The Carpenter's Sons

Good news... I love good news! "Hey, good news I found my car keys!" "Good news I found a hundred bucks I thought I lost!" "My wife had a baby, it's a boy!"... or my favorite,           "Good news, I accepted Christ and he's changed my life!" Good news.

I scroll through my Facebook feed looking for others' "Good news", I just love it. But what about those days when you don't have any good news to share. What about the day you wake up, with a cold, your cat got loose, you stubbed your toe, the hot water heater gave out and your car won't start. Well, guess what, I've got "Good News" for you! Philippians 3:20-21 "But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior, Who will transform and fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to and be like the body of His glory and majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself."

So if we are to be like Him... how do we get there? Well, I've got more good news, He's our Father and He teaches us!

2 Corinthians 6:18, "And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

So I know what it is to be a Carpenter's Daughter, I know what it's like to feel that safety, that protection, that provision that a Father, in fact the Heavenly Father, gives to his daughters. He shows me how to live like a proper daughter of such a Man should be. He shows me how to treat my family, friends, loved ones, (even enemies), and also He shows me how I should be treated when I become a wife. 

But what must it be like to be a Carpenter's Son? How does it differ from how a Father treats a daughter? Society today has labeled sons and daughters alike, but we aren't, not by a long shot. The Carpenter's sons learn how to provide for, protect and shelter their loved ones- in short- to emulate their Father. But the Father doesn't leave them to fend for themselves, He teaches them to lean on Him, to always hear his voice, and then He provides all a man needs in order to care for his family. He teaches His son how to lift up his wife spiritually, to draw her closer to God, to lean on His steadfast promises. He teaches His son how to train up his own sons and daughters in the ways of righteousness so that when they are old, they will be a solid foundation. Thus, for generations to come, his posterity will know the one true Carpenter and how to be His sons and daughters forever.  

I have had the privilege of seeing the Carpenter at work in the "shop" with two of His sons lately, one He has been working with for a couple of years, the other just joined the lessons. The former is hard at work, milling a large intricate piece, with incredible detail. He is far along in his project and has learned much in his work as an apprentice under the Master Carpenter. The other, while younger and less experienced is eager to learn, a quick study and easily grasps a hold of the lessons being taught. Both are a miracle and a wonder to watch. The skills being taught here aren't for the faint of heart, they take will power, self discipline, patience, love, bravery, wisdom, responsibility, time, self sacrifice, and a willing heart. The Master Carpenter has big plans for each of his sons and will give them more and more responsibility as they prove fit for each new task. 

As the youngest of a half brother, two (almost step brothers), a sister and two male cousins who were like brothers to me, I have a pretty good idea of what it would be like to be a son. Sadly, that includes knowing how one shouldn't raise his sons and daughters. However the vision of what it means to be a godly man, came to me through my Father so I would know when the right one came my way and God's frame work for such a man is detailed and beautiful! A family friend often jokes with my sister and I every time we go to tackle a manly project and says, "well, you're just a girl." He says it in jest and while many women would get offended, I take it as a compliment. I can use a chainsaw, solder a pipe, frame a window and fix my breaks... but I can't be a man. I don't have the gifts and even if I did, I wouldn't want the responsibility- and I shouldn't want it. God made me the way I am, He built me and wired me to love loving, to love nurturing, to love serving, but also to love being loved, 

to love being nurtured, to love being provided for and protected. I love caring for someone on their way back to health when they are sick, I love being needed. It fills me overflowing with joy and pride! Thus it's easy for me to see the flip side. The same joy I get out of being a daughter and doing the things I am wired to do, is the same joy and

pride a son feels in being a man. It's not a curse, it's a gift. It's a gift to be what God has called us to be, and that's what I call Good News! Once we know what God wants us to be, the rest of life comes easy! Think about Jesus, all the time think about Him, He is the original Carpenter's Son! Think about what it means to be a Carpenter's son, a Carpenter's daughter. There is nothing that can stop you from obtaining the prize of the high calling God has for you when you think about Jesus, think about the Carpenter! Throw yourself wholly into the skills and lessons the Father wants to teach you and you will watch the masterpiece- that is your life- be handcrafted right before your eyes, what Good News!

Ephesians 3:6 says, " [It is this:] that the Gentiles are now to be fellow heirs [with the Jews], members of the same body and joint partakers [sharing] in the same divine promise in Christ through [their acceptance of] the glad tidings (the Gospel)."

Ephesians 3:14-15 says, "For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name]."