LIVING IN THE VIEW OF GLORY (3)

“...And the glory of children is their father.” (Proverbs 17:6^b NKJV)

The awesome privilege of the fatherhood of God is the glory of the believer in Christ. God could not have loved us better than to adopt us as His children. When the apostle John caught the revelation of this truth he exclaimed with rapturous appreciation –“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!...” (1 John 3:1 NLT).  God is our Father! Our Lord Jesus came to this earth to reveal God as Father to the world of orphans and to restore those who would believe in Him to the family of God. The new birth experience is God’s way of bringing people to share in the glory of His fatherhood. “God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation” (Hebrews 2:10 NLT). God brings people into glory as Jesus brings them into their salvation. When a person believes in Jesus and trusts Him for his or her salvation, that person becomes a member of God’s family. John explains the process of becoming a child of God: “He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:11-13 NLT). You lay claim to the fatherhood of God by believing in Christ and by accepting His finished work of our salvation at Calvary. 

The experience of glory comes with assurance of God’s fatherhood.  The deeper you become aware that God is your Father, the more of the glory you will experience.  The life of faith is one that is deeply rooted in the knowledge that God is our Father. This assurance of the fatherhood of God is what gives wings to our faith and enables us to approach God with confidence in prayers. Prayer is nothing more than a loving discussion between a child and a Father that loves unconditionally. Our Lord affirming said, “If a child asks his father for a loaf of bread, will he be given a stone instead? If he asks for fish, will he be given a poisonous snake? Of course not! And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?” (Matthew 7:9-11 Living Bible). Good fathers are happy to give good gifts to their children. I certainly derive my joy in giving good things to my children than they derive in receiving them.

God, who is our Father, is the most generous and kindest Person there can ever be. Knowing Him and relating to Him as Father is the crowning glory of our being. He said through the Prophet Jeremiah, “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV). No human achievement, however lofty, is worthy enough to become the reason for our glory. Our only true reason for glory should be that we know God as Father –“exercising lovingkindenss, judgement and righteousness in the earth.”  God is not an angry God. Our successes or failures do not determine His mood. God has no tantrums to throw at people! He is a happy Father!  If you are unfortunate to have an earthly father who is abusive and ill tempered, then take solace in the factual reality that you have a Father in heaven who loves you and cares about you with boundless kindness.

God is our ever-present Father. He sticks with us irrespective of the prevailing conditions in our lives. He thinks good about us and has great plans for our future. He is too jealous of you to allow the enemy to prey on you. He fights your battles and defends your cause.  He says to you, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NKJV).  Will you not take advantage of this invitation and run into His warm embrace? He will lavish you with love.  Our dear heavenly Father, open our hearts today to receive your love, to know it and feel it as your children in Jesus’ Name.