Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "The Impact of a Loving Father" for Sunday, 15 June 2014 - Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "The Impact of a Loving Father" for Sunday, 15 June 2014 - Read Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one. 5 You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; 7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the door posts of your house, and on your gates.
Recite [the words I am commanding you] to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.(Deuteronomy 6:7 (NRSV))
This Father’s Day, I reflect on my dad and the blessings he has passed on to me. I remember planting the garden with him, learning to swim under his coaching, and going with him to the grocery store each week. In everything we did together when I was a child, I felt cherished. Daddy taught me many life lessons. One was the value of hard work. Another was honesty. If a cashier gave him too much change, even a few pennies, he would quickly return it. My dad also taught me about the importance of spending time with God. We had family devotions nearly every evening, sometimes to my protests. Daddy firmly said, “It’s time for devotions,” even if I was watching my favorite TV show. As an older adult, my dad has demonstrated grace in difficult times. He has been a caregiver to two spouses. He has embodied love, faithfulness, sacrificial giving, and strong faith. I think about people who have no pleasant memories of a loving father, and I pray that they will discover God’s love through other significant people. I am grateful for a dad who served as a role model and helped me to grow spiritually.
The Author: Anne Leonard Trudel (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: Thank God for a parent’s love.
Prayer: Dear loving God, thank you for parents who embody your grace and love. Enable those who grow up in homes without positive role models to encounter other people who will demonstrate your love for them. Amen.

Prayer focus: Children who suffer abuse
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