Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

Showing Compassion and Mercy

Aren't you glad that Father doesn't require performance of you? My generation was a performance generation. We didn't have the parents that would dote upon their kids like we do today. I can't ever recall hearing my father tell me he loved me. For years I related to my heavenly Father on performance--how much I prayed, how much I studied, whether or not I was able to walk in sanctification. When any of the besetting sins in my life were suppressed, I had joy, peace and walked victoriously; but one slip up and my world would come down. Then, not too many years ago, I discovered Father's love--the real love of God. Now there's such a liberty, a peace and an enabling to love as I've been loved. As it relates to fathers, the standards and requirements don't change; you are just able to be more patient and gracious.

"A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them...wasted his substance..." (Luke 15:11,12,13). The older son stayed home and had a works relationship with Father, not a love relationship. "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! [My father takes care of even his servants. He's a fair and merciful man.] I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. [I know you are just, loving and merciful. Can I sign on as a servant?] And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him" (15:18-21).

Dads, you can never show too much compassion and mercy. The standards don't change but you love as you have been loved. The areas in your children that cause the greatest grief are the things that you identify in your own life. And because you hate them so much in your life, you hate them more in your children. We don't always convey properly that it's the sin we hate. The child is not always able to discern between the two. Because we haven't received the love of Father, we are performance-oriented. We hold the children to that by saying, "If you don't perform, you don't get anything." That's not the way our Father responds. That's not the way this illustration of our Father's love unfolds to us.

"When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion ...But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet...For this my son was dead, and is alive again..." (15:20,22,24). It's the simplest of all biblical principles: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matt. 7:12). Do you know that includes your children? We seem to think sometimes there is a different standard. It's the law of God, it's how the kingdom operates. This is the admonition of Father to us. It's the example to us of what true love is and how we can be a father that would best exemplify our Father God.

We're dealing with a spirit today that is so seductive and so powerful, as everything around us screams, "Tolerance! Compromise!" It's going to get tougher. I want to encourage you not to be weary in your well doing. Stay the course.

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