" Know Your Heavenly Father - Through His Word!"

Through the New Birth, we come to know Jesus personally as Savior and the Holy Spirit as the indwelling presence of God who makes His abode in our hearts. 

But we must also get to know God the Father in a deeper, and more intimate way.  And the best way to do so is through His Word! 

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and MY FATHER will love him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

It’s interesting to note that in Scripture, Jesus presented God as the Father.  For example, Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten SON….” But it was very difficult for the Jews to understand what Jesus was saying, because they only knew God according to the Law of the Old Covenant.

The Old Covenant, the law of sin and death, taught “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth;” God demanded awful judgment.  But in the New Testament, we see Jesus presenting another side of God – the “love” side of God (John 16:27; 1 John 4:16).

For example, notice the utter tenderness of Matthew 6:8,9 in reference to God as the CARING HEAVENLY FATHER.

MATTHEW 6: 8, 9

8 …for YOUR FATHER KNOWETH WHAT THINGS YOU HAVE NEED OF, before you ask Him.

 9 After this manner THEREFORE PRAY YE: OUR FATHER….

Also, look how the Apostle Paul began his prayer in Ephesians chapter three:

EPHESIANS 3: 14, 15

 14 ….I bow my knees unto the FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole FAMILY in heaven and earth is named.

I like the Apostle Paul’s phrasing because it makes THE FATHERHOOD of God more real.  It takes God out from the hard, harsh atmosphere of religion and brings Him into relationship with His Children as Father.

You see, our relationship with God has nothing in the world to do with religion.  Religion is hard and harsh.  When you talk about religion, it’s “God,” but when you talk about relationship, as with family, it’s “Father!”

As born again believers, we can rejoice that we are in the family of God and that God is our Heavenly Father.  But we want to become better acquainted with Him.  We ought to desire to want to know more about Him and get to know our Heavenly Father better.

In fact, if we’re really going to grow and develop spiritually, we have to get better acquainted with the Father.  And the number one way to get to know the Heavenly Father is through His Word.

I like something Smith Wigglesworth once said.  He said, “I can’t understand God by feelings.  I understand God by what the Word says about Him.  He’s everything the Word says He is.”  Wigglesworth went on to say, “Get acquainted with the Father through the Word.”

Your Pastor

Word for Today:  Take On New Challenges

Many people desire promotion, but few are willing to step up and do, what needs to be done.  Those few that do usually rise to positions of leadership, and the truth is, influence flows to those who are willing to shoulder responsibility.  It is an immutable law woven into the very fabric of the universe.  Malcolm Forbes once wrote, “Those who enjoy responsibility, usually get it. Those who merely like exercising authority usually lose it.”  As we read in the Book of Proverbs, “The hand of the diligent will rule.”  My question for the day for you is, “Are you known as a person willing to take on New Challenges?”