6-21-98 Choosy Fathers Choose God! Joshua 24
by Ronald E. George Jr.
70 percent of kids have to grow up without a Dad. A sense of commitment and a sense of protection are vital keys to growing up. 40 percent of children of divorced Dads won’t see their Dads this year. We have become a kleenex culture that throws away the children and relationships of Dads. Even stable marriages need to be examined do we give it up for the family or are we continually doing all that we want to do regardless. A child should have a Dad that Believes in them and affirms them and is willing to spend time with them (average of 37 seconds per day).
"Success doesn't depend on what happens at the White House, but what happens at your house." -- Barbara Bush
Scripture Text: Josh 24:14-15
Josh 24:14 (KJV) Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Who is the perfect father? God is!
Remember all who the Lord is to you.
Rememer all that the Lord has done for you.
Remember all that the Lord has given you.
A sheep found a hole in the fence and crept through it. He was so glad to get away! He wandered far and lost his way home. Then he realized that he was being followed by a wolf. He ran and ran, but the wolf kept chasing him. Just as the wolf was about to catch the sheep, the shepherd came and rescued him. He lovingly carried the sheep back to the fold. In spite of everyone's urging, the shepherd refused to mend the hole in the fence. from Anthony deMello, The Song of the Bird (God's respect for human freedom)
God chose to plant the tree so that we would have the free choice. Choose you this day…
Ruth 1:15"See," Naomi said to her, "your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same."
I Kings 18:21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent.
A man really wanted to help his son understand the importance of making right choices, obeying, and doing right. So, if his son made a bad choice or a wrong decision, he'd give him a nail, send him to a post out in the back yard, and have him take a hammer and put the nail in the post. And every day that he went through the whole day making good decisions, he'd let him go out and remove one of those nails.
As the boy grew up from the age of about eight years until about fourteen or fifteen, there were always 2 or 3 nails in the post, and he'd be nailing them in and pulling them out. But he got better, until finally all the nails were removed as he started to mature. When all the nails were removed, he felt pretty good. Then his dad took him out and said, "I want you to notice something about the post." The boy looked at it for a moment and realized that all the holes where the nails had been placed in the post were still there. His dad said, "I want to tell you something, son, about bad choices. You may be completely forgiven; there are no nails left -- no problem there -- but you do have the remaining effects. That post will never be the same again."
How can we do it?
1. Be the first I can remember growing up that Dad was the first to go out on Sun. morning and put the chains on the 2 wheel drive truck so that we could plow our way through the snow to go to church.
2. Take the lead Behind every father is a family that is following him wherever he goes. Every father leaves his thumb print on every on he touches.
3. Bring your family with you. Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, "Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!" Josh. 24:15 …"But as for me and my family we will server the Lord."
How can you speak for your whole family?
How can you choose for them?
How can you say that they will serve the Lord too?
By speaking up for yourself, for your family, your church
By choosing for yourself to throw away the gods of the world in which we live, the materialism, the greed, the self-centered life,
By serving the Lord yourself and leading them to do the same.
Choose for yourself and your family today… God has to you and to me the privilege of serving Him and our families. Who do you choose today?