I’ve really enjoyed the Bible in a Year Reading Plan by Alpha founder Nicky Gumbel. In it, he adds daily devo ideas and one of the recent ones struck me. He said, “The love of God is the answer to all the ‘whys’ in the Bible: the why of creation, the why of the incarnation, the why of redemption.” At one level, this doesn’t satisfy when we try to reconcile suffering, mass casualties and harm coming to innocent people. But, then again, in light of eternity, one of the few things that truly persist is love. As Paul told the church at Corinth, “Love never ends”, and, “…the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13) Sometimes (often?!), God does things we don’t fully understand. Yet, we can rest in His love being a guiding force behind every seemingly inexplicable bend in the road. For our kids, can they rest in the same? Are we loving them so deeply, faithfully and consistently that even though they may not fully understand every turn, they can trust we are steering them from a heart of love?

6 Christian fasting tips for spiritual growth: If you listed your favorite spiritual disciplines, chances are that fasting would land on the lower half of the list. After all, self-sacrifice is never popular, and Christian fasting feels like an archaic remnant from the early church. But the Bible is clear that Jesus still expects His people to fast, so we’d need to understand the why’s and the how’s of effective biblical fasting.

Setting the Table for Proverbs 16: We all know that Bible study is supposed to be an important part of our lives as men and as believers. The sheer amount of wisdom to be had from a single verse can change your life. Yet, so many of us struggle to find the bandwidth to dig into God’s Word the way we should. The desire may be there, but we just don’t know where to start. As we set the table for our series in Proverbs 16, it’s important to examine what the book is all about and how we dads can squeeze wisdom from each principle.

“If we cannot believe God when circumstances seem be against us, we do not believe Him at all.” – Charles Spurgeon

“God has a purpose behind every problem. He uses circumstances to develop our character.” – Rick Warren

“We will stand amazed to see the topside of the tapestry and how God beautifully embroidered each circumstance into a pattern for our good and His glory.” – Joni Eareckson Tada

Look for the love. If you consider a recent trial, problem or confusing situation, can you find God’s love behind it? Even if you were dealt a hard loss, can you find His sustaining hand? Or, can you see that God will one day use that difficulty to help you minister to others? Maybe you are staring at a closed door that you’ve asked God again and again to open, yet, perhaps He’s keeping you from a freefall on the other side? Where is God’s love in your life this week? Look, you’ll find it.

Kent Evans
Author of The Manhood Journey, co-founder of Manhood Journey and Father On Purpose.

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Tell me if you love it, hate it, or if there’s something you’d like in the next one.

Forward this to a dad you know who needs some encouragement.