Christian Discipleship Course 39.

Question and answer: “I never knew my dad. Mum said he was a drunkard, so how can I relate to God as a Father?”

Knowing God as Father can be a difficult concept to understand, especially if your father was never there, or was a very bad example. Most people would naturally assume a heavenly Father to be similar to that of an earthly father, but that is not the case; even if our parents were good, they never come up to God’s standard. Do you dream of the perfect father? The Bible tells us that God is perfect!

Fact: God loves us for who we are, and not for what we can do for Him.

Romans 8:15 ‘For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out “Abba Father”’

Fact: In the Hebrew and Aramaic languages ‘Abba’ means father.

God is love. He is especially interested in the orphans, the fatherless and the widows. God wants to take care of them, just like He wants to take care of all mankind. God is no respecter of persons. Big or small, rich or poor, God loves them all 1 John 4:8, Psalm 68:5-6, 27:10, Romans 2:11.

Think: Do I need to forgive my earthly parents or guardians for not being good role models? Bearing in mind that they probably tried their best.

Do you believe that God loves you unconditionally? God’s love is free and has no conditions. Even if you make loads of mistakes, He is bubbling over in love for you. You cannot understand this unless the Spirit of God shows you that you are not in His bad books, or in trouble. You are His beloved. Whether you stand or fall, He loves you as a perfect father would.

Jesus said “I will never leave nor forsake you” and ‘He has not left us comfortless’, as the Holy Spirit would be our Comforter Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5-7, John 14:1-21.

Wisdom: As God’s love is free and unconditional we should receive it and be tender hearted towards all. As we allow God’s love to fill our hearts, then we can show His love to the people of this world.

More Info: Deuteronomy 32:9-12, Psalm 91:4, 144:2, Matthew 6:9-13, 7:11, Mark 10:13-16, 14:6, Luke 15:11-32, John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Galatians 4:6,7.