I love loving families. It really touches me when I see families hugging each other, encouraging each other, being tender together and laughing together.
Here’s another good one from Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn called The Strength Of An Ox (From Jonathan’s message #683 available on his hopeoftheworld.org site).
Up until about the mid-80s, I (Mark) was really into football. I’d always loved creaming others on the football field. I had a killer instinct – God’s replacing it with His character and it’s really helping me to rest more in Him. God told me to give up football since it could make me pretty angry, and to put that same energy and time into learning how to love my wife and family. He also helped me to learn how to say “I’m sorry” which was huge since I’d come from a family that almost never said that to each other. God’s always right. I’m so thankful He helped me see things His way.
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The Hebrew word for father is av. It’s made up of two Hebrew letters: the aleph and the bet, or our “a” and “b.” The aleph, in ancient Hebrew, represents an ox; the bet represents a house. So a father is the ox of the house. He’s the strength and the ultimate burden bearer. An ox’s strength is a great blessing. But the ox is known for its stubbornness as well. So if you’re a father, you’re to be the strength of your family. That strength is given by God. But be careful that your strength doesn’t turn into blind stubbornness. Be stubborn for good and for love, but never in anger, bitterness, pride or domination. For the stubbornness of a father for anger and pride has destroyed countless families and lives. But the stubbornness of a father for love, compassion, godliness, and mercy has protected and saved countless families and lives.
Be tender in heart. Be willing to say “I’m sorry.” And be strong and stubborn in your love for those who are weaker than yourself and who need your strength, just as God is, in the same way, stubborn in love for you.
Today’s Mission: Today, be stubborn in love, stubborn in faith, stubborn in joy, stubborn in righteousness (living life God’s way is right (righteousness) living that will bless your life).
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Luke 6:36
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God bless,
Mark