GREG LAURIE - Tuesday, September 3, 2019 The Grapes of Cash The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. —1 Samuel 16:7 Johnny Cash had an interesting father. A hard case with a short fuse, Ray Cash lived on wit and grit. And when he did work, it was as a day laborer, scraping out a hardscrabble existence through a variety of odd jobs and back-straining work in the midst of the Great Depression. Ray was far from a model father, but Johnny loved him and spent his lifetime craving his approval. Ray grew up in hard times, and hard times make hard people. We are all, to a certain extent, products of our environment. Maybe Ray Cash didn’t have much of a sensitive, nurturing side, but he didn’t abandon his family. And for the most part, he did the best he could. But there were times—even into Cash’s adulthood—where his ugly nature would rear its ugly head. Even before Johnny was born, worthlessness, defeat, and inadequacy were already preprogrammed into the family and would form the backdrop of Johnny’s relationship with his father throughout his lifetime. The good news is that God is a heavenly Father who loves, forgives, provides, protects, and disciplines His children. Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we already have the approval of the Father as Christ’s righteousness has been placed in our spiritual account. We are in good standing and have an open door of communication with our gracious and loving Father in Heaven.

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