HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

If you watch much television or go to many movies you'd probably come to the conclusion that men are pigs with little to no redeeming value to the human race. We stink, we make rude noises and say rude things and the worst possible time. We're simpletons that can't make it through a morning, much less a day, without the help of our much more intelligent and well mannered wives.

Yep, socially speaking, men have been downgraded from "Father Knows Best" to "Dumb and Dumber" by mainstream Hollywood. Now, we could play the blame game and point the finger at everyone from militant feminists to fundamentalists who abuse the Bible and their submitted spouses but that's not going to solve much, is it? No, I prefer to be pro-active and simply challenge people to honor your fathers this weekend whether you think they deserve it or not.

One of the characteristics of the "last days", according to Paul, was a societal shift in attitude toward our parents (2 Timothy 3:2). Certainly we can see this breakdown in familial relationships all around us. God has placed a rather simple requirement on us that comes with conditions (Exodus 20:12). There aren't any qualifiers to this instruction. The Word doesn't say, "Honor your father and mother unless they..." It simply says to honor them.

Sadly, there are far too many horror stories of abusive parents. You don't have to do much research to see our society is very unhealthy especially at the family level. As a matter of fact, thanks to decades of glorifying dysfunctional families in our entertainment we have generations of people who believe dysfunction is functional. There is no push to strive for excellence in our families. And why should we strive to put an end to family curses or abusive cycles when it is so much easier (and in some cases lucrative) to give in to our basest instincts and just react naturally to whatever life throws at us.

To put an end to these family curses, we need godly men to stand up and do what doesn't come naturally to us; we must obey God. This requires Holy Spirit to empower us to do what we cannot do naturally, namely forgive and honor those to whom honor is not due (in our estimation). So, this weekend, we're going to spend some time honoring our fathers. It is past time to put an end to the abusive reputations of fathers from both Hollywood and our fathers themselves. It is amazing how much easier life can be when we simply obey God instead of the dictates of our hearts.

So, obey your Heaven Father and honor your earthly father. I believe you'll find that your Heavenly Father truly does know best...