My wife and IBased on the story of the “Prodigal Son” Luke 15:11-24
Luk 15:11-24 NKJV Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. (12) And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. (13) And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. (14) But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. (15) Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (16) And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. (17) “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! (18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, (19) and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ‘ (20) “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. (21) And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ (22) “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. (23) And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; (24) for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
The father in the story is a man willing to allow his son to leave home and make his own way in the world. He allows the son to have his inheritance, and then lets him go into the world to make his own mistakes and perhaps his own fortune. This was a working man, much like we are today, farmer and rancher providing a living for his family by practicing agriculture. Not only did he take care of his family, but also those who were the hired hands, they too had plenty of food for their families.
We live in a world where too many men will make babies, but then abandon their duties as fathers. I read a story a couple of years back about a guy who had 11 children with 10 different women. He did not marry any of them. He also did not support them and the children, not a very godly man at all. 1st Timothy 5:8 says this about a man who will not take care of his own:
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1Ti 5:8 NKJV).
It behooves us as Christian men to care for our families, to be men who will not shirk our duty to bring up our children in the faith. Not by forcing them to go to church, but by being an example, bringing them to Church and to Sunday School. Teaching them by our example as men of faith. A godly Father is a man of Faith, both to God and to his family. That faith manifests itself in everything we do, it is an example for our children, that they too may live godly lives. In today’s society, many folks who claim to be Christians, do not attend Church on a regular basis, they do not bring their children to church but they are faithful to bring them to baseball, football and soccer practice and games. Over the years I have noticed that there are many in our churches who itch to have the service end, in the fall and winter months it is because the Cowboys or the Texans are playing at noon and they don’t want to miss any of the action. Of course I enjoy a good football game myself, but most of the real drama comes in the 2nd half of the game.
Then of course there is always baseball, basketball and hockey during the other parts of the year. Is that really God’s will for our lives? It seems to me that a godly man is Able to Discern God’s will in all the situations of our lives. No matter what may be going on around us, if we prayerfully seek God we will be able to see and understand what it is He has for us. I had friends who decided to go on a mission trip to Africa, they worked for 2 weeks to help in building some homes for people, and also were able to help with the building of a church. Two years later they again felt God’s call and returned to that village to complete that Church building program. As they worked the drums began in the village, and worked their sound further and further away, until they could no longer be heard.
Finally that church building was completed, except for the windows, they had not arrived as yet, they had planned an inaugural worship service, and everybody was excited for the first worship in the new church building. As the time for worship to begin approached, the people began arriving for the service. People came from as much as a hundred miles away, they had walked all that distance just to worship in the new building. They brought their entire family with them. The worship service began and they sang songs of praise to God and they sang outside as well as inside, for there were no more seats inside the building. To make a longish story shorter, it was five hours of worship, they read scriptures, they sang songs, they prayed, and of course the preacher preached for almost an hour. No one left, no one worried about the time, they had come to worship God, not to fellowship with each other but to fellowship with the Lord their God.
I wonder what would happen in our churches if we didn’t worry so much about the things of the world, and instead worshiped and fellow shipped with our Lord. It is interesting that people in this country, used to come to worship expecting to be there for a number of hours. I was at a Church in Mason County and they had buildings there that were for the families of the church to sit down and eat their lunches that they had brought with them. Then they would sing and worship in the afternoon and into the evening. Finally leaving after a day of worship and praise.
Another thing about a godly man, he is Thankful both for joys and trials in life. I think that we have forgotten how to be joyful in the Lord, always aware that God is present in all our situations, always understanding that God will see us through. I like the thought that God laughs with us when we laugh, and hurts with us when we hurt, always there always holding us in His love and care. I am reminded about Paul and his thorn in the side, he prayed for it to be taken from him and God said that his weakness revealed God’s strength. That is a wonderful word for us today, when we are weak we can depend upon our God to be our strength.
2Co 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (NKJV)
Another attribute of a godly man is Happiness – or joy in the Lord, no matter the circumstances he finds himself in he is still happy or joyful. I know it drives people to distraction because I am always laughing and joyful even in the midst of trouble. I know that my God is with me, that nothing in the world can possibly harm me. Yes a bad person can kill me or do physical damage to me, but they can’t harm me, my God is with me and will bring me through. This also goes along with Enthusiastic you should be enthusiastic simply because your life has a purpose. The godly man knows that his life is tied up with Christ, that his purpose is to continue the work that Christ had begun. We are his messengers. We have a commission from the Lord Himself:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Mat 28:19-20 NKJV)
What greater purpose can there be? Fathers are the spiritual leaders of the home, teaching the children all that God has done and is doing. Fathers are also the leaders when it comes to doing the will of God in their own lives, their children see this and will want to be like their fathers. Godly men will evidence that Christ is a part of their lives in that they will try to be helpers for those who are in need. This too is a part of the ministry of the Christian man, Christ reached out to others touching those who were considered untouchable by the society around them. Not only lepers, but also those who were thought to be, dare we say it, SINNERS!
Jesus was invited to eat dinner at the house of a Pharisee. As they were eating a woman came in and crying she knelt at Jesus feet, washed his feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. Anointing them with fragrant oil. What a gift she had given him. The host however, was upset, he thought to himself that if Jesus knew who this woman was, he would not let her touch him.
And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. (Luke 7:37-46 NKJV)
Jesus then forgives her for her sins, for she was weeping because of her sins. If you do not forgive, then God cannot forgive you.
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Mat 6:9-15 NKJV)
This brings us to another attribute, Righteousness a godly man is a righteous man. A man rock solid in heart and mind, a man with a growing relationship with his Lord, Jesus Christ.
That relationship brings us into rightness with our fellow-man and with God. One of the verses that has touched me is: because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (1Pe 1:16-17 NKJV). That word from the Lord kind of sets you back on your heel. Be Holy For I Am Holy, I will become holy, when the Lord returns, but for now, I am still working on that.
Jesus Christ lives in each of us, we are all made in the image of God, and we are forgiven, and have forgiven those who have sinned against us. That just makes us a little bit closer to being holy. It is our God who will clothe us in the righteousness we need in order to come before Him in the throne room of heaven. That righteousness, which is imputed to us by Jesus Christ the one who we have believed upon. As people of God we strive to be Holy in the sense that we try to be like our Savior.
May you all have a blessed and holy day today and all the days of your life, be holy brethren, for our God is Holy!
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