Thankful for our Heavenly Father
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Faith Fitness
Bro. Sam Kaufman
Thank God for last Sunday and for all of the fathers recognized on Father’s Day.
I woke up to a blessing that day. My children wrote my Happy Father’s Day notes, and my wife got me a big bag of peppered beef jerky.
What more could I ask for? That evening, we drove around looking for restaurants. I chose Chipotle, which was perfect. It wasn’t too spendy and the massive burrito filled me up.
The earthly fathers deserve to be honored on the day set aside for them. But how much more should the Heavenly Father be recognized every day?
There is nobody like Him.
Thank God we have an opportunity to call Him our Father. He went to the utmost lengths for us to be His children. It cost Him His Son’s lifeblood and death, burial and resurrection.
Oh, what a privilege to know Him and capitalize on all of His benefits toward us.
That privilege is explained in John 1:11-13, which states, “He came to his own and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
We have the opportunity to receive Jesus into our hearts and become the sons of God. When we are born again, we become a child of God. The invitation is open to all – “as many as received Him.”
Jesus put it this way in John 20:17 when addressing Mary following His resurrection: “Jesus saith unto her, ‘Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and go to my God, and your God.’”
Following His work on Calvary and His resurrection, Jesus referred to His Father as “your Father,” as well.
The role of fathers includes providing and protecting. God the Father goes above and beyond the provision of earthly fathers. In other words, there are certain things God the Father can provide that nobody else can.
The top of that list includes bringing us to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
It would be extremely difficult seeing your son die on the cross. Mary witnessed it firsthand. The Bible doesn’t mention Joseph being there when Jesus was crucified. Joseph perhaps had previously died because Jesus asked the disciple John to take the role of son to Mary, and John took her into his home from that hour.
We see a picture of a sacrificial son in the Old Testament when God commanded Abraham to offer the son of promise, Issac, on Mount Moriah.
The concept seemed way out of character for God, who was later angry with Israel when they became entangled with false gods and offered their children to them.
God’s anger was kindled. But Abraham’s test was different. He and Isaac made the trek up the mount. Abraham bound Isaac and had the knife in hand when the voice came to do his son no harm. Earlier, he had said God would provide a lamb.
God, indeed, had a plan. Flash forward through time when Jesus was bloodied and hanging on the cross of Calvary.
The physical pain was immense. The forsaking was worse. Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” In that time, the Father could not look upon the Son because the entirety of man’s sin was upon Jesus.
That level of separation between the unity of God is indescribable to man. It wasn’t just Jesus who suffered, but also the Father and the Holy Ghost.
The motivation behind that suffering was the love of God toward humanity. It was the only way we could come to God for forgiveness of sin and become sons and daughters of God – and have a Heavenly Father.
We can go to our Father for our every need. He is there for us in everything. We can go through the blood of Jesus into the presence of our Father at all times with our burdens.
We have the hope of Heaven in our future.
God stopped Abraham short of sacrificing his son. But the Father didn’t withhold His Son because of the love for us, knowing that Jesus would bring many sons and daughters into glory.
Consider Romans 8:32, which states, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.”
The Father has great things to give to us that are available through the Son. Topping the list is eternal life with God and escaping hell and the lake of fire.
