A Great Dad

Read Deuteronomy 25-27
 
Deuteronomy 26:19 God has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.
 
“God has declared he will set you in praise.”  What does that mean to you? I’m thinking of a loving father at graduation time. He sits in the audience and watches his son cross the stage to receive his diploma. He thinks of the difficult times his son has endured, working through the homework, struggling with the math, rebelling against some of his teachers and rejecting his own authority as a father.
    And then he considers his son’s successes. The improvement in his grades from his freshman year to his senior year, his acceptance into college, and this moment of graduation. His son has made it to completion. The difficulties of getting to this day are behind. Today is a day to celebrate. He gives praise to his son. He points him out to a stranger nearby. No one else in the auditorium matters. That is his son, and he is pleased. The Father praises his son in his heart for many things, but most of all he praises his son because he is his son.
    God loves you in this same way. These three chapters demonstrate how God was moving Israel out of their past failures into a promising future as his people. He declares his truth, and they respond in agreement.
    The wonder of God’s love is that he has remained committed to his promises throughout history. You matter so much to your Father he sent Jesus, his only Son, to die for you, so he could welcome you across the stage of life’s challenges – and even rebellion – into life eternal. He loves you so much he has sent his Holy Spirit to teach you, to watch over your daily walk as he guides you to become more as he is. The Father has set his love on you, to keep loving you and encouraging you until your journey is finished.
    Yes, God has gone a long way to set you in praise.
 
Pause and Consider: God is a great Dad.