It’s Family-Sized and God-Sized
It’s Sunday morning at 9 am here and 11 am back home in Texas. The family is all gathered around on this amazing “3-story” sofa. That’s what I call “family-sized”. It’s also a couple of beds for two of our boys. Even though there’s plenty of beds at this home, the boys choose this place of comfort. They say it’s the best bed ever.
But this morning, it’s also a family-sized mini-church as we watch church online. We’re not missing worshipping God here. After all He is Numero Uno, this is His Sabbath Day and He deserves all the honor due Him on this beautiful Sunday morning in Cabo San Lucas. After a breakfast of huevo rancheros by our beloved Valeria, their majordomo here for over 11 years. She’s part of our family and we love her so much.
Back to putting God first whenever and wherever we are. I’m thankful that my son, Ryan, takes second-place in leading his family as he super-sizes God. The message we heard online spoke of the father welcoming his “Prodigal” son with open arms after he had left home and squandered all his inheritance. The on-the-screen pastor gave a beautiful explanation of this father’s remarkable love for his son. He didn’t hold back anything from him when he asked for his inheritance and he didn’t hold back anything from him when he had nothing. His love for him never ceased.
And that’s the love our Heavenly Father has for us. We mess up, slip up, screw up and act up but His loving arms are always there to welcome us back home when we come to him in repentance. Our family took away so much from the message of the Prodigal son who came back home in humility and willing to be a servant just to be in his father’s house again.
These grands of mine really appreciate being in THEIR father’s house. They are blessed beyond measure there – but even more so because their father magnifies THE Father. When we “magnify the Lord” – that is, focusing on and relying on His promises and His faithfulness in our lives, it causes us to never doubt that God is BIGGER and GREATER than us and any of our problems.
Psalms 34:3 says: “Oh, MAGNIFY the Lord with me and let us exalt His name forever.” It means magnifying (making larger) God’s goodness and greatness in our lives. Mary’s words in Luke 1:46 expressed her attitude during her worst of times: “And Mary said, My soul does MAGNIFY the Lord, and rejoices in the God of my salvation.” We don’t need a magnifying glass to magnify our Heavenly Father’s goodness and mercy, but when we magnify His goodness and mercy and all the blessings and all that God represents in our lives……then maybe, those impossible situations and circumstances might just shrink in size and eventually be the NOTHING that is impossible with God!
The enemy is always trying to separate the Father from His children — our Heavenly Father and our earthly fathers. Super-sizing God and magnifying Him is our answer to the blessings of the Father’s house today! I love Cory Asbury’s song about the Father’s house: “Lay your burdens down / here in the Father’s house / Check your shame at the door / ‘Cause it ain’t welcome anymore /You’re in the Father’s house. / Prodigals come home / The helpless find hope / Love is on the move / When the Father’s in the room / Prison doors fling wide /The dead come to life / Love is on the move / When the Father’s in the room / Miracles take place / The cynical finds faith / And love is breaking through / When the Father’s in the room.”