John 14:10-13
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
I don’t know about you, but I grew up in an extremely strong patriarchal family culture. My grandfathers on both sides were strong, responsible, supportive, respectful men. While they may not have been given to any open display of affection, they definitely handled their business; as did my dad, uncles, cousins and siblings. As men we were taught to handle our business no matter what. Now we certainly had lapses in our lives that went contrary to our teaching at times, but as a whole, we didn’t stray too far away from our roots.
And to that end, I can attribute the success of our houses and family reputation to one important phrase. “Because Dad Said So”. No phrase, sentence or sentiment evoked more fear and anguish than hearing dad was expecting something I hadn’t accomplished. If he said do it, that was the final word. But as daunting as his assignments seemed at the time, there was a comforting sense of value in knowing he trusted that I could successfully complete the assigned tasks. In other words, there was nothing he was asking me to do that he didn’t have total confidence I could perform. So even when it seemed impossible or improbable, I gave it my all knowing dad had faith in me.
On this Father’s Day, I want to remind every father, brother, man, woman, boy and girl that if God has declared something in your life, he will most certainly empower you to perform it. And just in case you’re not sure if He’s spoken over your life, let me assure you that He most certainly has. The fact you are here today is evidence of His grace and mercy. That rumbling in your soul right now is indicative God is present and working on you. But the assignment from God is yours to perform. You’ve got to own your destiny.
God is not going to make you successful. He gives you the tools to get it yourself. Please note in our scripture Jesus said to the believer, “the works that I do he shall do also… This thing called holiness takes work. God doesn’t do it for you. He strengthens you to do it. And there’s no reward for idleness.
I can’t think of anything sadder than a good man, made in the image and likeness of God that has been deceived into believing that God is not real and true to His promises. The Bible declares the animals believe and know God is real. All nature bows before our God, and responds to His authority. Even the demons in hell tremble at the mere thought of His presence. Yet we often take occasion to question, wonder and doubt the wisdom and existence of the Almighty.
But may I vanquish all your doubts and fears? God is not counting on you because of your education, intellect, charm, charisma, strength, determination, dreams , desires or will. God is confident in you for one reason and one reason only. Because He said so. You can do it because He said you could. And God cannot lie.
God Bless
