For dad only:
From Gloom to Gladness
Dad, you are supposed to portray the nature of God to your children. How are you doing? Our kids will best know their heavenly Father if we give them a good introduction. Of course, we dads cannot be everywhere answering every issue, solving every problem like God. We can do one God-like thing, though. We can love.
We misunderstand God’s love more than any other attribute. Words fail to reshape some people’s minds when they do not understand the loving nature of God. How much easier it would be for our children to know God is love when they see His love in us.
The tall challenge
Being God all the time would be enough for any dad to have a nervous breakdown. Pursuing His loving nature, however, makes life seem like heaven right now. We grow into living His love as we accept His love. A guilt-ridden dad will have a hard time accepting love as well as giving it. Accept the love of God by faith when you believe He forgives your sins. If your God does not forgive (in your mind) then you will rule your children with bitterness and hard rules.
Smile at your children
It is amazing how many dads do not enjoy their kids. I imagine you are a dad who smiles at your children or you would not be reading this. Either that or you were guilted into doing Devotions with Dad by someone else. Everyday, take time to smile at each one of your children. See if it makes a difference in your life. I am not saying you are an ogre, but we can become so caught up in daily demands that we forget to cherish those who matter the most. Try smiling at your wife, too. Be sure you know CPR techniques first, though, in case your smile takes her by surprise.
Winning your affection
How much different would your home be if your kids competed to see who could get you to smile? Rather than fearing who would incur your anger first, they could enjoy this challenge of bringing you joy. If you got your kids living to make you glad (not as slaves but as friends), you will have accomplished the goal of teaching them about God.
With that kind of introduction, they will leave home without a fear of God smacking them in the back of the head; they will live to give Him glory. They will learn from you the joy of making dad glad and will pursue a life of making God glad. While you work on yourself and your efforts to make God glad, share these stories and discussions with your kids to help them understand a little better how to give God glory.
I highly recommend that you get David Norris’s new book I Am
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Dad, read this story to your kids.
A World for the Fun of It
“Oh boy!” Rusty said, following Dad out to the garage. “I can’t wait until we can bring home my new cockatiel.”
“You don’t even have your bird yet,” Misty said.
“I know,” Rusty answered, “but I am going to have him soon.”
“Yes,” Dad said, shutting the door behind them in the garage, “we have to build a world for your new bird.”
“World?” Misty asked. “How big is this bird cage going to be?”
“Look,” Rusty said, picking up a glossy magazine. “See, we are making this big wood frame and then we’ll cover it with wire mesh.”
“What is wire mesh?” Misty asked.
Rusty picked up a roll of the 1/2 inch mesh. “This here,” he said.
“That is a really big screen,” Misty said. “You couldn’t keep mosquitoes out with that!”
“No, but we can keep a cockatiel in,” Rusty said. He picked up a few long metal rods. “See these?”
“Yeah. What are they?” she asked.
“Perches. We will drill holes in the middle frame pieces and stick these through, so he will have perches to jump up and down from.”
“He’s going to have a jungle gym all to himself.”
“Yep,” Rusty said, “once we get him here, we will build him all kinds of fun toys.”
“Rusty,” Dad said, “I need you to hold this frame piece while I drill it out on one end.” Rusty held the board on the workbench while Dad drilled two neat holes. “This is how long the cage will be.” He picked up another frame piece and said, “This is how tall the cage will be.”
“Wow!” Misty said. “That would be big enough for me to live in!”
“That’s what it’s for,” Rusty said. “Misty, you get to live in here, and my cockatiel will get your room!”
“Hey!” she said.
Rusty laughed.
• • •
Rusty’s eyes were wide with excitement as he rode home from the pet store. He looked in the travel carrier at his new cockatiel and talked to him. Rusty did not seem to notice anyone else in the car. “Hey, little buddy. You have a new home waiting for you. You are going to be my best friend. Do you like sunflower seeds? What is your favorite snack? I like chocolate, do you?”
“You better not feed him chocolate,” Mom said.
“Okay. But we can pretend,” Rusty said.
“What are you going to name him?” Dad asked.
Rusty was whispering to the bird.
Dad repeated, “What are you going to name him, Rusty?”
“Adam.”
“Like in the Bible?” Misty asked.
“Yep. I have created a special world just for him.”
“Are you going to give him apples?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I know he can eat the food we got him from the pet store, but I am not sure what else he can eat.”
“We will have to do some extra research on this new family member,” Mom said.
“That sounds like a school project in disguise,” Misty said.
Rusty only had one thing in mind as the minivan pulled into the garage. He opened his door and climbed out carefully, carrying the pet carrier in front of him. Inside the house, he walked down the hall and pushed the door open to his room. He set the pet carrier down on the floor by the big cage he and dad had just finished. He unclipped the little latch on the door of the big cage, and then opened the door of the pet carrier. He reached in and scooped the young bird into his hands. He set his new pet on the perch inside the big cage.
“There you go, Adam. Welcome home, little guy.”
Mom showed up in the doorway of Rusty’s room as he was closing the cage door. Rusty turned to her with a big grin. He gave a big sigh and said, “I finally got my new cockatiel, Mom.”
“Neat, Rusty. He seems pretty calm.”
“I know. He’s just looking around and checking it out.”
Misty joined her Mom. “Did you get him to talk yet?”
Rusty laughed. “Not yet. I bet he will be soon, though. He is going to be my best friend.”
Dad peeked into the room. “Has he found a way out yet?”
“No,” Rusty said with a big grin. “I don’t think he will, either.”
“Well,” Dad said, “I brought in the bag of food and the feeder. Let’s get some food and water set up in there and let him get comfortable.
“All right!” Rusty said. “I hope he likes it.”
Next time, we will continue with this story.
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Now discuss it.
How does this story remind you of God creating earth?
Do you think God was as excited as Rusty about his bird, when He made people and a place for them to live?
Is God as excited about you as Rusty was about Adam?
What kind of special things has God put in this world for us to enjoy?
What else has God done to let us know we are special to Him?
Do you think the bird understands that it exists to make Rusty happy?
Do you understand that you were created to make God happy?
What can you do to bring God joy? How can you make Him glad that He created you and gave you a wonderful world to enjoy?
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Want a pet that can talk back to your child?
Find out everything you need to know about raising cockatiels with this book for beginners.
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Read this as a family
Making the Boss Happy
So he said, “There was once a man of high rank who was going to a country far away to be made king, after which he planned to come back home. Before he left, he called his ten servants and gave them each a gold coin and told them, ‘See what you can earn with this while I am gone.’
“Now, his own people hated him, and so they sent messengers after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
“The man was made king and came back. At once he ordered his servants to appear before him, in order to find out how much they had earned.
“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, I have earned ten gold coins with the one you gave me.’
“‘Well done,’ he said; ‘you are a good servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will put you in charge of ten cities.’
The second servant came and said, ‘Sir, I have earned five gold coins with the one you gave me.’
“To this one he said, ‘You will be in charge of five cities.’
“Another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it hidden in a handkerchief. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take what is not yours and reap what you did not plant.’
“He said to him, ‘You bad servant! I will use your own words to condemn you! You know that I am a hard man, taking what is not mine and reaping what I have not planted. Well, then, why didn’t you put my money in the bank? Then I would have received it back with interest when I returned.’
“Then he said to those who were standing there, ‘Take the gold coin away from him and give it to the servant who has ten coins.’
But they said to him, ‘Sir, he already has ten coins!’
“‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘that to those who have something, even more will be given; but those who have nothing, even the little that they have will be taken away from them. ‘”
(Luke 19:12-26, Good News Bible)
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Jesus told this story to tell us more about God and ourselves. Who is the boss in this story?
God.
Who are the workers?
We are.
Why did some of them get promoted and one demoted?
Because some of them made their boss happy and one made him very angry.
Why did the boss reward some of the workers?
Because they made the business profitable.
What does this say about our relationship with God?
He wants us to make His kingdom grow. He smiles on those who do things to promote His cause.
What can we do to help the Kingdom of God grow? How can we be profitable to the Lord?
By worshiping Him, going to church, doing nice things for others, and telling others about Jesus.
Role play: You have guests come from out of town to stay at your house for the holidays. When church time comes should you go to church and make them feel uncomfortable? After all they came to see you. Or should you bring them to church with you so they can hear the gospel and enter the presence of God? Which choice would make God happiest?
You only have a dollar and want a drink really bad. You see someone else who goes to buy a drink from the vending machine, but they forgot their money. Will you make God glad by keeping your money for yourself or giving your last dollar to someone else?
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Memorize this!