The Father’s Love

“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” ~‭‭I John‬ ‭4:16

Are you a son? Are you a daughter?

As some of you may have noticed, I have not written a blog post since September. Although the story is for another time, I will tell you all a brief part of it. I was walking in my calling as a servant, but I was not walking in my calling as a daughter. You see, we are called to walk in intimacy with God first. When we miss the assignment of being intimate with the Father, we begin to have an unstable foundation therefore an unstable walk. There is a song called “Perfect Father (Prayer)” by All nations Worship Assembly Atlanta featuring Jaye Thomas. The man of God, Jaye Thomas, began to minister and said ,“He’s not looking for workers, He’s looking for sons and daughters, it’s not how much can you do, it’s not how big is your ministry, it’s not how great is your website, it's not how nice is your business card, it’s not how many people are you following, it’s not whether or not you have a Bishop in front of your name. It’s are you a son? Are you a daughter? Do you know Him intimately? Do you sit in His lap? Do you look in His eyes? Does He sing over you?” Although it was not the first time I listened to the prayer, it was the first time I truly heard the words. To God it was never about how many blogs I could write, or how many followers or readers I gained. All of that meant nothing if I did not know Him intimately as my Father. God called me back into the secret place so that I could fulfill my first assignment--to know Him intimately, to know Him as a Father, and to become a daughter. 

Abba

Earlier this week I was finishing the book of Mark, and as I was reading Mark 14:36 the Holy Spirit opened up my heart to receive the depth of the verse. It says, “And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” The part I want us to focus on is when Jesus Christ says “Abba Father.” “Abba” is an Aramaic term for “father.” The Bible app goes into further detail and speaks on how the Jews would not refer to God as “Father” because they believed that to refer to God as Father would imply familiarity. However, when Jesus Christ would pray, He would always refer to God as “Father” which showed us that He had an intimate relationship with God. 

Although we do not know the details of what Jesus Christ did for about 29 years of His life, Luke 2:49 says “And He answered, “Why did you have to look for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” As a young boy, Jesus Christ referred to God as His Father. Before Jesus Christ was performing signs and wonders, He was in the secret place increasing in stature, wisdom and favor with God (Luke 2:52). He was spending time with the Father, being a son, knowing God intimately and experientially. So what about us? If we are called to be more like Jesus Christ, does it not mean that we should know God intimately? Jesus Christ spent time in the secret place. Whether it was before His ministry or during His ministry, He would always go to a place away from the multitude of people and pray to His Father. Here on earth, Jesus Christ showed us what it means to be intimate with God and Lord I thank You so much for that.

Everything changes 

Many times, we fail to see God as our Father. We see Him as a master, a judge, a spirit in heaven, the God that sits on the throne. Yes, He is all of those things, but He is still our Father, He is still your Father. When we fail to know God as a Father, we miss out on having an intimate relationship with Him, and on truly receiving the love He has for us. One thing I always say is that I am saved by the revelation of the love of Jesus Christ for me. Till today I am still thirsty and desperate for Him because of the revelation of the love that He has for me. We cannot last in this walk if we do not love God. We cannot last in this walk if we do not know God intimately. 

When you understand God’s love for you, your walk with Him begins to change. The way you live your life begins to change because of the love that you have for Him. The way you talk, walk, sleep, pray, eat, basically every single part of your life, begins to change because of how much you love Him and because you know how much He loves you. You begin to take His word personally, so when He says that He will never leave you nor forsake you, you begin to internalize it and live your life based on the truth of the word of God. You begin to gain an understanding of what Paul meant when he said that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). You gain the understanding that this life that you live is no longer your own, so everything you do must glorify God. It won’t feel forceful at all because that desire will be there. You’ll even notice that the sins you thought you would never stop doing, all of a sudden you lose the desire to do them again. When we understand the love of God for us, everything changes. Trust me, I am a living testament of it! 

Seek His face

My main point for writing this blogpost is to encourage all of us to walk in our callings as sons and daughters of God. The word tells us to seek the kingdom of God first for a reason. Once we seek God for His face, for who He is, to know more of Him, everything else will follow. This generation must learn to seek God for His face and not for His hand. We must learn to hunger and thirst for His presence more than we desire for Him to bless us and give us gifts. We must learn to be still in His presence and not go ahead of Him. We need to become the generation that truly loves God! We need to become the generation that hungers and thirsts for God, for who He is! When you love God, all you want is Him, you want to live for Him, you want to be conformed to His image, you want to make Him proud.You want to make sure He can look at you and say, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased” or “This is my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased.” 

The revelation of the love that God has for me is what made me use my God given free will to choose Him. When I found out how much God loves me, I made a conscious decision that I want to live for Him. My mindset today is, “Lord I have lived my life for myself, according to my needs, wants and desires so long. Lord my life is Your own, use it for Your glory!” The revelation of the love of God is life changing! God wants to tell you how much He loves, just ask Him! He says “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:3) Call on Him, speak to Him, open up your heart to Him. If you have revelation of how much He loves you, ask Him for deeper revelation. If you’re having a hard time receiving His love, ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to receive His love. 

There is no love like the Father’s love. My prayer is that you all receive it. In Jesus' name. Amen.