He became a Father by creation when he made the angels. He was a holy and a righteous Creator. And he is perfect in all of his wisdom, knowledge, and acts. There is no fault in God.
To dishonor God and either refuse or acknowledge respect is a sin.
To rebel against God, to lift one's self up against him, to challenge him, and to dare think he can be set aside: makes an angel or a person a devil.
A devil then is a spirit being who no longer has a God, thus does not recognize or honor his Creator. This attitude develops such devil beings into self-centered, self-directed, and self-controlling fallen sons. This is the pride the devil showed and it is the pride that goes before a fall. It is the pride God hates. And the proud look of a sinner in his/her devil conduct, this, God counts as an abomination.
To honor and to respect one's father is not a option, it was commanded in the Old Testament and it is commanded in the New Testament. Honor and respect of God is not a choice we have, it is commanded. All who do not will become and will develop into devils. And we all know devils do not like Church. :)
We must even honor sinful and unbelieving fathers. It is not their wrong we honor, it is their place in our lives. In the case of human fathers, we all soon learn none are perfect. And the sons and daughters who think their father is unworthy of honor because of some fault or past wrong, soon discover they themselves are not perfect and have faults. As people born into sin we all realize honor and respect for parents are not actions determined worthy by some special hero status. In other words we do not decide mom and dad have done something that make them a hero and because of this they now deserve to be given honor.
There is behind honor a giving. In this giving there is respect for the reward conferred. And there is love. It is here that Father's Day draws our memory into all those loving things a father did. All the caring things he did. All the times he took time to be a father. And of course all the hard work to earn a salary to provide a home and things of life that were within his own capacity. While we may not have had all the Jones' had we survived. And through the good and the hard times father's stayed with the family until all were grown and went out to begin their own lives.
Father's day is also a day to remember our spiritual fathers. These are the ones who care for us, who love us, and who help us in our journey to God. We have the ancient father's in the Bible for examples to fathers today. And we have fathers in the Gospel, the ones who brought us into spiritual life. Who were there when we were born again. And who raised us up spiritually to know God and to love his ways. Many have no such fathers. And of course illegitimate children who have no father image in their lives usually become rebellious and out of control. They do not know what the words honor and respect mean. And they never learn the joy of love because they are not givers of it.
Father's Day is a chance to think. It is a time to recollect. And it is an opportunity to connect or reconnect. Nothing can be so subbing as to ignore honor and respect of our fathers.
Given and it shall be given unto you. Give honor and honor will be given to you.
Happy Father's day all ye fathers.
Pastor Reckart
A Father God Made
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