Lessons I've Learned From Deacon

Mondays with Michael 1.2

I have learned a lot in the past 9 1/2 months. But Deacon has helped me recognize 2 great spiritual lessons that I would like to pass on to you.

1). As an adoptive father, I think it gives me a small glimpse inside God the Father's heart. We are not God's biological children. You can look at it 2 ways:

1. Jesus is "His only begotten son." All humans are "adopted."

2. The Jews are God's children. The Gentiles are "adopted."

Either way you look at it, we Christians living here in the United States are not His biological children. But He has adopted us. I can say with (almost) 100% certainty that no biological father ever loved their biological child more than I love Deacon. Yet I know that God loves us more than I love Deacon, which is almost unimaginable. So, again, lesson 1: Even though we are not His biological children, God has adopted us and He loves us so, so much.

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ...." Romans 8:15-17

2). Whenever a baby gets fussy, many parents give their child a pacifier (aka golly, fooler, etc) to keep the child occupied and calm. This works extremely well quite often. However, if the baby is hungry, the pacifier is useless. The baby requires and demands the real thing: milk. He/she will continue to scream and scream and cry and cry until he/she is fed. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the the word, that ye may grow thereby." I Peter 2:2 We are to desire and crave the Word just as a baby craves the bottle. Yet I find that so often I am pacified with other things. I watch a movie at night and stay up too late and hop into bed without reading the Bible. I wake up in the morning and waste too much time on the internet checking out what happened in the sports world the day before. Satan uses these things to pacify me, and far too often it works. If I truly desire the milk of the word as a newborn baby, nothing is going to quench that.

These are 2 of the things that my son has helped me realize in the past 9 1/2 months. I'm sure he will teach me many more things in the years ahead.

Well, I'm heading out to the barn now to feed the goats and play with the puppies. But before I do that, I'm going to read the Bible. I'm hungry!

Make it a great Monday!