We need to be awed by the incredible privilege opened for us to have an intimate relationship with God. As we consider God as Father, we need to remember we serve a God who wants us to know him intimately.
Sometimes when people think of God the Father, they picture a cold, distant, and removed figure. Maybe you feel like you can relate to Jesus but not really to the Father. But you and I must remember we worship one God who has revealed himself to us in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Godhead expands our understanding of him, but we proclaim one God. As we consider the doctrine of God the Father, we can observe many beautiful features about God and how we relate to him, including these three.
Imagine if you saw your favorite actor or athlete having dinner at a restaurant. There is no way that you could pull up a chair at that table and start a conversation with him or her. But now imagine you were their child. Their heart would leap with joy when they saw you, and they’d pull up a chair so you could sit beside them.
This illustrates an important reality of having God as our Father: we can have a relationship with God. I grew up as a Muslim, a religion that sees God as far above his creation and therefore unapproachable. However, the New Testament reveals that, for those who believe in him, Jesus has made us righteous before God and has reconciled us into a relationship with our Father.
Throughout the Bible, we see the truth that the people of God have a relationship with the Father. Starting in John 14-16, Jesus tells the disciples that he is preparing a place for them in the Father’s house that has many rooms, and that a day is coming when they can pray and approach the Father directly. Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with the words, “Our Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Romans 8 reveals we have received “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). Similarly, Jesus tells the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:20 that whoever opens the door for him, he will come in and dine with them.
We need to be awed by the incredible privilege opened for us to have an intimate relationship with God. As we consider God as Father, we need to remember we serve a God who wants us to know him intimately.
In the ‘50s, a popular TV show called “Father Knows Best” portrayed Jim Anderson as a father who copes with everyday problems of his growing family. The title itself resonates with my experience with my own children. Every parent experiences the moment when they give the best guidance to their child, but they watch their child neglect wisdom and choose their own way. When I see this with my children, God is quick to remind me how often I fail to remember that he knows what is best for me and can be trusted in every situation.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus highlights this truth with his disciples and those who were listening. He teaches them that God is a Father who can be trusted to give what is best for us. He reminds them that they all know how to care for their own children, and continues, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).
As we believe and trust God to give us what is best, we need to remember this means he knows better than us. Many times we don’t get what we want, but instead we receive what’s best for us. We see this most when Jesus cries out to the Father before he heads to the cross, asking his Father to allow the coming suffering to pass him. But then he submits himself to the will of the Father. God didn’t answer the first part of Jesus’ prayer, but we know that the Father’s plan resulted in glory for Jesus and life for all of us.
It’s one thing when we believe that God knows what is best for us, but it’s even greater when we understand that he loves us and desires what is best for us. As we consider the doctrine of God the Father, let’s remember that our love for our children is a small glimpse of God’s love for us.
What’s amazing is that because God is our Father, he is committed to us and desires for our lives to be full and blessed. This doesn’t mean our lives will be without hardship but it means God knows us and will accomplish what’s best in our lives—what will make us more like Christ and bring glory to him. Romans 8:32 shows us proof that our God he loves us and is committed to our good: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” When we remember how much he loved us by giving up his own Son for us, how can we doubt that our Father loves us in any and every situation of our life?
As we grow in our relationship with God, may we proclaim a Father who loves us completely and desires for us to know him and trust him in all of life!
The post How Having God as Our Father Matters appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
Sometimes when people think of God the Father, they picture a cold, distant, and removed figure. Maybe you feel like you can relate to Jesus but not really to the Father. But you and I must remember we worship one God who has revealed himself to us in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Godhead expands our understanding of him, but we proclaim one God. As we consider the doctrine of God the Father, we can observe many beautiful features about God and how we relate to him, including these three.
We can have a relationship with God
Imagine if you saw your favorite actor or athlete having dinner at a restaurant. There is no way that you could pull up a chair at that table and start a conversation with him or her. But now imagine you were their child. Their heart would leap with joy when they saw you, and they’d pull up a chair so you could sit beside them.
This illustrates an important reality of having God as our Father: we can have a relationship with God. I grew up as a Muslim, a religion that sees God as far above his creation and therefore unapproachable. However, the New Testament reveals that, for those who believe in him, Jesus has made us righteous before God and has reconciled us into a relationship with our Father.
Throughout the Bible, we see the truth that the people of God have a relationship with the Father. Starting in John 14-16, Jesus tells the disciples that he is preparing a place for them in the Father’s house that has many rooms, and that a day is coming when they can pray and approach the Father directly. Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with the words, “Our Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Romans 8 reveals we have received “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). Similarly, Jesus tells the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:20 that whoever opens the door for him, he will come in and dine with them.
We need to be awed by the incredible privilege opened for us to have an intimate relationship with God. As we consider God as Father, we need to remember we serve a God who wants us to know him intimately.
We can trust God
In the ‘50s, a popular TV show called “Father Knows Best” portrayed Jim Anderson as a father who copes with everyday problems of his growing family. The title itself resonates with my experience with my own children. Every parent experiences the moment when they give the best guidance to their child, but they watch their child neglect wisdom and choose their own way. When I see this with my children, God is quick to remind me how often I fail to remember that he knows what is best for me and can be trusted in every situation.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus highlights this truth with his disciples and those who were listening. He teaches them that God is a Father who can be trusted to give what is best for us. He reminds them that they all know how to care for their own children, and continues, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).
As we believe and trust God to give us what is best, we need to remember this means he knows better than us. Many times we don’t get what we want, but instead we receive what’s best for us. We see this most when Jesus cries out to the Father before he heads to the cross, asking his Father to allow the coming suffering to pass him. But then he submits himself to the will of the Father. God didn’t answer the first part of Jesus’ prayer, but we know that the Father’s plan resulted in glory for Jesus and life for all of us.
God desires what’s best for us
It’s one thing when we believe that God knows what is best for us, but it’s even greater when we understand that he loves us and desires what is best for us. As we consider the doctrine of God the Father, let’s remember that our love for our children is a small glimpse of God’s love for us.
What’s amazing is that because God is our Father, he is committed to us and desires for our lives to be full and blessed. This doesn’t mean our lives will be without hardship but it means God knows us and will accomplish what’s best in our lives—what will make us more like Christ and bring glory to him. Romans 8:32 shows us proof that our God he loves us and is committed to our good: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” When we remember how much he loved us by giving up his own Son for us, how can we doubt that our Father loves us in any and every situation of our life?
As we grow in our relationship with God, may we proclaim a Father who loves us completely and desires for us to know him and trust him in all of life!
The post How Having God as Our Father Matters appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...