The Perfect Father's Day Gift [All American Series, Part 3 of 10]

Psalm 68:5-6

"A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land."

 

The ideals of fatherhood are strong in the Bible. Unlike the gods of other religions, the Judeo-Christian God is shown as a loving Father. Christ described God as his own intimate Father and claimed to show in himself what the Father was like (Jn. 14:9-11). God gave His beloved Son for the salvation of the world (Jn. 3:16). Consequently, wherever the Christian ideal has manifested itself and prospered, fatherhood has taken on a deeper meaning. The tender appeals of the apostles John and Paul to their "children" helped foster this attitude. To see for yourself, read I John 4 in its entirety.

Christian, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things about God I am about to write:

The Father as a Wall Builder. Only God knows how to repair the breaches in our lives. Consider II Chronicles 32:5-8,

⁵ Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.

⁶ And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,

⁷ Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:

⁸ With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

For further study, read up on Nehemiah, Chapters 1-7. Then pray and allow Him to build up the broken walls of your life.

The Father as a Builder. God builds from the ground up. Just like a good restorer doesn't take a broken down shack and improve upon it, God does not leave the sinner in his miserable state and add on a few token gifts. He is a thorough builder, using His word to edify and establish (Col. 1:21-23; 2:7). And, the building begins on a strong foundation. To wit, Matthew 7:24-27,

²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

For further study, please read Ezra, Chapters 1-6 regarding the rebuilding of the Temple. If you're born again and saved, Friend, then your body is the temple of the Lord (I Cor. 6:19-20). Treat it right and let the Master Builder do His work in you and through you.

The Father as a Watchman. God protects and watches over you. In Psalm 121:3, we  read that "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber."

God’s sleepless vigilance is for our good. In verse 5 says, “The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.” God keeps us, protects us, and cares for us. If there is a need for refreshing the Lord will provide it. Our Protector is constantly seeking our good. As one song puts it: “He never sleeps, He never slumbers. He watches me both night and day.”

Are you facing difficulties? Turn to the One who never sleeps. Each second of each day, let Him “...preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” (v.8).

The Father as a Provider. Who knows better what we need than God the Father? No one, not even our earthly fathers. Matthew 7:7-11 states, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

To say the least, God is so much more than this abbreviated list of traits. He is our All in all. Someone once said, "If you've got Jesus, you've got everything. If you've got everything else but Jesus, man - you've got nothing!"

How Deep the Father's Love For Us

1. An earthly father sees himself in his children because they were born of his flesh. To some extent, they look like him and act like him.

• God gives us His Spirit, who indwells us and empowers us to act in ways that please Him. Our task is simply to let Him live through us (Romans 8: 9-10).

2. Children can’t provide for themselves. In fact, they usually don’t even try. They simply trust their parents to provide food, clothing, and shelter. 

• Because we are God’s children, we don’t have to worry about our basic needs. Like little kids, we can trust our Father to supply them. Will we still have to make wise choices? Yes. But we can place our burdens on the wide shoulders of our heavenly Provider. Read Matt. 6:34 and Psalm 84:11-12, and meditate on their promises.

3. A good father doesn’t expect his three-year-old to be able to mow the yard. Nor does he become impatient if his child can’t tie her shoes the first time he shows her. 

• Similarly, God doesn’t expect us to be mature instantly. He gradually gives us more responsibility and teaches us to lean on Him more completely (Ephesians 4:11-16). 

5. Parents usually regret it when they fail to set boundaries for their children. Although discipline is difficult for both the child and the parent, it is necessary to form a child’s character.

• Although our heavenly Father is patient with us as we grow, He will discipline us when we persist in willful sin. (See Hebrews 12:5-11.)

6. Unfortunately, many fathers express love to their children only when their child looks good, succeeds, or is well-behaved. Or, a father may communicate a lack of love by spending very little time with his child. 

• In contrast, our heavenly Father is willing to express His love for us at any time (Psalm 103:17-18). 

7. Little children can’t plan a vacation, buy a house, or select the school that’s right for them. They trust their parents to plan a good life for them. 

• As believers, we often think we have more control over our lives than we really do. God wants us to trust Him to give us His goals for our lives (Ephesians 5:15-17). Often, His guidance will come one step at time, not all at once (Proverbs 16:9).

 

Origins of Father's Day

The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm--perhaps because, as one florist explained, “Fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.” On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, West Virginia. But it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.

The next year, a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910.

Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

However, many men continued to disdain the day. As one historian writes, they “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products--often paid for by the father himself.”

Advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father’s Day a “second Christmas” for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and greeting cards. When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father’s Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it was a national institution.

Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father’s Day gifts. That's a lot of neckties!

Seriously though, the best gift you can give to God the Father is to entrust Him with your life (Click Here). The best gift you can give your earthly father is your respect. Oh, a hug would be okay, too.


Sources: usa.gov, artofmanliness.com, history.com, intouch.org, fathersday.com

When All Else Fails, He Will Never Fail You

Psalm 27:10
"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up."

A mother is estranged from her son, whom she has not spoken to in over a year. She finds him on Facebook and requests to be a friend. He refuses and she sends him an e-mail, "You're a worthless piece of ----. I never should've had you." The young man gets angry, but quickly resigns himself to his state, reasoning, My mom has always been this way. She hasn't changed one bit.

Even though a person you love might have abused you, mistreated you, or given up on you; even though a parent may have disowned you; even though you may be out on your own, alone and without friends, I want you to know something. Jesus Christ loves you.

But, you say, I've made a mess of my life. Jesus knows, but He still loves you.

But, you say, my family disowned me because I stole from them, abused them, mistreated them, took advantage of them. Jesus knows, but He still loves you.

But, you still don't understand, you might say, I am a drug addict and have burned many bridges. Jesus knows it all and He still loves you.

But, you say, I'm not worthy. You might even think you're a worthless piece of ----. Jesus doesn't think so. He sees your worth. Why else would he die for you on the cross at Calvary?

There are so many "But's" you could interject to keep you from coming to Christ. Here is a truth: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Roman 5:8

That means Jesus didn't wait for you to get your life together and make things right. He took the first step by dying on the cross for your sins. All you have to do is take the next step and believe by faith that what Christ did at Calvary was for your sins and ask Him into your life (Rom 10:9-10).

Then what happens next is another miracle: Christ's Spirit comes to indwell in you (Acts 2:38)! How incredible is that! And to think, you did nothing to warrant this wonderful gift. God not only saves us from our sins but equips us to live for Him through His Spirit (Gal. 2:20).

Indeed, according to God's word, we who are born again in Christ are new creatures (I Cor. 5:17).

To wit, Galatians 4:4-6 states, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."

Don't you get it? Once you are His, He is yours as well.

Therefore, comfort yourself in knowing that when you think no one else cares for you or loves you, think on this good report: Jesus loves  you with an eternal love that cannot snatch you away from Him once you are His. Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Only trust Jesus Christ.

Come, every soul by sin oppressed,
there's mercy with the Lord;
and He will surely give you rest,
by trusting in His Word.

Only trust Him, only trust Him,
only trust him now.
He will save you, He will save you,
He will save you now.

To God be the glory!

The Plan of Salvation

A Father's Helplessness

Psalm 23

One early morning in 2006, when my daughter Amelie was just 4 years old, my wife and I heard a blood-curdling shriek no parent ever wants to hear coming from their child. It was about 4 o'clock in the morning. When I heard my daughter's high-pitched scream, both my wife and I shot out of bed and ran to her bedroom, which was next to ours. She writhed in her bed as she cried, clutching her right side.

When she saw me, she yelled, "Daddy, make it stop!"

My wife asked her, "What's wrong?"

"It hurts!" she screamed as tears ran down her face.

I scooped her in my arms and took her to the car. My wife followed behind. She drove her to the emergency room. I stayed behind because we had four other small children. As my wife sped away in the dark morning, all I could remember was my little girl pleading, "Make it stop!"

In the living room, I fell to my knees and cried out to God, pleading with Him to save my little girl and to have the doctors find out what was wrong with her. I had never felt so helpless. My daughter needed me and I couldn't even help her. In that moment of begging for God's favor and mercy, I couldn't think of Scripture to guide me through my prayer.

After waking up the other children and getting them off to school, I drove to the hospital. In the emergency room, my wife told me that they thought it was appendicitis. She was very young and the doctors said that while uncommon, it happens. The pediatric surgeon explained the risks involved in the appendectomy and the risks of general anesthesia. She could die from complications from the burst appendix, or go into a coma from the anethesia, or possible die from the sleeping gas. As they wheeled her into the surgery room, my wife and I prayed over Amelie and then kissed her.

My wife and I hugged each other as we saw our daughter disappear behind the surgery doors.

We sat in the E.R. lobby for what seemed an eternity. Nothing was said. My wife had her eyes closed as she prayed. I couldn't pull my thoughts together, so I pulled out my pocket Bible from my jacket and began reading Psalm 23. I whispered it to myself, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

When I heard my own voice, it sounded shaky, broken. I didn't realize how scared I truly was at the possibility of losing my daughter.

As I repeated verse 1, it occurred to me that I had never considered the phrase, "I shall not want." until that moment in the hospital's E.R. waiting room.

My Father in heaven knew what I wanted; I wanted my little girl back in my arms. I wanted her healthy. Yet, in the first verse of Psalm 23, David says that the LORD is his shepherd, he shall not want or lack because God the Father provides for him.

You see, I knew that God was a provider (of food, health, safety, etc.). But up until then, it had been an intellectual understanding. It wasn't a matter of the heart. Until that very morning of February 2005. When I suddenly realized how God provided life and was the giver and taker of life (Job 1:21) that I realized that Amelie wasn't mine; she belonged to God (Psalm 127:3).

It was then that I prayed outloud to God and, as I did, I cried to Him and told Him that I loved Him, that I acknowledged that Amelie belonged to Him. I asked that He let her live, but that if He took her home to be with Him, I would understand. I told Him that I would continue to love Him no matter what His decision was, but to please consider giving her back to me because I loved her. I ended my prayer but saying, "In Jesus' name. Amen."

Friend, the previous paragraph might've been easy for you to read, but it was the hardest prayer to pray for me. In my selfishness and pride, I wanted Amelie with me. Yet, I had to surrended my desires to God to let Him that His will, and not mine, came first. You see, once you recognize who God is in all His power and glory, you really have no choice but to submit to authority.

If for some reason you are angry at God because things didn't turn out your way then, I'm sad to say, you really don't know Him at all. In Isaiah 55:8-9 , He says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

When the surgeon came out from behind the swining doors of the O.R., he told us that Amelie was in post-op recuperating just fine. I looked up heavenward and said, "Thank You, Jesus!"

We thanked the doctor and as soon as we were allowed, we rushed in to see our four year old daughter. As she slept, there weren't traces of tears on her face or any contorted expressions of pain, only the placid rest of a tomboyish girl who liked to collect ants, ladybugs and praying mantises and then bring them into her bedroom unbeknownst to us.

I was (and continue to be) a powerless father. But, I have a Father in heaven who is omnipotent. For when I am weak, I am strong through Him (II Cor. 12:10). God can do all things. And He does them well (Mk. 7:37).

How about you, Reader? Have you put your trust in God? The only way to a real and meaningful relationship with God is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Here's how to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ His Son: The Plan of Salvation

The Heart of the Father

Ephesians 6:4

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

God is the Father who sent his Son to seek that which was lost (Luke 19:10), to redeem that which was perishing (Gal. 4:5). Sadly, we take our own personal experiences with our earthly fathers, or lack thereof, and project them unto God. Here are some examples:

1. The angry, unpredictable father instills fear in his children and teaches them that God is a tyrant who lashes out unexpectedly.

2. A critical, demanding dad makes his kids feel inadequate. They see God as a strict taskmaster who's never pleased.

3. The uninvolved or absent father sends the message that his children are unimportant, and both he and God are too busy for them, or too disengaged and distant.

4. A macho dad's tough, uncaring nature leads his children to feel unloved and conclude that the Lord doesn't love them either.

5. A fault-finding or abusive father conveys that his child is worthless and God is full of condemnation.

                                                                                 (courtesy of Dr. Charles F. Stanley)

The Christian father is really an instrument in God's hand. A father’s first responsibility is to acquaint his children with Scripture. The whole process of instruction and discipline must be that which God commands through His holy word. God's authority begins and ends with the Bible. Indeed, God's word should have ongoing contact with the mind, heart, and conscience of children. How is this possible? The human father should never present himself as the ultimate authority to determine truth and duty. It is only by making God the teacher and the authority of every facet of life, public and private, in social settings and in solitude, that He truly becomes our Father.

So, the charge for those who are fathers is to put full faith and obedience to God's word. To trust and obey. And, the admonition for those who never knew their fathers or never had a relationship with their father is this: Forgive. Yes, forgive them.

Don't carry the weight of bitterness and anger with you (see Job 21:25; Heb. 12:15). If you're a man, an angry disposition will slowly turn you into the very father you hate. If you're a woman, an unforgiving spirit will eat you up and destroy every relationship you have with men.

Yes, forgive them and remember God's love toward you through Jesus Christ his Son:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." I Peter 1:3-5

Thus, we're born again by the resurrection of Christ, who died for your sins and your father's sins. It is a living hope and will not diminish. He will keep you by His awesome power through your faith in Christ Jesus.

Oh, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful! And my song shall ever be: Oh, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me! And for you, too!

If you seek a relationship with God the Father, here's how! The Plan of Salvation

The Happy Man

"Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127:5, KJV)

This message could be considered a belated Father's Day message, but I couldn't wait until 2011 to write about the happy man who has many children. Recent events have caused me to ponder about this matter. You could say, three little blessings arrived quite suddenly in our home and that made me stop and take in the reality of parenthood. You see, any man can sire a child. But, it takes more than a hombre to raise a child, let alone into a godly one. From where I stand as a father, the view is a long one, arcing over the next meal, bedtime stories, prayers, and scraped knees and into the eternal question: What kind of child do I want him to be? Parenthood is a lifelong state of existence because you never stop being a parent; you never stop hoping the best for them; you never give up in believing that things will be better for them; and on and on and on. It never stops. This isn't a complaint; it's a fact of life.

There's a song by Randy Travis that clearly points out what the parent, the father in particular, has to face:

"I’ll provide for him,

Walk beside of him,
I am strong enough.
'Cause it's time he knew
What a son can do
With a father's love:

He could change the world."

[from "Raise Him Up" lyrics found in "Rise and Shine" album, released: Oct 15 2002 ]

Because children are a heritage from the Lord (Ps. 127:3), they are not ours to keep. We are simply their stewards. So, if children are a gift of the Lord, what are we to do with them?

1. We are to teach them who God is. Gen. 1:1; Ps. 139:14-16
2. We are to teach them about God's Law. Deut. 6:1-9; Exo. 20:1-17
3. We are to discipline them. Prov. 22:6, 15; Eph. 6:4
4. We are to teach them about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jn. 1:1-4; Jn. 14:6

These are just a few Scriptures I'm quoting. There's more to be sure because God's Word is a treasure and inexaustible.

If you have children and you are not training up your kids according to God's Word, you will be called to account your time with them when you meet God, assuming you're a born again believer. If you're not, then you've got an entirely different problem; that is, you are spiritually dead and in need of salvation through Jesus Christ. Applying the principles of the Bible will not get you anywhere with God unless you are born again (John 3:3,5).

One final thought: Training up a child is NOT easy. It requires a strong commitment to God, placing faith in His awesome grace, and involves a lot of prayer, especially as they grow older and began exercising their will. There will be a lot of things you will not like in their choices, but take heart that they will have the Word of God in them. Once they become adults, they are out on their own and will have to live with the consequences of their choices. My heart goes out to those parents who have wayward adult children who have walked away from God. My only advice to you is to keep your faith and know that what is impossible for man is possible for God (Luke 18:27). Happy is the man whom the Lord blesses with children!


See here for more information: The Plan of Salvation

The Man In the Rearview Mirror (Part 1 of 3 in the MACHO! Series)

On one particular fall morning, I drove my children to their school and I was in no rush, enjoying the crisp autumn air. As I pulled out of the driveway, I noticed that a red Jeep Cherokee sped down the street, towards us. I figured that the man in the Cherokee would slow down for us. Wrong. Instead, he began to honk at me as I put the car into direct and drove. You would think that because I was moving along that the honking would have stopped. Wrong again. I looked at him through the rearview mirror and saw that he was yelling and could tell from reading his lips that he wasn't wishing me a good morning. The angry man pounded his fist on the steering wheel and yelled some more; his face was unshaven but it was red. Instead of ignoring him, I chose to slow down the car a little and enjoy the show a little bit longer. All the while, I stared at him through the rearview mirror. At the four-way stop, I waited longer than I should have before turning and waited. Keep in mind, all of this was happening in a matter of seconds, but everything seemed like slo-mo. In the gool ol' days I used to have a little protection under the car seat (you never knew what you were going to come across on the lonely stretches of blacktop in Texas). I thank God that those days are over and that the only things under my car seat nowadays are hamburger wrappers, old receipts and a coffee-stained Bible. I had no idea what I was doing with a car full of kids, taunting an angry man while waiting for him to make a move. I know it was stupid. But, in just that instant, I was back to my old self, my old ways.

Here are a few thoughts of popular wisdom on anger:

1. "Speak when you're angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret." - Unknown

2. "A man is measured by the size of things that anger him." - Geof Greenleaf

3. "Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame." - Benjamin Franklin

Here is the wisdom of the Bible on anger:

1. He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly; (Proverbs 14:17a)
All impulsive, reactionary anger ends up in foolish choices (ie, dealings). We handle matters best when calm and under control. Can you think of a time when you've made a great decision in a time of rage?

2. He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. (Prov. 14:29)
Again, slow to anger and quick to listen are better approaches to understanding the matter at hand than just reacting angrily and suddenly, which demonstrates a foolish character.

3. A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (Prov. 15:1)
He who is soft-spoken can deflate anger, even if the truth is being spoken; unlike provocative words which add fuel to the fire.

4. He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. (Prov 25:28)
Someone who can't control his anger is someone without boundaries. Watch out for this fella.

5. An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression. (Prov. 29:22)
All angry men do is cause trouble for themselves and others, and a man who rages is someone who is in sin and neck-deep in breaking the law.


What does this kind of anger say about you?
It says that you have no self-control; thus, you have no inner strength to overcome your own emotions and reactions to situations. Your internal life is a mess and you're not even at peace with yourself, let alone with others around you. And, because you have no strength to rein in your anger, you are really weak. By blowing up, you think you are tough; all you're showing to the world is that you're like a diseased tree. Tough on the outside, but possessing shallow roots, and hollow and empty and rotting (with anger) on the inside.

Anger can shatter relationships; it ruins both the joy and health of many. Sadly, people tend to justify their anger instead of accepting responsibility for it. It's always someone else's fault. Yeah, sure, bud. That's why YOU end up beat up and holed up in jail, even though it was THEIR fault. Huh! That's why you lose friends, right? THEY shouldn't have said anything to hurt your teeny-weeny feelings. And that's why you get cut loose at work, because THEY caused YOU to lose your anger. Everyone but you controls those worn out knobs to your emotions, right buddy?

I thank Jesus that the Holy Spirit held me back that morning. I am no longer that man, even if I still look the same. The Bible says that I am a new man in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). In fact, the more you study the Bible, and I mean all of it, the more Scripture will come to your rescue in times of trial and troubles. On that fateful morning, this is what came to mind:

"Be ye angry, and sin not." (Ephesians 6:26)

Instead of continuing on my foolish track to confrontation, I turned on my blinker and turned toward the school and got out of the way of the raging man behind us. After I dropped off my children, I pulled over on the next street and asked God for forgiveness of my behavior. In prayer, I remembered this Bible passage:

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21).

So I continued in prayer for the angry man in the rearview mirror and asked for him to come to know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, who is the only One who could change him. After all, He changed me. And everytime I see myself in the mirror, I'm reminded about what Christ gave me that I didn't have before.

Peace.