we fully knew that God wanted to change our lives - to draw us near to Him and help us to get back to knowing Him again.

Even in coming here however, I was still full of personal arrogance and I believed that I would get a decent job. Not a prime job by any stretch, but something good. Fortunately for me, it hasn't been that easy. It has been a ride full of disappointments left and right.

I say "fortunately" because my wife and I have realized that there is a sense that God is withholding from us. He has effectively pressed "pause" in our lives, and showed us our deficiencies. The first red flag came with the frustrations and tensions of moving here and having disappointments in the job search. We both were tense and full of resentment toward each other. We maintained good parenting, but inside we were short and would make constant sarcastic comments back and forth.

But, a light has come on in both of us. We've fallen to our knees and acknowledged the hidden sins of arrogance that had grown in us. We were putting ourselves in front of God and worrying about our reputations, materialistic desires and pride.

God gave me a newsflash and said, "I don't care about your reputation with the world. Strip yourself bare of needing the approval of people you know, and simply be my servant in whatever I tell you to do." Because I was holding onto my plans, my pride, my reputation, he couldn't grow me at all. I was a plant that was bearing little to no fruit. Certainly, nothing great for His kingdom was being done by me.

But, my desires have all changed. I need to clean my arrogance out, and focus on that. My past, my dreams are nothing. What I have must be appreciated in full, and there is much to praise Him for (especially the joy of being a parent to my daughter, and a husband to my wife). All the junk that I once valued myself for is out the window because it isn't real or eternal. In fact, I have absolutely nothing to feel superior about (Praise God!). When I finally let go, He can use to me to do His work - He must increase, but I must decrease.