Toothache, heavy work load & much more are my lousy excuses for not blogging. I have been wondering about issues I cannot solve & reminding myself to let go let God. I am just confuse & trying to rob myself of great joy by going back to the bitter past. Some called it spiritual warfare, others might define it as habits...anyway manage to draft up a post before church service today for sharing as I miss all of you!
"Our father who is in heaven." God is. Not God was. Not God will be. Not God could be or should be, but God is. He is the God of the present tense. When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, He also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Here is how it happens. We come before the judgment seat of God full of rebellion & mistakes. Because of His justice He cannot dismiss our sin, but because of His love he cannot dismiss us. So, in an act which stunned the heavens, He punished Himself on the cross for our sins. God's justice & love are equally honored. And we, God's creation, are forgiven. But the story doesn't end with God's forgiveness...
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. Rom. 8:15-16 [NASB]
It would be enough if God just cleansed our name, but He does more. He gives us His name. It would be enough if God just set us free, but He does more. He takes us home. He takes us home to the Great House of God. God has adopted us. God sought us, found us, signed the papers & took us home...believe it or not, He did...
Our achievements, however noble they may be, are not important. Our credentials, as starry as they may be, are of no concern. God is the foundation of our life. The key question in life is not "How strong am I?" but rather "How strong is God?" Focus on His strength, not ours. Occupy ourselves with the nature of God...
And we though God adopted us because we were good looking. We thought He needed our money or our wisdom. Sorry. God adopted us simply because He wanted to. We were in His good will and pleasure. Knowing full well the trouble we would be & the price He would pay, He signed His name next to ours and changed our name to His and took us home. Our Abba adopted us & became our Father...
To some, the thought of trusting a Heavenly Father is doubly difficult because our earthly father might have disappointed us or mistreated us. If such is the case, I urge you: Don't confuse your Heavenly Father with the fathers you've seen on earth. Your Father in Heaven isn't prone to headaches & temper tantrums. He doesn't hold us one day & hit us the next. The man who fathered us may play such games, but the God who loves us never will...
May I remind you, this adoption is something we receive, not something we earn...
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the World will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39
Our Father will never turn us away. When the words of others hurt you or your own failure distress you, step in the house of God. Gaze at this painting & be reminded of our God: It is right to call Him Holy; we speak truth when we call Him King. But if we want to touch His heart, use the name He loves to hear. Call Him Father...Daddy
Inspired by:
Max Lucado
"Our father who is in heaven." God is. Not God was. Not God will be. Not God could be or should be, but God is. He is the God of the present tense. When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, He also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Here is how it happens. We come before the judgment seat of God full of rebellion & mistakes. Because of His justice He cannot dismiss our sin, but because of His love he cannot dismiss us. So, in an act which stunned the heavens, He punished Himself on the cross for our sins. God's justice & love are equally honored. And we, God's creation, are forgiven. But the story doesn't end with God's forgiveness...
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. Rom. 8:15-16 [NASB]
It would be enough if God just cleansed our name, but He does more. He gives us His name. It would be enough if God just set us free, but He does more. He takes us home. He takes us home to the Great House of God. God has adopted us. God sought us, found us, signed the papers & took us home...believe it or not, He did...
Our achievements, however noble they may be, are not important. Our credentials, as starry as they may be, are of no concern. God is the foundation of our life. The key question in life is not "How strong am I?" but rather "How strong is God?" Focus on His strength, not ours. Occupy ourselves with the nature of God...
And we though God adopted us because we were good looking. We thought He needed our money or our wisdom. Sorry. God adopted us simply because He wanted to. We were in His good will and pleasure. Knowing full well the trouble we would be & the price He would pay, He signed His name next to ours and changed our name to His and took us home. Our Abba adopted us & became our Father...
To some, the thought of trusting a Heavenly Father is doubly difficult because our earthly father might have disappointed us or mistreated us. If such is the case, I urge you: Don't confuse your Heavenly Father with the fathers you've seen on earth. Your Father in Heaven isn't prone to headaches & temper tantrums. He doesn't hold us one day & hit us the next. The man who fathered us may play such games, but the God who loves us never will...
May I remind you, this adoption is something we receive, not something we earn...
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the World will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39
Our Father will never turn us away. When the words of others hurt you or your own failure distress you, step in the house of God. Gaze at this painting & be reminded of our God: It is right to call Him Holy; we speak truth when we call Him King. But if we want to touch His heart, use the name He loves to hear. Call Him Father...Daddy
Inspired by:
Max Lucado
