1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." (NIV, italics added)
Prayer starter:
Father's Day is just a few days away. Maybe the fact that I had been seeing ads for this annual event everywhere was in the back of my mind as I was reading this verse a few days ago. For some reason, the part about what fathers are supposed to do really jumped out at me. According to the apostle Paul, a father has three main duties in raising his children:
1. encourage them
2. comfort them
3. urge them to live lives worthy of God
In my opinion, all three are part and parcel of the fatherhood job description. Each is important, but works best in conjunction with the other two. Together, they form an almost invincible package to prepare a child for life in this world. But the most indispensable ingredient among the three is the last one. It serves as a lens of sorts through which the other two and any additional fathering task should be viewed. A father should be encouraging. True. But not so much so that he leads his children to think that they are better or more special than others. How can he encourage his children, yet keep them from getting overly inflated egos? By urging them to live lives worthy of God. Lives marked by prideful and entitled attitudes are not worthy of God. A father should be comforting his children. True. But not so much that they start feeling sorry for themselves. How can he comfort his children, yet keep them from focusing too much on their own misfortune? By urging them to live lives worthy of God. Lives marked by self-pity instead of gratitude are not worthy of God.
Of course, being a father does not always present clear-cut choices. There is no "encouragement meter" or "comfort scale" that tells a father when enough is enough. Again, though, number 3 is the gold standard: parents should study what the Bible says about living a life worthy of God and reconcile that with the amount of encouragement and comfort they provide to their children. Reminders like "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31), when taken at face value, make it essentially impossible to get too excited about one's own value and ego. A verse like "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) can lift a downcast spirit and guide us on a positive, God-focused path. Thus, for any parent, the "secret" for any life situation should be to urge our children to live in a way that is pleasing to God.
Be Brightly Blessed!
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Ephesians 5:15-16
"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (NIV)
Prayer starter:
At first glance, this verse may seem very gloomy, indeed, but it actually gives me great comfort every time I read it. It reminds me that almost 2000 years ago, the apostle Paul already perceived the times to be "evil." Ephesians was written around 62 A.D., and even back then, Paul described how people "have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity" (Romans 1:29). When I get depressed about the state of affairs in the world today and the fact that evil seems everpresent, Paul reminds me that this is nothing new. Evil has had a foothold in the world for centuries, and, yes, it may seem more vile and more glaring in today's age of digital transparency, but mankind has survived all this time in spite of it. And all the while, good things have happened as well. Good people have done good things and committed acts of kindness, humanity, and mercy, oftentimes in direct response to unspeakable acts of evil. Good people "make the most of every opportunity" to do good or to show kindness. They don't wait around for special opportunities to jump in front of them. They think of positive and creative ways to make every opportunity, even the smallest one, an opportunity to live wisely in the eyes of God. Being kind, lending a helping hand, offering a kind word or attentive ear are all great ways to take advantage of the opportunities life presents us with.
What opportunities do you have in YOUR life today to present and represent the love of Jesus to people around you? Don't shoot for the stars. It's okay to start small. Even a small kindness done in this generally so unkind world can go a long way. It can start a chain reaction that you may never even know about, along the lines of "Pay it forward." Moreover, every kindness and good deed you choose to perform will make you feel more empowered rather than depressed in the face of evil.
Be Brightly Blessed!
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Romans 9:21
"Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" (NIV)
Prayer starter:
As you start your coloring meditation today, I invite you reflect for a moment about your perception of yourself. If you visited a pottery store full of all kinds of pottery, from humble flower pots to the most elaborate vases or urns, where would you see yourself? Would you be one of the fancy products or do you see yourself more as a simple, but functional vessel? Do you maybe consider yourself a basic model but secretly wish that you were one of the artistic models that are greatly admired by many people? Do you look at the fancy models with a hint of envy or are you possibly too dazzled by their external beauty?
The Bible tells us in several places that even though God loves all who live according to His way, He did not make everyone to be the same. Romans 12:6, for example, states that "we have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." And the verse you are coloring today illustrates this point quite well with the Divine Potter's use of clay. Some pottery is created for a noble purpose and some for a common use. If you look at the picture, you will realize that, quite intentionally, there are more simple flower pots than fancy vases. I think that's how it is in reality and that is how God wants it to be. The main question we should be asking ourselves is not "Am I the best-looking, most noble piece of pottery in the shop?" but rather "Am I fulfilling the purpose for which I was created to the best of my ability?"
Have these thoughts changed your perception of the type of pottery you see yourself as? Or the type of pottery you maybe wish you were? If you are still envious of the elaborate artistic urns, it might help you to consider that fancy urns are often used for the ashes of the dead, whereas humble flower pots can serve to grow new life.
Be Brightly Blessed!
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