We are called by God to give the first fruits of our labors. Whether our money or our sons, the message is clear. God wants our best. Not because He needs it, but because our first fruits represent our love for our Heavenly Father.
Do you give your earthly father “seconds?” If he joins you for dinner, do you feed him what was left from the night before? Of course not. Even if your earthly father is not around, your Heavenly Father is always there for you, no matter what. We can never “pay Him back” for the gift of salvation, but we can give the best of what we have.
For us, first fruits represent a sacrifice. But in God’s economy, we are just sending it on ahead. He alone holds on to our most precious possessions until we return.
What better way to show our love than to give our very, very best; our sons? They are, after all, on loan to us from God. We were the selected parents who saw a child grown into a man; a man of compassion, purpose, responsibility, and love for others. A man (or woman) who understood sacrifice. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13
Continued »
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6
One recent Saturday afternoon I answered a knock at the door to find a couple young Mormon boys who introduced themselves as Elder John and Elder Samuel; that always cracks me up when a 19 year old introduces himself as an elder, especially when they are talking to someone who is clearly their elder, But I digress.
Usually I will take the time to speak with the Mormon and Jehovah witness and other assorted religious recruiters who come through the neighborhood. I try to gauge their understanding of scripture and maybe gently lead them in a different direction. But today I was in the middle of a project in the back yard, which to their credit these young missionaries quickly volunteered to help complete, and I dismissed them without a second thought and went about my chore.
A couple of days later I saw an article in the local newspaper where a young boy had been hit by a car while crossing the street on his bike against a red light. The report went on to tell how angry his parents were; that with his whole life in front of him he had been run down and that he “could have” been killed. It also reported how angry they were with the driver, who by the way stopped, called 911, and stayed to help the lad while waiting for the police to arrive. Continued »
I just keep expecting to hear Rhys’ voice as he comes dashing in the door with a Rockstar in his hand: “Mom, can you…”
Can we ever answer their questions again? Can we ever be the same again?
The answer of course, is no. Nothing will ever be the same for us since the loss of our heroes. But here is where God’s message is perfectly clear. We are daily re-made, inching ever closer to the creation that the Father desires us to be. We are the work of His hand. Continued »
This is a tough time of year for me. It didn’t use to be, May was always a time of great joy. Besides celebrating Mothers Day with both my wife and Mother it is effectively, in southern California at least, the beginning of summer which also means BBQ season. Both were always a great joy around our house. Lynn is a great Mother and both Rhys and I never let her forget it and watching my son put away a rack of ribs was amazing.
This last Mothers Day weekend we were invited to a family style BBQ with my son’s widow Stephanie & their daughter London and of course the rest of the Griffith Clan. It was a nice day in the park and any quality time we get to spend with Stephanie and London is worth all the effort. Food family and Fun, what more can you ask for, right? Continued »