UnConditional: The Father's Love

Well, this week we are starting a new series called / / UnConditional: experiencing the love of God.

We talk a lot around here about following Jesus. And over the last few months specially we’ve really been looking at God’s desire for us to be obedient to his commands, to follow the way of Jesus, not just in belief in our head, and not just a feeling in our heart, but in our actions. But something we have to realize is that these things ultimately come out of love. In fact, Jesus said this very thing:

/ / “If you love me, obey my commandments...” (John 14:15)

Now, let’s just look at that statement for a quick moment. Let’s tear it apart, because each word holds significant meaning for how we live our lives.

First

/ / if - This implies a question. This is the beginning of the statement. If by definition means there is a condition or a supposition, which means an uncertain belief. “If” gets right to the point. Do you or Don’t you. And so Jesus is saying IF you love me. Or, let’s rephrase that, DO you love me, or Don’t you love me? And that will be defined by how we respond to the rest of the statement.

Next word of note.

/ / love - the greek word agapao which means to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. If you remember back in 1992 DC Talk released a little song called Luv Is A Verb… I don’t care what you say, I don’t care what you’ve heard, the word luv, luv, luv is a verb.

Truer words could not be spoken. This is not love as an object, or a moment in time or a thing we have in our hearts. It is an action. So, when Jesus says, IF you LOVE me, he’s saying, Ask yourself, DO YOU welcome me into your life? Are you fond of me? Do you want to entertain me, which means, do you want to stay close to me, to remain in my presence?

And he follows this up closely in the next chapter, John 15:4, / / “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”

If you will stay close to me, I will stay close to you. James writes this in his book as well - which, James is traditionally considered to be one of Jesus’ brothers. James 4:8 says, / / Come close to God, and God will come close to you. A lot of translations say “Draw near”. But where is the first action put? YOU remain or stay close to JESUS.... YOU draw near to God. And automatically Jesus will be close to you, how? Because you’ve chosen to stay close to him!

Alright, If you love me. Do you want to commit to staying close to me? Where the NLT ends that verse by saying, obey my commandments, the ESV says, you will keep my commandments.

So, DO you want to commit to staying close to me? IF you decide to do that, then you will need to also follow what I say...

And so what I want to look at over the next few weeks is the most important part of this statement. Yes, obedience is important, following the way of Jesus is what we are meant to live for and live by, but the most important part of this verse is, / / “If you love me.”

Love.

But here’s the thing about love. It doesn’t start with us. Yes, Jesus says that if we love him we will choose to keep his commandments, because of that love for him, but love doesn’t start with us. So, for the next few weeks we’re going to look at it from the other direction. Not at how we love God, although very important, but how God loves us. Because our / / obedience to Jesus, even our very love for him is actually a response to the love God has shown us.

See, this is the thing, you can easily get bogged down with a need and pressure to somehow come up with a love for a God that you have not truly experienced.

How are you supposed to commit to someone if you haven’t experienced them?

Reading the bible is good for you, we know that, I’ll keep saying it, you have to be reading scripture - March’s bible reading plan is out on the table. But words alone don’t change hearts. It’s because of the eternal love of God the Father, the expressed love of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and the Spirit of God, who is the felt or experienced love of God, that changes hearts. Words can change minds, and minds can direct their attention to God, but it’s the experience of love that changes our hearts. Remember, the difference between the bible and any other book is what? The breath of God, the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 says this, / / For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

And over these next few weeks we’re going to look at love not just from an approach of God in general, but specifically how God moves through the trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The last command Jesus gives to his disciples before he leaves the earth. He says in Matthew 28:19, / / …go and make disciples of all the nations (that is those who want to be followers of Jesus), baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Baptizing means to be fully immersed in the way of something. John preached a baptism of repentance, it was a way of showing you are committed to a new way of living life, committed to a life of repentance and what John was teaching. To be baptized in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit is to be fully immersed in all that they are, the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. And each plays a role, or is experienced in a different way, and yet they all bring the same love, same grace, same peace. But we are meant to be fully immersed, fully engaged with the whole of the trinity, Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

The expression of God through His trinitarian presence is the most incredible thing there is, but also sometimes the hardest to understand. Which is why it is best to experience rather than just simply try to comprehend, because I’m not really sure the human brain can comprehend that one in the first place. By faith we believe in something we cannot see, and cannot understand. But by expressed and experienced love we devote ourselves to God.

So, for this week and next week we are going to focus on the / / love of God the Father. God’s love as expressed through this trinitarian expression of Father. And we’re going to read lots of scripture today, first because scripture, breathed on by the Holy Spirit can transform hearts. But also because if you remember what I said a few weeks ago and again last week, that what we experience in God has to line up with scripture. The bible shows us the heart and character of God so that when we experience something in this world of a spiritual nature, we can discern whether or not it was God. And that is incredibly important because God is not the only spirit in this universe. And the enemy of our souls, the devil, will try to deceive you. He’s been hard at work doing that since day 1. Peter says of him in 1 Peter 5:8, / / Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.

How do we stand strong in our faith? We need to have our faith built up. James talks about the testing of our faith. When the enemy comes and challenges our faith, challenges our beliefs, what do we stand on? Let’s just get super real for a second.

/ / If we don’t have the truth as your foundation you will be pushed back and forth by any sort of whim or bad doctrine that parades itself around as truth. And we see it all around us. No one wants to admit it, but there are those in this earth that are being absolutely hoodwinked with lies, believing what is not true, and then not just that, but proclaiming it as truth.

And so what does Paul say about having our faith built up. Romans 10:17, / / ...so faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

And I believe that is both the written word and the spoken word of God. So, Faith comes through your ears… And the easiest way for that to happen is to put scripture into them!

So, we define and we build our lives upon a firm foundation based on the truth given to us in scripture about God as Father AND His love for us. And through the life of Jesus Christ all the law and the prophets, the Old Testament scriptures, are fulfilled. So we can turn to scripture for the foundation we need of truth and discernment SO THAT when we experience things that are supernatural, things we feel and things we experience, we can rightly discern them as God working in our lives. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth and that he would reveal all truth to his followers. That’s a now and future word, not past tense. He WILL come and He WILL reveal truth. Future tense so that includes you and me.

So, in regards to God being a Father, Jesus talked about his Father often, but didn’t just leave it as His father - he included us.

Matthew 23:9, says, / / “…don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father.”

He’s saying more there than we’re getting into this morning and don’t have time for, but simply look at the way he describes God in heaven... YOUR father...

Paul echoes this in 1 Corinthians 8:6 when he says, / / There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live.

But this isn’t just a definition of who God is. I don’t want you to think in terms of God being Father in title only. He’s not. He is father in his actions and deeds as well. And that can be hard for some of us sometimes, because let’s be honest, there are a lot of men in this world that have not been true father’s to their children. Sure, they are the father, paternally, but they have never learned how to father their children. God is not father by title only.

1 John 3:1 says, / / See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!

So, I want to read a story that Jesus tells that will help us see the heart of God the Father. We’re going to be reading from Luke 15 this morning, and we’ll read the first couple verses and then jump to our story.

Luke 15:1-7, / / Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people - even eating with them!

So Jesus told them this story, (and this isn’t the story of our focus this morning, this is just the preamble): “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more join in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”

That is just rich with meaning and rich with insight, but I want you to see the topic of Jesus’ interaction here with the religious minded.

The Pharisees and teachers of religious law… ok, they would be today what we would call the seemingly good Christians from an outward appearance. They seem to do the right thing. They go to church. They tithe. They pray, and you know it because they aren’t afraid to pray in front of you or anyone else. They act very proper and very spiritual in public. But, behind the scenes, not that they are full of bad behavior, but they are simply living by the rules rather than by a life and heart changed and impacted by God’s love. They aren’t in it for love, they’re in it for accolades.

So, now we jump down a few verses to what’s called the Parable of the Lost Son, or some bibles might call it, the Prodigal Son.

And Luke writes this to start, / / “To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story...

To illustrate what point? The point that God would do anything to connect with humanity. To be in relationship with us. And in that first little story about the sheep we see that God will do anything to find one lost and in danger person, would leave all the healthy to run off to find the one who is lost, and when he finds them, saves them, rescues them, takes them back home, makes sure they are ok, and then throws a party to make sure everyone knows that he found them!

Start there.... that’s the point, God will chase you down, find you and offer his rescue to you when you are lost.

But how many of you identify with this sheep more than you do with anything else?

/ / stupid sheep video… meme

Don’t worry, we’re all on a journey! Some days I feel like that sheep! Running from one stuck mentality to another. Jesus sets me free and I find myself in question yet again just around the corner! When will we learn?!?

So to illustrate his point further, Jesus tells them this story, Luke 15:11-32, / / “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

“But his father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate the happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

This is one of my favorite stories that Jesus tells. It has so much depth to it. So many little things that mean such big things. The simple fact that in the story he says the younger bother is working on a pig farm, and the people he’s talking to are Jewish. They have zero tolerance for pigs. They aren’t allowed to eat them, or even touch them. They are unclean. And here is this son from a wealthy Jewish household at the very end of himself in the mud and muck of a pig pen.

The gifts that the father gives him upon his return have deep significance to each one that distinguish this son as an heir to the household.

Now, I think that in Luke 15 Jesus talks through the three types of people in this world in relation to God the Father, and I want to look at each of those this morning:

As I was reading these passages this week, I noticed something interesting. In the first little story that Jesus tells he says, / / “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost.” and he tells another short story before the one about the son, and says, / / “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one.”

That’s the first group of people in this world. / / Lost.

Not necessarily evil. Not bad. Not trying to be un-christian or against God, although sometimes in our own ignorance we give way to evil and wrongdoing because we don’t have a moral compass, or foundation.

This covers a couple different types of people. Some have never heard. There are still people, even in our own city, that just don’t know about Jesus. That don’t know God loves them. They’re lost. Not intentionally, but quite unintentionally. No one has shown them the way.

And then we’ve probably all met people who are lost and don’t mind that they are. They might know a God exists, but they don’t particularly care for the idea of religion, or church, or following the way of Jesus. They’re lost. Not because they intentionally push God away, but because they just don’t care to follow.

And remember why Jesus is telling these stories in the first place. Luke 15:1-2 , / / Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people - even eating with them!

They were complaining that he was hanging out with the lost. So he tells these two quick stories, which pertain to the same idea that someone is lost. A lost sheep. A lost coin. But either way, when it is found, there is great joy.

But then he tells a story, and most people think it’s a story about one son, but it’s actually a story about two sons and remember who he’s talking to. He’s talking to the group of people that are complaining about him hanging out with the lost. And so now he takes a bit of a turn and talks about two other types of people, these two sons. We see in the very first line, he gets right to the point, / / “A man had two sons...” and then he proceeds to tell the story of the younger son first, / / “The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’”

I was sitting there thinking, in the first two stories he chases after the thing that is lost. Why doesn’t he go chasing after the son? And I had been thinking about this, and then I was watching a video from Robert Hotchkin the other day and he echoed the thought while sharing another story from the life of Jesus and he said, “Jesus will not violate your free will”. And that is true. God doesn’t violate free will. And in the first two short stories he tells he is going after those who are lost. They didn’t intentionally lose their way. A sheep might get distracted by a butterfly and wander a little, and then the herd moves on and it’s left behind. Or they’re close to the edge of a cliff and it slips and falls into a canyon.

A coin is dropped and rolls under the table, or into the crack on the floor.

But the first son in this story intentionally walked away from the father’s house. There was an intentional act of self will. “I know you are my father, and I am choosing to walk away and to live like you don’t have authority in my life.” Even in how Jesus shares the story, the son says, “I want my share of your estate now before you die.” There is a recognition of the very existence of the father, but the son will have nothing to do with him. There’s a disregard for the life and authority of the father. And I think a lot of society is in that place. They know there is a God, but they would rather live their lives on their own.

Whether it is because they have been hurt by the church. Or God was misrepresented. Or there was never really any relationship with the truth. No true biblical foundation, or that foundation crumbled. For whatever reason, because they didn’t truly understand the heart of God they decide to intentionally walk away. And I would say that sometimes it’s not even in an act of defiance but in an act of self-preservation where God has been misrepresented. And many people deal with self-reliance and self-governance. We want our independence because we think that independence equals freedom.. And so we set out to prove we will make it on our own, and we don’t want to live under the rules of the Father’s house: I’ll do it myyyyyyy way.

I shared this a couple weeks ago that one of the things we work through in the twelve steps of recovery is that we all will be confronted with a desire to be the director of our own production of life, and that when we realize that our lives our unmanageable on our own, we have to allow God to become the director of our lives.

It’s worded this way: / / We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.

So this son walks away, lives his life his way, ends up in the pit with the pigs. And a lot of people end up there, and some die there, and it’s tragic. Again, remember who Jesus is talking to. The Pharisees and teachers of religious law are complaining because he’s hanging out with sinners. And we know from other scriptures that Jesus says he came to minister to the lost house of Israel, that is the Jewish people. These tax collectors and notorious sinners are the children of God, the sons and daughters of the house of Israel, God’s chosen people.

For whatever reason they gave up on their religious endeavors and were living their own way. And yet, they are surrounding Jesus, who wants to lead them to the Father. They have their invitation to repentance and returning to the Father’s house. We don’t have time to get into it this morning, but you see the heart of Jesus to lead those back to God’s house in the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8:1-11. The religious leaders want to punish her, but Jesus says that he won’t condemn her for her actions, BUT, he does not endorse sin, and he does not let her off the hook. He says, / / “Go and sin no more.” An invitation to return to the Father’s house.

And then the story comes to the third type of person, the second son in the story. And the only group left to address are those cranky ol’ religious folk. The Pharisees took the law of Moses and expanded it to include a total of 613 laws they demanded people follow. They made their own system and it was not the way of God. He’s talking to the teachers of religious law of whom he says in Luke 11:46, / / “…what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease their burden.”

The system is broken. You’re living by your own way, and whether that is the way of sin, or the way of self-righteous works, you’ve missed the point, and walked away from the heart of the Father. These ones are actually living in the father’s house, but are far from his heart.

Listen to the story. Luke 15:28-30, / / The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!

Imagine where he’s telling this story… Maybe he’s sitting on a rock, and sitting around his feet are the literal prostitutes and tax collectors, roman money launderers, the sinners, the ones who have done it all wrong, who have squandered the gift of life from the Father, left the Jewish faith, are not following the rules. And standing there in all their self-righteous and blatant indignation, the religious sons of God crying, “We’ve been here in your house this whole time, and you’ve given us nothing, and yet, here you are, spending time with these sinners! How could you… That’s not how it’s supposed to work. They can’t just get off scott free. Why won’t you punish them for their wrong doing? And why won’t God bless us for always doing what is right?”

And Jesus, through the story of the father and his two sons, one who is lost to sin, and one who is lost to religious duty, he says, / / “Dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours...” The invitation to connect with the heart of the father, not just to live in his house and abide by his rules, but to abide in his love!

There are a lot of so called Christians today, living distant from the heart of the father’s love simply because they are stuck in a system of self-righteousness and works based religion - and maybe they’ve just been told that either christianity is simply a head belief and so you won’t go to hell if you accept Jesus in your heart, or they were told you have to follow the rules and that’s it. But the invitation to them is the same as it is to the son who was lost to sin, as it is the the one who is lost.... It’s the invitation to the fourth person, the one telling the story:

Jesus, who came to show us the way to the Father. John 14:6, Jesus says to his disciples, / / “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. And he also said in Matthew 11:27, / / “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heave burdens, and I will give you rest...”

The invitation is as alive today as it was when he said it 2000 years ago. He wants to show us the way to the Father. He’s the son who understands the love of God the Father more than we ever could, and through the Father Jesus has been entrusted with the very humanity he spoke into being, to reveal the true love of the Father to all mankind.

Whether you are lost and don’t even know it, or you are living a life of rebellion, or maybe you are convinced you have to do it all on your own, the invitation from Jesus is the same, He is saying, “Allow me to reveal the heart of the Father to you, allow Holy Spirit to restore relationship to you with the God of eternal love.”

***Kelley Come Up***

So, this morning I want to close out by reading something over you. This is a compilation of scripture that emphasizes the truth that God is our heavenly Father, and that he loves you more than anything. It has scripture from both the old and new testaments because the love of God spans all of eternity. The Father’s love is the eternal love of God. And I want you to switch your focus for a moment.

Ya know, we understand how this works in our personal relationships. If I am going to have a conversation with you that matters, I need to take the time to pay attention to you. If someone is talking to you and you aren’t giving them their attention, what do they do? They stop talking. They’ll get up and walk away rather than put more time and effort into trying to explain something to you if you’re not listening. I’m pretty sure this is why Jesus said in Matthew 11:15, / / “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen and understand!” Because having ears doesn’t mean we’re listening.

We talk here about making ourselves available to God. About posturing ourselves. Sometimes Kelley will say, “Put out your hands like you are ready to receive a gift.” Why? Because we know if you want to get close to someone you have to be available to them. And if you want someone to pay attention to you, you have to pay attention to them. It’s the same thing with God, We can’t just keep saying, “God do stuff in my life” and then keep doing our own thing. If you are sitting here this morning, and distracted, or not caring, not wanting to experience God’s love and presence, there’s a good chance you won’t. Remember, God will not violate your free will… Yes, true deep relational connection starts with an invitation from Jesus, but can only happen if that invitation is accepted.

And here’s the thing - I truly believe 100% that God speaks through scripture. That the difference between any regular book and the bible is that the Spirit of God breaths on scripture and does something no other book could ever do. And everything I’m going to read over you right now is straight scripture. And the person that compiled this letter is a friend of ours and has received thousands of comments from people all over the world who have given real honest testimonies because they had a life-changing encounter with God while experiencing the message found in these words. I’m not going to put it on the screen, there’s nothing for you to read right now. I’ve actually printed up documents for you to take home with you at the end of service. But right now, I want you to simply allow God to work in your heart. You can close your eyes and just focus on God. Let yourself relax.

So, before I read this I am going to pray and I want you to join with me in prayer to invite the Spirit of God to move through scripture today to impart to each of us the love of our Heavenly Father. That in this moment you would have an encounter with God that opens your heart, opens your mind and your senses to His great love for you.

Yes, Jesus, we know you are here. And we say, We are here. We want to meet with you. Holy Spirit, we invite you to move in this place this morning. We invite you to reveal to us the heart of God, the heart of our heavenly Father and His great love for us. Would you do a work in us that we will be able to say, “Only because of God do I truly realize the love that He has for me.” It is a miracle that you love us the way you do. Would you work that miracle in our hearts this morning as we read your scripture.

Now, just stay in that place of receptive anticipation. You don’t need to open your eyes. I’m not putting these words on the screen. There’s nothing for you to read. Simply just receive the love of God as scripture, breathed on by the Holy Spirit, is spoken over you.

You may not know me, but I know everything about you.

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.

I am familiar with all your ways.

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.

For you were made in my image.

In me you live and move and have your being.

For you are my offspring.

I knew you even before you were conceived.

I chose you when I planned creation.

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

I knit you together in your mother’s womb.

And brought you forth on the day you were born.

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me.

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father.

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.

For I am the perfect Father.

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.

Because I love you with an everlasting love.

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.

And I rejoice over you with singing.

I will never stop doing good to you.

For you are my treasured possession.

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul.

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.

For it is I who gave you those desires.

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.

For I am your greatest encourager.

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles.

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.

And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.

He is the exact representation of my being.

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me.

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.

I have always been Father, and will always be Father.

My question is… Will you be my child?

I am waiting for you.

Now, just take a moment and let the love of God wash over you. Let the truth of these words sink deep into your heart. Let them transform your mind with the truth that is found in them. And let the Holy Spirit do a work in you. If and when you feel like you are able, why don’t you take that invitation that was given, the question that was asked, I have always been Father, and I will always be Father. My question is…Will you be my child? Will you allow God to Love you as your Father? Even if today you don’t fully understand. Even if you are still carrying some hurt or pain from your past. Maybe you didn’t have the greatest relationship with your earthly dad, are you willing to allow the love of God transform you? Will you let Him love you? It can be the start of a journey into the heart and love of God. Simply letting Him in. Giving Him permission to be your Father. He already is, but he won’t work against your will if you resist him. He already loves you, is loving you, and wants to express that love to you personally.

And you can simply pray that this morning. Yes, God, I will be your child. I want you to be my Father. I want you to father me.