Two neighbors were talking across a fence. One neighbor said to the other, “See this dog? He is the most wonderful pet in the world. He never chews anything up, he never barks and keeps anyone up, and he always jumps at my command. I never have to scold him. On the other hand, my son is in the kitchen making a mess. He doesn’t always do what he is told, he disobeys at times, and yet I would give my life for my son. He isn’t perfect, but he will inherit what I have and I am committed to seeing him through life to become what he is meant to be.”
Why do you think that a parent is this invested in their child? It’s because that child is their own, and there’s nothing that anyone could ever do to change that. I believe God uses our capacity to love our children as a way to help us understand a fraction of his love for us. The Bible reflects this type of love so many times throughout scripture.
“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba Father!’ (Galatians 4:6)
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him”. (1 John 3:1)
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Isaiah 49:15)
I lean upon the truth that my Abba Father is the greatest source of unconditional love…and friends, I am thankful that he is beyond patient with me in my current mess. The illustration we read is a picture of a parent’s commitment no matter what the cost. It reminds me of his forbearance, and yet I know that His love would never allow us to stay as we are.
“For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and he scourges every son whom He receiveds. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons” (Heb. 12:6-8)
In the illustration above, will a good father allow his son to continue making a mess?
What kind of father would not discipline his son? When God chastens His own, you can be sure that it’s not going to be done in condemnation, but with restoration. He deals with his children differently than He deals with the rest of the world. He does this for our benefit, so “that we may share in His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).
No one can be a child of God without being born again as a believer in Christ alone for salvation. As such, we are adopted “through faith in Christ Jesus” as the source for our hope and the security of our future. Believer, while men may reject you for whatever reason, if you don’t “fit in” in this world, rejoice that you have a place at your Abba Father’s table!
Ministry in Words 