Our Heavenly Father
Father’s Day has always been special to me. As a teenager and young adult, it typically meant an enjoyable afternoon with my brother and father at a local golf course. We may not have always let Dad win, but we enjoyed our time together. I was truly blessed as a child. My father has influenced my life in countless positive ways. But you’re not interested in my father. Each of you had your own father and a unique experience. Some of those experiences may have been great while others have not. We all had different relationships that shape our emotions for Father’s Day.
As Christians, however, our experiences with our heavenly Father need not be different from one another. We have the potential for a shared experience as children of God. Father’s Day has become an opportunity for me to reflect on my heavenly Father, and I would like to share some of those thoughts with you.
Our Father is patient. Growth and maturity require time. Peter provided a list of necessary stages of growth for Christians in 2 Peter 1.5-8. Our Father knows that growth is a process and any process will naturally involve mistakes through the course of learning. Unfortunately, this is one area that commonly causes regrets for me as a father. I am not always as patient as I need to be. My expectations are often not the best for the growth of my children. The patience of my heavenly Father as a Christian continually makes me a better person. His patience inspires positive change in me as a person.
Our Father provides everything that we need to find success. No, I do not mean success commonly defined by our society. He provides everything that we need to find success in His kingdom. For example, He sent His Son to a cross. This creates the humility necessary to find greatness in His kingdom (Mark 10.43-44). He offers forgiveness that motivates me to respond to others in a similar way (Matthew 18.21-35). His word provides me with everything necessary to be profitable and complete in His kingdom (2 Timothy 3.15-17).
Finally, our Father offers hope. Notice Paul’s words in Romans 15.13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” He is the God of hope. We can abound in hope. Do you believe that our Father can do this for us? Do you believe it is possible? If so, have you considered how he might accomplish this? Is it through some mysterious process that only God knows? Or, does He do it naturally and spiritually as we embrace Him and His plan for us? The Bible illustrates in numerous ways that it is the latter.
This coming Sunday our worship will focus on our heavenly Father. This Father’s Day, in addition to all other personal objectives that you may have, I encourage you to spend some time with your heavenly Father. As a father, I have learned that few things are more valuable than the desire of my children to be with me. I believe our heavenly Father views His children in a similar manner.