By: Zach Collins Let me tell you a story. A little lamb and his mother passed by the pig pen one day on their way to the pasture. The lamb looked longingly at the pigs who wallowed in the mire, and he asked his mother, “Can I go and play in the mud?” His mother responded, “No, sheep don’t wallow.”  The little lamb understood the sentiment of his mother’s statement, but as he looked at the pigs in the mud, it looked like so much fun! He thought the cool mud would be a relief on a hot day. One day, when the little lamb grew older, the mother allowed the little lamb to go ahead of her toward the sheepfold. But, in defiance, he chose to jump the fence into the pig pen. The cool mud began to cover his ankles and provide him with relief. So, he went a little deeper. Eventually, it reached his belly, and he was soaking in the pleasure of the mud.  But, as you know, wool and mud do not mix. The mud began to cake on his wool, and he got stuck. His pleasure had become his prison. So, he cried for help and the shepherd heard him, rescued him, and sent him back into the pasture. When he finally came to his mother, his mother said, “Sheep do not wallow.”  The little lamb sacrificed the blessings of being a sheep for a moment of pleasure and it led to a prison …

By: Zach Collins It is common for the Bible to speak of God as a father. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He said, “When you pray, say, Our Father in Heaven…” (c.f., Luke 11:2). This teaches two important lessons about the fatherhood of God. God is the spiritual Father of Christians and He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (c.f., Ephesians 1:3).  While we are given little information about the upbringing of Jesus under the tutelage of Joseph, his earthly father, Mary, and God, His Heavenly Father, we do find a peculiar statement, in Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Jesus grew, not only physically, but spiritually. He grew in wisdom, knowledge, and grace. It is the case that His Heavenly Father played an imperative role in His growing process.   We, as parents, have an interesting way of teaching our children and helping them grow. Many of us have go-to parental sayings that are utilized to teach our children valuable life lessons. I wonder what parental sayings God might have provided to Jesus, Him being His Father and Jesus being His Son? Did they resemble the parental sayings of earthly parents today?  We say, “Kids, money does not grow on trees.”  Perhaps God said, “You could grow money on a tree or, you know, in the mouth of a fish” (Matthew 17:27).  We say, “Use your manners! You were not raised in a barn!”  Perhaps …