Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. (Psalms 48:1)
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. (Psalms 96:4)
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. (Psalms 145:3)
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. (Psalms 147:5)
Happy Belated Father’s Day!! Last month, we took time to recognize and appreciate those men who have played such an important part in our lives – our fathers. I truly thank God for my father – Elder Eddie B Pruitte, Sr. He’s a pretty amazing person.
When I was a young boy, I thought my father was the richest, strongest, smartest man who ever lived. I thought there was nothing he could not do. Now that I am older, I realize I wasn’t that far off track – my dad truly could do just about everything. And let me tell you why.
A few weeks ago my wife and I travelled to Europe and visited London, Paris and Rome. I was a little under the weather for the first two stops (plus it was a little chilly), but when we arrived in Rome, the weather was gorgeous and the sites were breath taking! I remember walking through the remains of the ancient coliseum and looking in amazement at what was built more than two thousand years ago. I stood in awe of a structure that could hold between 50,000-80,000 people; the intricacies of the floors and rooms that housed the gladiators and animals. I marveled at the intelligence and skill of those ancient people. As I thought about how great ancient Rome was, my mind reflected on an island called Pompeii located just a few hours south of that great city.
You’ll recall that when Mount Vesuvius erupted, the entire city-island was destroyed in less than an hour. Even the great Roman Empire fell because of their unwillingness to serve the One who is truly great – Jehovah God! No matter how great and advanced Rome was, they were no match for God. By now I am sure you’re wondering what my trip to Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire has to do with my father or Father’s Day. I am glad you asked.
You see, my natural father was not all that educated; he never finished high-school. He wasn’t the tallest or strongest man alive; he is only about 5’,7”. He wasn’t the wealthiest man either; he worked two or three jobs most of his life to provide the basic necessities for our family. However, my father was wise enough to choose to serve God at an early age. Perhaps he did not have a college degree, but he served God, who is the beginning of knowledge. Perhaps my father wasn’t all that wealthy, but he served God, and the Bible declares that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Because my biological father serves God, my Father in heaven, my dad could do practically everything. And to think, my heavenly Father has no problem sharing His strength, wisdom and wealth with His people.
Ancient Rome never submitted itself to God Almighty, therefore it found itself humbled by God who is great! Some fathers today are following in the footsteps of Rome – they are trying to make it with their own strength or with their own intelligence. However, they are doomed to fail because history, and the Word of God, tells us that the arms of flesh will surely fail us.
Something I love about God is that He doesn’t mind sharing His things with us to make us successful because He’s great and He wants to make us great. I can’t tell you how many times I did not know what to do regarding my family. I cannot tell you how many times I could not make ends meet – I did not have the answers. I felt like a total failure. However, I learned from my earthly father to turn to God, who is great! I have learned as a husband and father, I do not have to be the strongest, most wealthy or smartest. I just have to serve God and I can be even greater than the ancient Roman leaders.
Yes, I learned from my father – God is great and because He is great, I can be a great man, pastor, husband, father, etc. Yes, I have learned: God is great and so is my dad!!
Happy Father’s Day – I bless you in the name of the Lord!
Elder Eddie B Pruitte, Jr., Pastor & Founder