Children of God
Today we will be talking about fatherly love - the love of a father towards his children. Some of us have had great father figures, but others of us may not have had such men in our lives.
Let’s be challenged to think about this topic and seek God’s presence in this area of our lives.
God, thank You for today. Thank You for Your love, grace, and mercy towards me. Open and soften my heart. Show me how to love with a tender heart. Teach me to be open and ready to receive the love You have towards me each day. Amen.
1 John 3:1 (NLT)
1 See how very much our father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.
The topic of “father figures” brings up positive thoughts for some people, but for others, the topic can cause heartache. What are your thoughts/experiences regarding father figures?
Our verse today says our Heavenly Father loves us “very much” and “calls us His children.” This means that we have a dad - someone we can lean on when times get tough, someone we can get advice from, and someone we can celebrate with. This also means that we have someone who will discipline us when we need correcting and will provide love for the loveless, hope for the hopeless, shelter for the lost, a shoulder for our tears, a hand to hold in the darkness, and someone to imitate. What do you think about God when you read these descriptions? How do these descriptions demonstrate love?
Personally, I had a great father. He was actually my stepfather, and I didn’t get him until later in life. During my early years, I did have male figures in my life, but they didn’t follow Christ and what I saw from them was not God’s way. I learned a lot of worldly things from these men - my language, how to spend money, being selfish, and how to lie my way out of anything.
Then, I got my stepfather. He was and still is a great man. He taught me how to live honestly and how to treat people kindly, no matter what. He taught me a strong work ethic, that life isn’t easy, and even how to work on vehicles.
But I still struggle with accepting that I am a child of God some days, even though I had a good father figure. It’s just hard to believe that God chooses to love and be in relationship with us, but he does!
As we close today, spend some time thinking about how a loving parent views their child: How do they feel about their child? What do they do for their child? What do they want for their child? Then, spend some time talking to God about this. Below are some prompts to help you get started.
Father, how do you feel about me, your child?
Father, help me…
I pray that the Spirit of God guides you in this area today and gives you clarity about being a child of God.
Let’s be challenged to think about this topic and seek God’s presence in this area of our lives.
God, thank You for today. Thank You for Your love, grace, and mercy towards me. Open and soften my heart. Show me how to love with a tender heart. Teach me to be open and ready to receive the love You have towards me each day. Amen.
1 John 3:1 (NLT)
1 See how very much our father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.
The topic of “father figures” brings up positive thoughts for some people, but for others, the topic can cause heartache. What are your thoughts/experiences regarding father figures?
Our verse today says our Heavenly Father loves us “very much” and “calls us His children.” This means that we have a dad - someone we can lean on when times get tough, someone we can get advice from, and someone we can celebrate with. This also means that we have someone who will discipline us when we need correcting and will provide love for the loveless, hope for the hopeless, shelter for the lost, a shoulder for our tears, a hand to hold in the darkness, and someone to imitate. What do you think about God when you read these descriptions? How do these descriptions demonstrate love?
Personally, I had a great father. He was actually my stepfather, and I didn’t get him until later in life. During my early years, I did have male figures in my life, but they didn’t follow Christ and what I saw from them was not God’s way. I learned a lot of worldly things from these men - my language, how to spend money, being selfish, and how to lie my way out of anything.
Then, I got my stepfather. He was and still is a great man. He taught me how to live honestly and how to treat people kindly, no matter what. He taught me a strong work ethic, that life isn’t easy, and even how to work on vehicles.
But I still struggle with accepting that I am a child of God some days, even though I had a good father figure. It’s just hard to believe that God chooses to love and be in relationship with us, but he does!
As we close today, spend some time thinking about how a loving parent views their child: How do they feel about their child? What do they do for their child? What do they want for their child? Then, spend some time talking to God about this. Below are some prompts to help you get started.
Father, how do you feel about me, your child?
Father, help me…
I pray that the Spirit of God guides you in this area today and gives you clarity about being a child of God.
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