SONG OF SOLOMON Sermons by Rev. Mike Jones [Revised February 17, 2019]
Song 01:6 MISSING THE ICE CREAM
Song 01:6 MISSING THE ICE CREAM
Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept (Song of Solomon 1:6). Solomon’s family was angry with him because he failed in his own life. The greatest danger to my life is inside, not outside, of me.
Sometimes we are so busy with life until we have no time to make a life – David was a great king but a not so great father.
Sometimes we are so busy living life until we fail to enjoy life – I was given a tour of the Pet Milk plant where we saw how to make ice cream but the Tour Guide never let us eat any ice cream!
Paul talked about people who were “Ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth” (2Tim 3:7). There was a man who planted roses and spent all his time caring for them but never really saw them until one day he “stopped to smell the roses”.
A recent survey of Fathers listed several things they would change if given the chance:
1. I would love my wife more- Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
I would seek to be faithful in doing little loving things for her–opening the car doors, placing her chair at the table, giving her little gifts on special occasions, and writing her love letters when I’m gone from home. I would take her hand as we stroll in the park. I would praise her in the presence of my children. A child whose parents show their love for each other has a security and stability about life which is gained no other way.
2. I would listen more. Most fathers find it hard to listen. We are busy with the burdens of work; at the end of the day we are tired. I would listen when my child shares his little hurts and complaints. And I would try to refrain from words of impatience at the interruption.
One evening a small boy tried to show his father a scratch on his finger. Finally, after repeated attempts to gain his father’s attention, the father stopped reading the newspaper and said impatiently, “Well, I can’t do anything about it, can I?” “Yes, Daddy,” his small son said, “You could have said, ‘Oh'”.
It is estimated that the average child asks 500,000 questions by the age of 15. What a privilege for every parent– unlimited opportunities to share something about the meaning of life and about your own dependence on God!
3. I would seek more opportunities to give my child a feeling of belonging. PS 127:3 Children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is His reward.
A) Every child is different but every child should feel their difference helps make the family complete. Every child should hear prayers prayed about his value to the family and to God.
B) A child feels he belongs when he is involved in the responsibility and work of the family.
C) Special days for each child built on the child; not a gift. Jones 16:4 “Everybody needs a little bit of petting every now and then.”
4. I would express words of appreciation and praise more. Correct the wrong but Commend the right.
I try to be last because of a second grade teacher teaching that the “first shall be last”. I write because Archibald Rutledge (one time Poet Laureate of SC) told me to write. Commendations can be life changing moments.
5. I would spend more time together. A group of 300 seventh and eighth grade boys kept accurate records of how much time their fathers actually spent with them over a two-week period. Most saw their father only at the dinner table. A number never saw their father for days at a time. The average time a father and son were alone for an entire week was 7 1/2 minutes.
Authur Gordon tells an interesting experience from his youth, “When I was around 13 and my brother was 10, Father promised to take us to the circus. But at lunch there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention down town. My brother and I braced ourselves for the disappointment. Then we heard him say, “No, I won’t be down. It will have to wait.” When he came back to the table, Mother smiled, “The circus keeps coming back, you know.” “I know, said Father, “But Childhood doesn’t”.
6. I would laugh more- Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Somehow we manage enough muscle to handle the big things of life but forget that life is largely made up of little things. A father’s faithfulness in the small things determines the happiness of his children.
7. I would make sure God had first place in my life and I would earnestly seek His Wisdom and guidance in order to be the best person and father I could be.
There was a man who said the only reason a man talks to a woman is because he wants into her pants or her purse. But when he comes to know Christ he talks to his wife because he wants a partnership. Only Jesus Christ can provide that relationship. Place that childlike faith in Christ today.