Love of the Father

1 JOHN 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!”

Father's Day is a day we set aside to celebrate our dads. Some have terrific earthly fathers with wonderful memories, while others do not. Some might have had abusive fathers or the lack of a father in general. Either way, our biological fathers can leave wounds that we carry with us. These things can make it hard to understand and accept that there is a God, a true Father that loves you unconditionally.

2 CORINTHIANS 6:18 “I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Whether your experience with your earthly father was good, bad, or somewhere in between, nothing compares to the love our Heavenly Father has for you. In this human experience, our image of God as a father can be messed up. If we filter Him through our experiences with the human father-figures in our lives. The first thing we must realize is that our Heavenly Father is nothing like our earthly father. His love for us is perfect, always accepting, encouraging, loving, and caring, He is for us, always for our good. Yes, He corrects us when we need it, but never condemns us like humans do.

THE IMAGE OF GOD

Our image (concept) of God is the most important thing about us. It determines our relationship with God, others, and ourselves. Many people we talk with need healing in their image of God. Do you? Your answer to this question will tell you: Can you look back over your whole life and say, “My Father God has always been good to me.”? If not, your heart is hurting and your image of God needs healing)

BOOK/MOVIE RECOMMENDATION - "THE SHACK"

If you had an abusive upbringing of any kind, or may be having a hard time relating to the heavenly father, I would encourage you to read a book by Paul Young entitled, The Shack. It was recently made into a movie and is a great depiction of how vast our Heavenly Father's love for us really is. I believe that this book truly can help you start to heal. Don't listen to negative reviews or what nay-sayers about it, they have no idea what they are talking about and are operating out of a religious spirit. I believe that this book/movie truly can help people see our Father in a different light, and provide some healing. God can appear to us any way He chooses, for the purpose of reaching and healing your soul! He knows exactly where you're at in you life and what has happened to you.

You can purchase The Shack on Amazon by clicking here.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE FATHER'S LOVE

As you read the following scriptures about THE FATHER'S LOVE for you, let it soak in and allow Him to be this for you. There are far too many to list in one devotional, but you can ponder on these throughout the day.

DEUTERONOMY 32:10 “[The Father] guarded him as the apple of his eye.”

PSALMS 68:5-6 “A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.”

ISAIAH 64:8 “O Lord you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hands.”

MATTHEW 6:4 “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

MATTHEW 6:8 “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

MATTHEW 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

We cannot forget what is probably the most famous scripture, and yet probably the most abused as well. While John 3:16 is truly the promises us everlasting life with our Father, Christians often use it as a tool without showing the LOVE that is truly the driving force behind these words. THE FATHER'S LOVE is so great for you that He sacrificed everything for you alone. Even if no one else believed, He still wanted just you. You were worth EVERYTHING. Who would sacrifice so much, just to secure your future with Him FOREVER?

JOHN 3:16-17

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Put it this way: Would you be willing to sacrifice your only child to save the life of a psychopathic murderer? NO! You wouldn't

NO ONE IS GOOD BUT GOD

MARK10:18

18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

Jesus knew that the only true goodness comes from the Father. He is good, and does only good. His name is LOVE! He loves you with an unfathomable love that cannot fully be comprehended! If you're mad at God or you blame Him for the injustices that have taken place in your life, now would be a good time to rethink that. Satan is your enemy and he has deceived you. He knows that true freedom and peace comes from God. Satan knows that if he can keep you blaming God, then you will continue to stay right where he wants you, and you'll never be free! Satan knows that once you accept the truth, you are set free and he is defeated all over again.

PRAYER

Father, I ask that you overtake everyone who reads this with your LOVE FOR THEM. May they become undone in your presence and overwhelming Love. Father help them begin to feel as if they are your favorite child, because of your goodness to them.

Make them feel special like they should, as your child.

In Jesus name! Amen