62. Understanding Our loving Father John 8:27

Religious people in Jesus’ day found the concept of the Fatherhood of God hard to grasp. Lord, King and judge they could understand, but not Father. Their Old testament Scriptures barely spoke half a dozen times of God as Father, whereas the New Testament mentions it hundreds of times, especially through the speech and lips of Jesus Himself. We read in Matthew 11:27, “No one knows the Father except The Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Interesting isn’t it that Christ makes that choice, and not The Father; Why? A thought worth pondering. The truth is, until Jesus revealed the Father, God remained a mystery to them. And many of us still don’t comprehend His Fatherhood and the rich blessings we have in Him. Father God’s all inclusive name, incorporates everything you will ever need and discloses exactly how He feels about you and me. He exemplifies every trait of the best father imaginable. Whatever a loving father would do for a needy child, Our heavenly Father will do for us – and then some.! Once we recognise God as our Father, our fears dissolve as we start to realise that all our requirements will be met. In Luke 12:32 Jesus said, “It gives the Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.” Now, just stop for a moment and think about that statement. You can’t comprehend it can you? Neither can I, but, that’s our amazing Father God!!! It makes God happy to give you and me the resources of His Kingdom. Why? Because He loves us as much as He loves His Son Jesus, in John 17:23 Jesus prayed, “You would know with confidence that your Heavenly Father loves you in the same way He has loved me.” So treat God as your Father and start acting as His child and enjoy the benefits of family membership. To see God as your loving Father may not come easily if you carry the scars of an unhappy childhood. The unmet needs in your childhood could be a lack of affection, security, nurturing, comfort, or even material requirements. All these can make it hard to believe that God will provide for your needs now. So what can we do about this? First you have to recognise that your father-image of a father is flawed and in no way fits your heavenly Father. Even the best father in the world is a flawed, blurred carbon copy of your heavenly Father. God wants you to see Him as a caring, sensitive, generous, dependable Father. That’s why Jesus taught us to call Him “Our Father” not just Almighty God and Lord. Another reason is that Like a good father, God has anticipated your every need and has provided for it (see Matthew 6:25-34). Just as good parents understand the individual characteristics of each of their children, your Heavenly Father knows your unique requirements, thoughts and feelings. (Psalm `103:13-14) tells us”The Lord is kind to those who honour Him. He knows what we are made of”. His care for each of us is tailor-made to fit our individual, specific, needs and limitations. Just as a good earthly father accepts and fulfils his responsibilities and obligations to provide for his children, your Heavenly Father holds Himself responsible for meeting your needs and mine, and He wants us to act accordingly, by trusting Him. In other words each of our roles is to act as the child of a trustworthy, generous, permanently loving Father. When reading Scripture, understanding the Fatherhood of God is very important; sometimes He may even come across harsh and severe. Thinking that way may cause you to by-pass His many attributes. If you don’t comprehend who our Heavenly Father truly is and how much He loves you?, How much He has done and will do for you? You will never understand Scripture. Because it was out of His great love for us, that He sacrificed His only son Jesus to die on a cross for our sins (wrong doings) and For no other reason. Take these words personally. Deep down inside many of us tend to think, “It wasn’t just for me, but for everyone.” No! No! No! If you were the only person on earth to be saved from Hell, He would have gone through it all just for You. Yes,, He gave us the 10 Commandments, (the law) which when followed perfectly would take us safely through life to spend eternity in Heaven with Him and our loved ones, who have gone there ahead of us. Now, He knew we couldn’t keep those Commandments, our human nature is far too weak to do this on our own, so He sent His Holy Spirit along with His gifts, guidance and protection to those of us who are humble enough to ask for it, Jesus said “ If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him for it,” Never think You are unworthy or not good enough to turn to God, Read the Old Testament and see how many times His chosen people (The Jews) turned away, broke the law, and brought on themselves war, disease, famine and plagues. Yet He was and still is always ready to forgive, always ready to take us back and show His love by renewing our relationship with Him, and again sending His Holy Spirit to help, guide protect and lead us, to Jesus who is the only Truth, Life and Way which leads to Our Heavenly Father’s Home, and the place He has prepared for us. Thank you for reading my thoughts on “Understanding Our Father’s Love.” Develop a Father / Child relationship with Him, and feel extra special. Because you are,!!. HE thinks you’re worth it. Do you? God Bless Phaline.