Day 3

Day 3- A Great Dad

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:7-12

 

As a young boy I found great comfort in the presence of my father. I was fortunate to have a father and mother who stayed together through my childhood and so on many occasions, I got to experience the generosity of my dad. One fond memory I have was of my dad taking me to an official golf course to play golf for the first time. This was a big deal and in a way- a "Right of Passage" moment. I knew it was a big deal because we were not a very wealthy family and  this cost him double to play golf. I knew from my father’s sacrifice that he loved me.

 

God is our heavenly father. He loves you. He has not only adopted you (Eph 1:5), but by His grace, He has forgiven, rescued (Col 1:13-14), redeemed (Eph 1:7), blessed (Eph 1:3) and He’s even given you an inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5)! He’s not mad with you, he’s mad about you. We all know that our own fathers did not have it all together (and neither do we!) and yet they were able at times to give generously. How much more our Father in heaven who never changes (Mal 3:6). He not only promises to provide our daily bread (Luke 11: 3) but so much more than we could ever ask or imagine (Eph 3:20-21). Our Heavenly Father is generous.

 

All that being said, the generosity of God is not supposed to end with us. His generosity is so overwhelming that it cannot help but overflow from our lives to the lives of those around us. And when we do so, he promises to meet our needs (Luke 6:38, Phil 4:19). As we choose to live daily in his power, grace and love, our natural response will be to look for the opportunity to spread the wealth of his love in our lives to others. How will you do that today?