As a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, sometimes those who say they live for him and believe in his sacrifice and resurrection will have you doing a double take. The things that come out of their mouths sometimes make you wonder if they’ve ever studied the Word of God. Heavenly Father tells us to be holy because He is holy. He tells us in 2Corinthians 6:17 to be separate from those that don’t believe in Jesus Christ, and in 2Corinthians 6:18(NLT) He said, “And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” Everything we do matters as children of the King. The way we speak, what we speak about, how we live, and how we behave and treat others, it all matters because God lives in us, and we are children of His love.
God is the Father of all that believe in the birth, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is believing in the Gospel that separates God’s children from the children of darkness. John 1:12-13(NIV) says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” To be born again through Jesus Christ is to be born of God. He adopted us into His family through His Son, and this was God’s plan all along. Even before the foundation of the world, we were in His mind and on His heart, and He planned for our existence.
Ephesians 1:11(NIV) declares, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” God chose us first. His plan for the entire universe included the plan He made for our individual lives, so nothing that is happening in the world and nothing that has transpired in our lives is a surprise to God. He’s not moving us about like puppets, but He knows what we’re going to think before we think it. He knows what we’re going to say before we say it, and He knows what we’re going to do before we do it. God knows everything there is to know. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:8 that our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask Him.
Who wouldn’t want a father like the Almighty God. He’s all-powerful and all-knowing, and He is full of unfailing love. Our Heavenly Father wanted a family to love, and we’re it. God is our Creator, and He’s the One who set relationships in motion. He established the kind of relationship He wanted with us, and He chose us to be His children. He loves us, and always wants what is best for us. We can have confidence in this because Romans 8:32 tells us that He didn’t spare His most beloved treasure, His Son, but He delivered him up for our sakes. He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could have the gift of eternal life. So, God has shown us His great love, and He wants us to totally lean on Him for everything that we need, because He is a loving God that takes care of His kids.
Humans understand fatherhood because of the example our Heavenly Father has set. For instance, when something goes wrong in a child’s life, the child will immediately turn to its parents for help. Even as an adult, if I have run into a snag with something I’m working on or trying to repair, my first thought is “I’ll ask dad.” Children recognize they are supposed to lean on their parents, and they also expect that their parents won’t let them down but will be there with love and support. Well, as loving and wonderful as our parents are, they are not perfect and make mistakes. God cannot make a mistake. He is perfect, and He loves us infinitely more than any other human being. He wants us to trust this truth with our whole hearts.
He tells us this in Proverbs 3:5(NLT), “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” We are to seek God in all that we do because He knows what’s best. He is the One who directs our paths. We are to have full confidence in Him because He has full confidence in Himself. He can do anything. Jesus Christ declared in Luke 1:37 that with God, nothing is impossible. So, faith isn’t about our opinions and assumptions. It isn’t us pressuring and trying to convince ourselves to believe in something. Faith is believing what God believes. Faith is speaking what He speaks and thinking what He thinks. Faith belongs to God, and He is allowing us to join in with Him and share in His glory. Faith is believing with absolute certainty in what God believes about Himself.
Everything that you and I have belongs to God. Nothing exists without Him. We can’t boast about anything, but all over the world, that’s exactly what we see. We hear people puffed up on themselves and bragging about their possessions and accomplishments. Jeremiah 9:23-24(NLT) instructs, “This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!” This is who God is, and He’s given us a lifetime to develop our faith in order to walk with Him every moment of our lives. Just as a child runs to their mom and dad with problems, we should run to our Heavenly Father with open arms, fully embracing Him. He wants to be our Father, and the greatest privilege that surpasses anything you and I could ever imagine is the honor of being His kids. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Let God Be Your Father”, written for 4theChristianMan.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.