The Father
I know that for many people, the concept of God being a Father can be extremely foreign.
I am also aware that God has many facets: He is love, He is the Judge, He is the Rewarder, He can be a foe to His enemies,...He can be many things but we must not forget that He is also a Father.
In Galatians 3:26, the Bible states that: ‘So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith’
Since He is our Father, we can confidently speak to him and ask him what we need.
There are many Christians who feel guilty about asking God what they need as if God was a human being with a limit in his bank account. There are Christian preachers who discourage and condemn prayer requests. Those preachers act as God’s personal assistants by saying that ‘God has enough of your prayer requests, He is busy doing other things!’
Those preachers are wicked and they have a little understanding of the depths of God’s riches.
Jesus said the following:
‘Ask so that your joy can be full’ (John 16:24)
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’
(Matthew 7:9-11)
There are many Christians who struggle in life with endless torments and problems...
If you are born again through Jesus, then God is your Father. And if you ask God for something good and righteous, believe that He will grant it to you.
Sons and daughters
If there is a Father, there must be sons and daughters. As much as we see God as our Father, we also have to live and act as His sons and daughters.
If we claim to be sons and daughters of God, it also means that we should live in a manner that pleases God.Furthermore, we should also show love to Him.
We please God by living by faith as the Scripture says:
‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’
(Hebrews 11:6)
Your faith comes from hearing the message of God as it is written in the Scriptures:
‘Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.’
(Romans 10:17)
As sons and daughters, it is not enough to just hear the message. We also have to practice the message. The Scripture says:
‘ …faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.’
(James 2:17)
Beyond just hearing the message of the Scripture, as sons and daughters, we also have to practice the Scripture. Otherwise a faith without practice or without actions is dead. Many have a dead life because they never practice the Scriptures.
And finally, if we claim to be sons and daughters of our Father, it also means that we will show love to Him. We love Him because He loved us first (1 John 4:19).
Then we show love to Him by doing His will. As Jesus said:
‘If you love Me, keep My commandments’ (John 14:15)
Some people believe that ‘keeping commandments’ refers to just storing them in their memories. A commandment is a rule to be observed or practiced. A commandment is not advice, it's a rule.
If I keep a command from God, it also means that I will practice the command. We express our love to God by practicing his commands (ref. John 14:15).
Conclusion on historicity of the message
Over the past 30 years, many motivational speakers posing as pastors and preachers have solely focused on the aspect of God as a Father who provides. That aspect is beautiful and wonderful to teach. However, those preachers forgot to emphasise the fact that there cannot be a Father without children. This implies a mutual relationship where sons and daughters also exist.
Consequently, when we speak about what the Father does, we should also speak about what the children should do.
There is a misconception that has crept into the Church through a badly preached ‘grace message’ and the misconception states the following: ‘ God has no expectations from us’. That misconception is a lie from the pit of darkness and that lie is designed to develop ‘couch Christians’ who will not even bother to read the Scriptures.
If God has no expectations from us, then why did Jesus say:
‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…(ref. Matthew 6:33)
‘Only those who do the will of My Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (ref. Matthew 7:21)
There are many other expectations that God has from us as sons and daughters.
As much as God acts as a Father to us, we also have to act as sons and daughters to Him.
It's a mutual relationship.
|
|