TOPIC: SEEING BEYOND FATHERS
MEMORISE:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12
READ: 1 Corinthians 4:14-16
14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
15 For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
MESSAGE
Children often look up to their parents, and this is no different in God's kingdom. A son might strive to learn all he can from his father in the Lord and even pray to carry his spirit. However, what do fathers stand to consider gain from their children in the Lord? When you consider the fact that there was a school of prophets in Israel, where Elijah could have gotten many people to help him, you will realize that he did not really need Elisha.
The primary reason a father sticks close to his children in the Lord is usually that he wants to pass his knowledge and anointing to them. He does not want everything he has gotten from God to die with him; he wants to pass them on to people that will carry on after he is gone. Thus, it is the willingness of fathers to teach, and their children in the Lord to learn, that builds such a strong bond between them. Just as in the case of Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:11, fathers will one day be taken from the earth, and their children in the Lord will be faced with the reality of carrying on to greater heights without them. How ready are you for the time you will need to carry on from your father in the Lord?
Your vision in your walk with God must go beyond your father in the Lord, otherwise, when he is gone, your walk with God may be affected. My Father in the Lord was a great man of God, He fasted and prayed more than anyone I knew at that time. He saw visions of the future, and I learnt a lot from him. However, he told me that he never fasted beyond 21 days at a stretch. Not long after he went to be with the Lord, I moved beyond that and started fasting for 40 days at a go once every year. He saw the Church spreading across the world, and that has come to pass, however, God has further expanded the vision to other areas like establishing the Redeemer's University where young people can obtain a university degree and be equipped spiritually while doing so.
If you want your father in the Lord to be proud of you. while you are learning all you can from him before he leaves the earth, you must also see beyond him in your daily walk with God.
REFLECTION
Does your vision in God extend beyond your relationship with your father in the Lord?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 16-17
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 20: STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS
1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus
ye soldiers of the cross;
lift high his royal banner,
it must not suffer loss.
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
his army he shall lead
till ev'ry foe is vanquished
and Christ is Lord indeed.
2. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
forth to the mighty conflict
in this his glorious day.
Ye that are men now serve him
against unnumbered foes;
let courage rise with danger
and strength to strength oppose.
3. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in his strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next, the victor's song.
To him that overcometh
a crown of life shall be;
he with the King of glory
shall reign eternally.
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