A Child Of My Father

Fatherhood has fallen on hard times. Too large a percentage of families today have no father figure in the home.

This Father’s Day, we need to look to God as a perfect Father who is completely devoted to His children.

Let me remind you of the greatest truth in the whole Bible. It is that I as a Christian and you as a Christian are related to the Father. I am a child in the family of God the Father.

You know, my dad was a real popular person among our friends as we lived as a family. It was not uncommon for me to be known as Lucian (Lou) Hodapp’s boy on frequent occasions. I was Lou Hodapp’s boy for several different reasons: first of all, I was named after him: Lucian Hodapp Jr.; secondly we had the same nose; thirdly he and I liked the same kind of activities like, for example, golf; we were seen often together. Yes, we had a lot in common, dad and me. But these were just outward evidences of an inward reality. We were the same blood; I had my dad’s blood running all through my veins, and because of THAT reality, I was his son.

Now sometimes, for sure, I didn’t act like his son. I’d decide to do things which went against everything he stood for. But understand, that did not mean I was not his son. It didn’t change my nose. I still had the same blood flowing through my veins, and NOTHING was going to change that. I could do a lot of different things. I could run away from home. I could do everything in my power to embarrass him if I wanted. I could fail to live up to the great plans he had for me. But none of these things could alter the fact that his blood coursed through my veins. Lucian J. Hodapp was and is the name of my father on my birth certificate. There is nothing I can do that is going to change that. It’s in the records in St. Louis courthouse or wherever they keep those things.

You know something exciting? JESUS’ BLOOD RUNS THROUGH MY VEINS. My blood relationship with Jesus is the same as it is with my dad. I can do all the same things where God is concerned. That whole list of things I can do against my dad, I can do against God, but I can never change the fact that when I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior, I became a new creation – I became a new person with a new spiritual Father.

I can run away from home. Occasionally, I can embarrass Him. I can fail to live up to the great plans He has for me. But none of these failures on my part can mess up the fact that I have a Father-son relationship with God. God the Father’s name is and always will be the name on my new life birth certificate. Jesus Christ is my legal brother and in the record of heaven, it’s there.

You know, Christ now dwells in a spiritual child of God. But the child is now offering himself as what? – a living sacrifice. It’s a two way street. He lives inside of me but I have to offer myself to Him on a daily basis – not just one time, but daily.

Alright, let’s get down to it. Here is the reality of the matter. I still engage in the actions of a person who is a natural person without God. Yes, I’m talking about me. And I know you’re the same way. The lifestyle of the child of God is the model – it’s the ideal – it’s that thing we strive for, the thing in which we journey.

I can do it; He has given me all the resources to make that happen, to live that lifestyle, it is possible. For the Scripture didn’t say, well, you’re kind of a loser, just do the best you can. No. It said I have everything I need BECAUSE I am a child of God. The condition, “flesh”, is still present, but the child of God has the freedom and the option to crucify that flesh and consider himself dead to sin.

The fact of the matter is this: most of us live in the middle, don’t we? Journey is the operative word here. And, unfortunately, most of the time, I’m living in the middle of the flesh and the spirit.

On this Father’s Day, my heavenly Father has no intention of beating me up, demeaning me, and making me feel small in His sight. My heavenly Dad wants me to sit down with Him and talk about the sin in my life so that He can get it out of my life. For I now operate on a love system with Him and He operates on a love system with me.

I think it is really significant that the Bible tells me “I will never leave you or forsake you”. In the original Greek, do you know what that really says? “I WILL NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER LEAVE YOU!” That is how much Jesus wanted to get across to us that He wasn’t going anywhere, that He wanted to stay and fellowship with us, no matter what. If that scripture is true, do you understand that whenever you go into sin, He goes there with you?

When I first thought about that, I thought, “I don’t like that!” When I go to visit sin, I want the leave Jesus at the house. I want to choose when Christ is going to be separated from me. The Bible is contrary to that, friends. If Jesus never leaves, that means that when I go and I do my thing, whatever it may be, He is right there with me. Do you know what kind of intense love that takes? I know I’m talking to a lot of people just like me. Do you understand how much your Father and Jesus love you?

Now I have some friends that are dear to me in my life. But I’m telling you right now, I don’t know that I would be strong enough to stand by them if they did certain things. But Jesus and my Father do that for me.

My Father will not disown me as a son. He just wants me to gain control over some annoying habits that are messing up His house. God says, “Son, we are going to keep working at this and keep working at it until we get it right!” If you look at it like that, it will change your motive.

Sometimes my Father just says, “Now son, don’t.” Sometimes He says, “Son, you’re going to get yourself grounded.” Next time He may say, “Get in here!” But I’m telling you, my family relationship with my Father never changes! I’m always His son! I have that assurance.

I am on a journey. At times I’m more fleshly than other times. But I’ll tell you, when I’m the least fleshly is when I stay connected in awareness of Christ living in me. THEN EVERY DAY IS FATHER’S DAY!

[Back to Home]