Jesus had a wonderfully close relationship with God. He called Him Father, which He was in a unique way. But He invites us to call Him Father too. He is our Father by creation and redemption.
My dad refused to let his children call him “father.” He made the point over and over that we have only one Father in the ultimate sense. It seemed narrow and picky at the time, but I have never forgotten who my true Father is. Somehow it was easier to make the transition because of Dad’s lesson.
Jesus was close with His Abba (daddy). He was the model of intimacy with God. His favorite times were when He could be alone with Him. I have seen dads who have cultivated closeness with their sons, without losing either their authority or respect. They share their thoughts and lives easily. I imagine Jesus’ relationship was like that.
God loves to have us think of Him as a loving Father who only wants the best for His children (Ps. 103:8-14). And He loves it when we really believe we are dear to Him and enjoy being with Him. I understand that those who had distant, abusive, or authoritarian fathers have difficulty seeing God that way. It is nevertheless true. For them He can be the kind of Father they always wished they had.
Jesus saw Himself as dear to God. His favorite times were being alone with Him. God’s heart must have been filled with grateful love as He saw His Son seeking Him in prayer and reading His words day by day, night after night. God loves it when we do too.
I love to talk to my young grandson on the phone. The other day, after a conversation, he apparently wanted more time with Grandpa. He hadn’t had enough of hearing Grandpa’s voice. My daughter found him in his room listening to me on a recordable book I had made for him at Christmastime.
When I heard this, it really warmed my heart—and gave me a glimpse of how God feels when we want to be with Him, talk to Him in prayer or listen to His word. Jesus showed us how and bridged the gap with His atonement so we could (1 Pet. 1:3-9).
My dad refused to let his children call him “father.” He made the point over and over that we have only one Father in the ultimate sense. It seemed narrow and picky at the time, but I have never forgotten who my true Father is. Somehow it was easier to make the transition because of Dad’s lesson.
Jesus was close with His Abba (daddy). He was the model of intimacy with God. His favorite times were when He could be alone with Him. I have seen dads who have cultivated closeness with their sons, without losing either their authority or respect. They share their thoughts and lives easily. I imagine Jesus’ relationship was like that.
God loves to have us think of Him as a loving Father who only wants the best for His children (Ps. 103:8-14). And He loves it when we really believe we are dear to Him and enjoy being with Him. I understand that those who had distant, abusive, or authoritarian fathers have difficulty seeing God that way. It is nevertheless true. For them He can be the kind of Father they always wished they had.
Jesus saw Himself as dear to God. His favorite times were being alone with Him. God’s heart must have been filled with grateful love as He saw His Son seeking Him in prayer and reading His words day by day, night after night. God loves it when we do too.
I love to talk to my young grandson on the phone. The other day, after a conversation, he apparently wanted more time with Grandpa. He hadn’t had enough of hearing Grandpa’s voice. My daughter found him in his room listening to me on a recordable book I had made for him at Christmastime.
When I heard this, it really warmed my heart—and gave me a glimpse of how God feels when we want to be with Him, talk to Him in prayer or listen to His word. Jesus showed us how and bridged the gap with His atonement so we could (1 Pet. 1:3-9).
No comments:
Post a Comment