Thurs/Fri 6/14-15/12 Fatherly Advice

Today will be written differently as the scriptures are found within the message.  I also am taking tomorrow morning off and am putting out two days' worth of message today.  Special prayer requests today for Patsy Emig, who will be having surgery tomorrow afternoon, and also for Barb Paules who has fallen again.

I am sure there is some overlap from yesterday to today.  I plead a "senior day."

Fatherly Advice:  As I take another look back in my life I remember that my dad gave me some fatherly advice and then he gave me some FATHERLY ADVICE ... Yes, I guess I am saying that there was more than one level of advice that came from my good old dad.  My dad would give me advice like be sure to look both ways when crossing the street ... be careful when riding your bike, don't ride it on the highways, just the side streets and alleys.  Advice like that I would say was fatherly advice.  Then he gave me advice like I do not want you running around with ___________ ___________ for that boy is bad news and you will get into real trouble ... and that was FATHERLY ADVICE ... I guess the big difference was, if I did not listen to his advice there would be some action for my non-action, so to speak.  Getting yelled at was one action, and believe it or not, I never liked being yelled at, but it was better than hearing this sound -- brrrrrrzipppppppppppp or however you write the noise a belt makes coming out of the loops on his trousers ... and then the crack as he snapped it together and the crack as it hit my tiny little butt (well, it was back then).  Once again, my dad did not beat me or abuse me, but I did learn right from wrong ... So fatherly advice came with an enforcer, so to speak ... and it came in different degrees of advice ...

Fatherly Advice:  I think God is the same way ... Let's look today at some of the Fatherly Advice right from our Heavenly Father ... Let's look at some of the commandments.  Let's go to Exodus 20 and look at some of these ... 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before me (to me that is a biggie): Exodus 20:4 - You shall  not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth below (again, another biggie).

Now on those two Fatherly Advice statements from God, my dad did not say much about them, I really learned about them in Sunday School.

Exodus 20:7 - You shall not misuse the name of the Lord Your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name (one of the biggest).

Now when I look at this one, I can truly say that this was also fatherly advice from my good old dad and also my dear mother.  And if I messed up on this, I paid big time.  And it was not just using the name of the Lord wrong,it was other words also.  In fact I had to be careful if I said "darn it" ... Oh, and if I did mess up on this one, I got to eat some good old soap, and not just a little ... or I got hot pepper in my mouth.  Yes, my fatherly advice on this was the same as the Fatherly Advice from God.

Exodus 20:8 - Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Boy, over the years this one got twisted all up ... Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, on it you shall not do any work.  So let me see, after church when all the "good Christians" run as fast as they can to the local eating places they expect to see people there working to wait on them ... Oh, we are in trouble on this one ... How many of us really keep the Sabbath holy?  And is the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday?  The seventh day is really on Saturday.  Are we not all somewhat on this one?  Have we followed the Fatherly Advice on this one?  I will say that my dad's fatherly advice was on Sunday we came home from church and we waited for dinner, as the big meal on Sunday was after church and we did not go out.  Dad would read the Sunday paper and my brother and I would read the funny paper.  We did not have TV and we were not permitted to go to the movies.  We did play some ball for that was not work.  Think about this one really hard ... How do you treat your Sabbath day?  Do you keep it holy?  How will God judge us on this one when we appear before Him on judgment day?

Well, it is always good to stop when I have you in the think mode ... I know that in some fields of work, things must go on.  Farmers must take care of the animals, just as we must take care of our doggies.  The Bible did say we should not use the animals to work.  And Jesus also set examples of healing o the Sabbath so I think that clears all the medical folks.  But what about all the other things?  Think about it ... talk about it ...

Fatherly Advice:  As we work up toward this Sunday which is Father's Day, I have been writing about fatherly advice and Fatherly Advice ... Today I want to continue in the Book of Luke, Chapter 20, as we look at the commandments.

Luke 20:12 - Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.  Wow, honor your father and mother and get longer life.  Did you notice that when you follow the advice of our Father in heaven we always get rewarded?  And if we don't there will be a price to pay?  Now this commandment, my dad, my dear father on earth, really enforced.  Yes, it was the part about honoring your mother.  If we talked back, if we did not listen to our mother, well, we got some of that good fatherly advice installed right on our backside ... again, not abused, just taught by the tune of a hickory stick (pop was a teacher and liked that old song).

Luke 20:13 - You shall not murder.  Great Fatherly advice, and my dad said not even to fight, turn and just walk away.  And for all those people, those doctors doing the abortions -- the law on the earth might tell you okay, but they'd better be looking right here and see what God gave us as Fatherly Advice ... I just cannot believe how many dollars some doctors spent learning how to save lives, just to get rich killing unborn babies.  THEY ARE GOD'S CHILDREN ALSO.  He knew us before we were in the womb ...

Luke 20:14 - You shall not commit adultery ... told to me by both my heavenly Father and my father here on earth.

Luke 20:15 - You shall not steal:  Wow, great Fatherly advice, and great advice for fathers to give their kids.  And remember, taking home paper, pens, paper clips, tape, etc., from your boss is stealing if you do not have permission to take it.  Arrive 15 minutes late in the morning and don't make it up ... stealing time.  Think about this one and address yourself in it ... enough said.

Luke 20:16 - You should not give false testimony against your neighbor.  (Remember, everyone is your neighbor.)  What does this really mean?  DO NOT LIE ... I wonder if we would be better at telling the truth if God made us eat soap when we lied ... Gosh, my dad believed in this one.  I ate enough soap to have a clean mouth forever.

Luke 20:17 - You shall not covet:  Here is Fatherly advice that is really needed.  I wonder if we followed this one perfectly how many new cars would be sold.  Go to any big high priced neighborhood ... Each person tries to outdo the other ... bigger house, bigger pool, tennis courts, basketball, big motor home, bigger mother home, double slide out, triple slide out, boat, bigger boat, really big boat, an ark, okay, maybe not an ark, even the wood pile, who has the biggest, one fireplace, two fireplaces, and so it goes.  Covet, where does it end?  I wonder, should God have said ... You shall not try and keep ahead of the "Joneses".  That was the way my dad taught us.  Don't try and keep up with the Joneses.  Anyone else ever hear it that way?

Yes, God gave us so much Fatherly advice I cannot cover all of it and get it in until tomorrow.  However, tomorrow we will cover three (3) really big ones ... really big.  You don't want to miss the BIG THREE on Pastor Dan's list of fatherly advice and Fatherly advice ...

Fatherly Advice 4:  Today I promised what I thought might be the big three when it comes to fatherly advice and Fatherly advice.  But first I do want to say this ... I could write on this subject for a few more days for there is so much more advice in our Bible that teaches us how to live.

Today on the Fatherly advice list, from Mark 12:30/31 - The greatest commandments - Verse 30 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  Verse 31 - Love your neighbor as yourself.  And going along with these great commandments, my dad's fatherly advice was "to do unto others as you would have them to unto you".

Moving on with my next of the big three Fatherly advice ... From John 3:3 and in the words of Jesus.  "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he (she) is born again."  And from John 14:6, again in the words of Jesus - "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  Also please read Romans 10:9/10 for the directions ...

And last on my list today, Fatherly advice in the form of a promise ... are you ready for this ...

From John 14:1/3 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  TRUST in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house there are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME BACK AND TAKE YOU WITH ME that you also may be where I am."

And from my dear "late" dad ... and from this earthly father to all of you, Trust in God, above all else, put your trust in God ... He will never, ever let you down.

To all you dads on the line ... Enjoy your day and remember we, the men in the house, are to be the head of the household under God.  And if we do that right, the ladies of the house will shout praise the Lord and Amen ...

I don't know of one mother who would object to being in second place to Jesus if her husband indeed loved Jesus more than her.

Let's close out today with prayer ... Please, Lord, bless those today that we call our earthly dad or daddy or maybe pop, as I called my earthly father.  Lord, help men to understand they should be head of their family under You.  Lord, be with Patsy and her husband tomorrow as Patsy goes under the knife and also be with Barb who has fallen again.  Lord, thanks for the messages ... In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now go forth sharing your blessings and loving Jesus ... I love ya, Pastor Dan.