June 17, 2019
Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord swore unto thy fathers. Deuteronomy 6:17-18
I used to run track. In a relay race, you must skillfully hand a baton off to the next runner on your team. For a moment you’re running by yourself, then someone comes up behind you, tries to match your speed, you’re running together, then you place that baton in his hand, and you trail off and watch him run.
Fathers, our journey with our kids is much like that. We need to run alongside. We need to safely hand off the baton.
One day, my kids are going to be standing at my casket. I don’t think they care about how many people heard me preach or how large the church’s budget was. I don’t think they even care about how many books I’ve written. When that time comes, I want them to say, “Daddy loved God and he loved us.” Dads, we are leaving a legacy.
If you are a father, don’t lose those few precious years when you’re running side by side with your child.
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”