“Father to the fatherless…” (Psalm 68:5 NLT)

It’s getting to be quite May. May has always been my favorite month, (birthday, Mother’s Day, anniversary), plus the tulips beside my house are blooming and the whole world beyond my window is a lovely shade of brand-new green.

It’s funny to me how late spring has been in coming, this year, of all years. May makes the one year mark since my dad went Home. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, mostly because I was asked to share my testimony yesterday at MOPs.

This month marks a year since God has truly become my Father.

Before this year, father was a word that made me cringe, quite honestly. I dreaded the ‘Dad’ aisle at the card store because I didn’t have a hallmark moment with my earthly father. Any comparing of my heavenly dad to my earthly dad only marred the image of perfection the Bible proclaimed. Like Mack, in The Shack, my ideas of ‘dad’ were deeply damaged by my experiences growing up.

When my dad passed last May, my Heavenly Father showed up in the first few hours. He sent me scripture and with it, solace:

“I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.” (John 14:18 NLT)

He set out to prove to me in the year that followed that He is, like the popular song says; a good, good Father. Now as May breaks way into a new year, I can look back and see promises met with a Father’s steady love and faithful parenting.

At an early prayer breakfast yesterday, I caught a firsthand glimpse of Father-love. A baby girl, just learning to navigate the big, old world, sat at her parents feet throughout the program. She’d crawl away from time to time, but never got too far before a watchful Mom or Dad brought her back. They were careful to keep their pride and joy in their sights. At one point, the baby girl was playing, independently on the floor before her father’s feet. She caught the eye of her proud father; he wiggled outstretched fingers in invitation. She melted into giggles of joy, abandoned play and near-burst into waiting arms.

In that moment, I heard my Father. His strong and steady voice rung solid through my war-weary frame. “That’s how I love you, Daughter. Just like that.”

All that affection, all that joy and delight, that’s the level of relationship and revelry our Father God is offering. Why are we so reluctant to accept? Why do we allow fallen fathers to wield such damage to our most life-giving and loving relationship?

Earthly dad’s can be tough, but they don’t have define how we feel about our Heavenly Father. If we’ll allow Him, He’ll painstakingly rewrite our hearts initial impression of what it means to be a dad. And eventually, we’ll learn to delight in who we are in Him.

“How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you won’t let me.” (Luke 13:34 NLT)

Father God, today we want to let let You. Pull us close and deep. Rewrite our misperceptions of Father. Let us learn to delight in You as You keep us from eternal harm. Rearrange our understanding of fatherhood, align it with the Kingdom meaning of our earthly word. Help us to see You as You really are. Amen.

“He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.” (Luke 20:9-10 NIV)

The Pharisees, in the eight verses proceeding, had pressed Jesus for the source of His authority. Jesus knew their hearts and thwarted their question. Then He shares this parable and thus the divine nature of His earthly business. 

God plants the vineyard.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2 NIV)

He appoints caretakers, or tenants. Twice, actually. Initially in the Garden (pre-Fall) and again in the wilderness (post-Fall).

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15 NIV)

“The Lord said to Moses, “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle.” (Numbers 3:5-7 NIV)

The tenants are to work the land faithfully until the owner comes home.

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4 NIV)

A great harvest is coming. A vineyard typically requires three years to establish. How long might we wait on the Kingdom of Heaven? While we wait, we work. And we watch for the Son to return.

The Pharisees had assumed ownership and were willing to destroy anyone who threatened their power. God’s people, however, await His return with happy hearts, ready to hand over what isn’t theirs, ready to release responsibility back into the hands of a capable and honorable owner.

My brother and I have been listening to Dave Ramsey and his thoughts on stewardship. Dave points out that ‘steward’ is a King James term that hails from an era of Lords and Realms. A Lord owned the land, the people, and everything in it. The Lord appointed a steward for the day to day management (think Pharaoh and his second-in-command, Joseph). The steward held a position of great power and authority, but he could not afford to forget who owned it all. He held it lightly.

We are merely stewards, of the earth and of the Kingdom. We also have moments when we are guilty of thinking like Pharisees. We might demand; “What right do You have?” In those moments we do well to remember that we are here by God’s grace and good nature. He has every right. We are the right-less ones who have been entrusted with so much.

“The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.” (Luke 12:42-43 NIV)

Lord, help us do good today and every day. Put a happy song in our hearts as we toil towards the worthies cause of all: Your Kingdom Come. May we always remember that all of this belongs first and foremost to You. You are good to Your faithful servants; find us faithful. Give us grace and strength and stamina to serve well as long as You tarry. Amen.

“They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God.” (Leviticus‬ ‭21:6‬ ‭NLT‬)

“You must consider them holy because I, the Lord, am holy, and I make you holy.” (Leviticus‬ ‭21:8‬ NLT)

Typically we see the book of Leviticus as a long list of expired rules. The broad brush-stroke we paint tends toward ‘Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament legalities’ as we move on to the more exciting New Testament scriptures. We must be cautious not to dismiss what lies at the heart of Leviticus; God is holy. By association (proximity or touch), He makes His people holy. We must honor that.

Over and over again in Leviticus, He says it clearly. “I am the Lord who makes them holy.” We cannot achieve holiness in our own strength. It is a gift only God is capable of giving. Through Christ, it is ours. And we have an obligation to honor that.

So yes, we can breathe a sigh of relief that the entirety of the Old Testament law no longer rests on our shoulders. We are not hog-tied to an extensive list of do’s and dont’s. Yet, we are still tied to a basic and all-encompassing heart instruction: “Be holy as I am holy.” We are called to live in a way that honors Christ’s sacrifice every day. We are to refuse to defile the Spirit that dwells in us. We are entrusted with the task of Kingdom building, not destroying.

God’s heart for humanity has not changed. He makes us holy at great personal investment, so we can live and move and breathe in step with Him. Today, let’s seek to honor the holiness He offers us so freely.

“So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”” (1 Peter‬ ‭1:14-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Lord, we are Yours. We acknowledge that all our holiness comes from You alone. We seek to honor that. Not living according to a long list of dusty rules, but living in a way that blesses You and lets the world know that we are Yours. Help us as we seek to honor the gift of Your Spirit in us today. Amen.