FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE

Dear One,
    In the earth good parents want their children to follow their guidance, obey their family rules, become images of the parents and their parenting skills so the children will lead full, rewarding, happy lives. The happiness of the children are at stake, plus the reputations of the parents are at stake.  If their children become rebellious, unkind, disrespectful, yielding to addictions, self centered, carousers and lawbreakers, then the parents' names begin to be shamed and maligned to other people. It is said that the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. Jesus used a better example. He said that He is the vine and you are the branches.(John 15:1-8)
    When it was written in My Instruction Book that I lead My children in the paths of righteousness FOR MY NAME'S SAKE, it is talking about the fruit that falls from My tree of life, meaning the actions of My children are a direct reflection on Me and My parenting skills.  The actions of My children either enhance My character traits or they malign them.  (Psalm 23:3)  Either My character traits of love, peace and joy are evident in their lives or the devil's character traits of fear, hatred and rebellion are evident.  It depends upon whose guidance they are following.
    You know that rebellious earthly children can bring shame to the names of their parents. You know virtuous earthly children who bring acclaim to the names of their parents. The actions of children are always a reflection upon their parents because they were trained by their parents' skills which were passed down from their own parents.
    It is the same with My children.  They are a reflection of Me and My parenting skills.  Their love, their efforts at making peace with and among all people, their constant forgiving attitudes, their joyful personalities, their good and kind acts of benevolence, their long-suffering patience, their strong and enduring faith in My goodness, their extending mercy to everyone, even to lawbreakers and to people who physically and emotionally injure them, all of those are the fruit that falls from My tree, evidence of My good parenting skills. They are the fruit that grow on you, My branches. 
    However, if My children are filled with hate, if they are fearful, if have angry emotional tantrums, if they are unmerciful and unloving toward people, if they have judgmental and condemning attitudes, if they are vengeful and unforgiving, those are all reflections of the devil, who is their enemy and their temporary father, rather than those being an example of My character.  For My name's sake, they are destroying My reputation among the people of the world.  They are claiming to be My offspring but they are not displaying My attributes and My character.  I am always merciful to them and forgiving, but the problem is that their distasteful, rebellious actions cause unbelievers to have erroneous ideas about My character and unbelievers do not want anything to do with Me.  The unbelievers would be silly to choose to follow a Father who is abusive and demeaning, the character traits which are often displayed by My children. 
     I only lead My children in My paths of righteousness, teaching them through the tutoring of My Holy Spirit to reflect My true character because they have spent time with Me and have come to be a reflection of Me to the world.  (Galatians 5:22-23) But, people who have spent time listening to fearful, judgmental, condemning, unforgiving, faithless, hate-filled teachers will be a reflection of those teachers who only teach and display the character of the evil one.  Those teachers have incorporated the parenting skills of their own hostile earthly fathers into their ideas of My character.  Jesus came to earth to show My true character and he taught My true character, for My name's sake; meaning so that the people of the world would know My loving character rather than the erroneous character as spoken by religious and political leaders about Me, which then becomes the characteristic fruit of their hate-filled and fear-filled followers.
     I lead you into the paths of love and rest.  There is no other way that I lead you because the paths of love are My paths. I do not lead or dwell on the paths to destruction.  I only live on and lead My children in My paths of righteousness where all of My blessings flow to them.
     David said that he wanted for nothing because he made Me his Shepherd and he willingly followed My leading.  (Psalm 23:1)  I always lead in the paths of righteousness, for My name's sake, where I flood My children with My blessings.
      Your Loving and Benevolent Father