Sons in the Marketplace – Are You Still Playing in the Street?
November 7th, 2007 | Michael Q. Pink
“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will (1) loose the armor of kings,(2) to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (3) I will go before you…
A father’s promise to his son is that he will go before him and make a way. That’s how God led Cyrus and that’s how He wants to lead us today. A good father wants to give good gifts to his children and one of those gifts is to make his child’s path easier than his own. The father wants to open doors for his child, but there’s a catch. As genuinely as the father wants to go before the child, the son or daughter must be willing to follow the father.
What does it mean to follow the Father? Too often we are only willing to follow the Father on our terms, when it suits us, where it’s not too costly. Following the Father means to not only follow His path and His steps, but also to accept His authority and trust His leading in our lives. While the Father leaves the choice of following Him up to His kids, the ones who have been trained by Him (read that as “disciplined or scourged by Him”) are the ones who have become “sons” (spiritually mature ones). The ones who despise the chastening of the Father, while still much loved as children, have not yet become “sons” (Heb 12:5-11). The difference has a lot to do with privileges extended.
We all want the privileges of sonship, but few are willing to so align themselves with their Father as to conform to His image and likeness. We don’t really trust Him and we prefer our own ways. So we remain as children playing in the street, dressing up like big people, but never doing the work He prepared for us to complete. (Eph 2:10) Paul tells us “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” While we may enjoy our lives as children, it is to the sons that authority is entrusted. And who are the “sons”? As many as are led by the Spirit of God.
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November 7th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Okay, I was just sitting here this evening in Queensland, Australia, thinking ‘trust God, trust God.’ You know - one of those moments when we’ve done what he’s called us to do and poured in all the resources at our disposal and the results are out of our hands and it’s down to the waiting game. So thanks for the timely reminder that trusting God isn’t just about the success of whatever plan we’re up to. It’s about the process as well. Phew!
November 7th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
How true! We want the blessings but not the daily paying the price, obeying God, accepting the trials, etc. We go around sucking the baby bottle with milk going about our own ways and wondering why we haven’t been able to overcome this sin or that sin, our relationships are suffering, we don’t pray with authority, and we find ourselves not too happy, lacking real peace. Thanks for the insight!
November 7th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Paul said in 1 Cor 13 “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” God is speaking to the Body of Christ, that it is time to grow up. You are a blessing Michael, as you use your teaching gift “for the perfecting of the saints…till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-15) We are to “follow the Lamb wherever He goes,” trusting in Him with all our heart, not leaning to our own understanding, acknowledging Him in all our ways, and believing He WILL direct our paths. His Word will be a lamp under our feet, and a light unto our path…as the Holy Spirit leads and guides us day by day. Thank you for this timely word for the Church.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Hi Michael
Thank you for your message. Those who are led by the Spirit of God they are the true sons and daughters of God. We so need the comfort of the Holy Spirit which is the only true lasting and satisfying relationship we can have ultimately. I have just been to a seminar about forgiveness, joining, healing the heart and relationships, especially that with ones own mother. This is an area where many of us need healing. It is not taught about in the Body of Christ as a rule and its about receiving the feminine love from God which is storgey love. Isaiah 66,esp verse 10-13. I feel a closer sense of His presence now, especially in the evenings when I am alone. I would love to be with a special person who wants to serve the Lord as well and please would you join me in prayer for the Lord to send that special person of His choice. I am sixty and divorced after 25 years of marriage and my children are grown up. It does say in scripture that it is not good for man to be alone I will send a helper to him. However, even that has to be surrendered to His will. Not my will but thine be done Lord. Its knowing and trusting the Father, knowing His graciousness and mercy and love which is new every morning.
He says I know the plans I have for you plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope. Its all about letting go and trusting, every day and every hour of every day. There is a chorus we sing in England which goes “I need thee how I need thee, every hour I need thee, oh bless me now my saviour I come to thee.
November 7th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Hello Jo, Anita, Donna & Helen;
Thank you for writing in. Your comments are encouraging and helpful. So glad you weighed in today. May God grant you the desires of your hearts!
Blessings, Michael
November 7th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
There was a time I was not able to relate to my Heavenly Father, because
of my relationship with my step- father and my natural father. One used and abused me, the other rejected me. It was like I had to give one of them favors, for my needs to be met. At age 8 yrs, I had no trust or confidence towards male adult figures. Until my married life, and having to receive Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I willingly gave over my life, with all my hurts, rejection, pain, unforgiveness, every spiritul darkness. One day in church John 3v16 spoke to me. So in recognising how much He loved me, I asked Him what was His heart and desire. He gave me 2 Cor 6v18: Iwill be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and Daughters Says the Lord Almighty. How awesome is that! Now I know He is a Good Father, and He wants to give us good gifts, hears our prayers and answers them too!! I hope this will be an encouragement to others. To whom Jesus receives All Honor, All Glory and All Praise.
God Bless everyone
Clare B
November 8th, 2007 at 5:03 am
Hi Michael. My name is Steven. I have been receiving your emails. I was actually thinking of the thread on SONSHIP asI was driving down a sharp hill yesterday on the outskirts of my small country town of Maleny Queensland, to a very busy intersection in the pouring rain in my Utility. It’s a T intersection near the DUMP. Heavy traffic going directly in front of me at 80-100 kmh down a big hill. You can see them but they can’t see you. A very dangerous intersection as that the traffic can not see you coming. You must stop and give way. It is in a cutting. I put on the brakes on to stop and skidded on a water sheet on the road. I could not stop, even though I placed the brake pedal to the floor. I could not turn left or right. My thoughts coming down the hill were…”SON SHIP…FAVOR… LOVE…where were you Lord when that happened. Where were you Lord when that happened and Where are my daughters…don’t you know my pain…my agony…”…and then thinking of my rebellion when the trial got too much and I got angry and hopeless in it all and worried myself sick. I have been separated from my twin daughters for 4 years, aged 9 on Oct 12. I do not know where they are. Of late with Father’s Day and their Birthday I feel in to a pit of dispair again and rebellled against God for the 1000th time…Then in that moment seeing the momentum I was in and the traffic wizzing past getting closer and closer…. I thought…O GOD…I skidded toward the crossing traffic….and I braced myself to be side swiped…but I was calm deep inside, in a way I felt I deserved to be punished like that.. to be smashed up in the oncoming traffic…in the split second that my Utility stopped…not 6 inches before the crossing traffic. “I WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE YOU.” I said sorry to God all the way home. I know God loves me and has been very good to me. But boy it gets hard sometimes in a trial. I miss my daughter so very much and it seems at Christmas…or Father’s Day or Birthday the pain is enough to wreck every other day of the year. I cry I beg God and still I think he is not even there. But yesterday…He stopped my Utility. I know it. Help me not forget God, you are there and you promise an expectant end. Grant us all that in our trials Lord. Amen. Bless you all. Love Steven.
November 8th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Steven;
I know whereof you speak. I’ve ben there my friend. It’s hard to believe sometimes that God will never leave nor forsake us, especially if we feel we deserve that. Keep pursuing the Father with all of your heart. He will aid you on your path. Blessings, Michael
November 8th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
I’ve been following your posts lately with great interest. You obviously have something to present to the Body of Christ. I would only, respectfully, suggest the following comment and slight, adjusted, rewrite of this current posting… “Faith is not doing, praying, something and expecting, or waiting for, the Father to respond… Faith IS believing that the Good Father has ALREADY prepared an inheritance for his children, and his childrens children. It is in place, provided by the FINISHED work of the cross and resurrection, the Blood Covenant, inside of us for us to agree with.” He did it already. So:
A father’s promise to his son is that he HAS GONE before him and MADE a way. That’s how God led Cyrus and that’s how He wants to lead us today. A good father HAS provided good gifts FOR his children and Jesus WALKED THE ROUGH PATH THAT OURS COULD BE SMOOTHER. HE BECAME POOR THAT WE COULD BE RICH. The father ALREADY opened doors for his child, but there’s a catch… the son or daughter must be willing to BE IN AGREEMENT (HARMONIZE) WITH the father.
What does it mean to follow (HARMONIZE WITH) the Father? Too often we are only willing to follow the Father on our terms, when it suits us, where it’s not too costly. Following the Father means to not only follow His path and His steps, but also to accept THAT WE ARE “IN HIS IMAGE” with His authority and CHARACTER to lead in our lives. While the Father leaves the choice of following Him up to His CHILDREN, the ones who have been trained by Him (read that as “disciplined or scourged by Him”) are the ones who have become “Sons” (spiritually mature ones). The ones who despise the chastening of the Father, while still much loved as children, have not yet become “sons” (Heb 12:5-11). The difference has a lot to do with UNDERSTANDING OUR TRUE IDENTITY AS “SONS”, AND THE privileges THAT ARE IN PLACE FOR US.
We all want the privileges of sonship, but few are willing to so align (YES!) themselves with their Father as to conform to His image and likeness. We don’t really trust Him and we prefer our own ways. So we remain as children playing in the street, dressing up like big people, but never doing the work He prepared for us to complete. (Eph 2:10) Paul tells us “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” While we may enjoy our lives as children, it is to the sons that authority is entrusted. And who are the “sons”? As many as are led by the Spirit of God. [And, parenthetically, who have been taught, and had modeled, "Sonship" as opposed to "sheepship", understanding the full dynamic of who they REALLY are. Can't have it both ways, for true productivity. A "Son" is a son by election, adoption, automatically upon salvation... not by performance. The maturing process will dictate productivity, but not election.]
God bless you, Brother.
November 15th, 2007 at 2:55 am
Amen! I agree wholeheartedly. I am, personally, a SON, fully yielded to His will, His plans and purposes in my life. He continues to unveil, unfold before me these plans of His, which, I find He reveals progressively. I have learned to jump when He says “Jump!” and have learned, over the years, to flow in the river. In other words, I have learned to trust in the Lord completely, and my life has never been more complete and devoid of all anxiety. We do, indeed, serve a wonderful God who cannot love us more than He does now.