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God our Heavenly Father

One of the things that has struck me lately is the purpose of forgiveness.  In the Christian life, forgiveness is talked about a lot, but the end purpose of forgiveness is sometimes neglected.  The whole purpose of forgiveness is restored relationship.   When Jesus died at the cross, he made possible for a sinful man to be forgiven before a holy God.  Yet, forgiveness is not an end in itself. The purpose of forgiveness is that we might enjoy a restored relationship with our heavenly Father.    Through the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, I am adopted into God's family and therefore enjoy all the riches of Sonship.  As J.I. Packer writes, " Adoption is a family idea, conceived in terms of love...where God takes us into his family and establishes us as children and heirs.  Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship.  To be right with God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the father is greater."  When we think about God, the face of a father should one of the first images to come to mind.  Is closeness, affection and generosity the first things I think about God?  This past Father's Day, I talked about the importance of fathers because they give the world a picture of God.  It is challenging to me as a father to present that picture to my kids, but challenging as well to remember that this is the face of God to me.
It is not surprising that when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, the first thing he taught them was "Our Father, the one who is in heaven."  I pray that God might humble me, instruct me and teach me to bear the family likeness of God my heavenly Father.

Comments

  1. DonnaJuly 3, 2012 at 1:46 PM

    Nice post, Pastor Kevin! Now you just need to fill in your profile! :-)

    ReplyDelete

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