I am a child of God...
Psalms 68:5 A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.
John 1:12,13 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Romans 8:14-15 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, <"Abba,> Father."
I John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
April 21, 2010
Embraced by the Father
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:1 (NIV)
Devotion:
Her smile lit up the room when her daddy entered. Her rosebud lips spread into a wide beam of a smile. Her silky black hair leapt about her face as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. She looked like Snow White after a large cup of espresso. The man started the music and began to walk toward her. He stopped and opened wide his muscular arms—the familiar invitation to dance. She raced to him and perched herself atop his feet. They began two-stepping to their special song, "My Personal Penguin." The princess was dancing with her Prince Charming—her daddy.
Bittersweet joy washed over me like a warm spring rain as I witnessed this scene between my son and granddaughter. Happiness for my granddaughter flowed into my heart, but there was also a tinge of sadness. I regretted never having experienced the same type of father-daughter relationship with my earthly dad.
My own father resembled the character of Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind. He was suave, handsome, and self-assured, but a rogue. I traveled through my childhood and adolescence wishing for a Rhett Butler type of man to whisk me off my feet. I desired a rogue to embrace me with a wild and untamed love. Because of my "father image," I actually desired imperfect love from people. A flawed love would hurt, but it still appealed to my broken heart. I believed falsely that love could only be achieved through volatile sparks of emotion, fueled by the uncertainty of the love.
Of course, it was all a misguided representation of a girl's broken heart. But now, I have learned to know a perfect love—the love of my heavenly Father. Only He has been able to fill my heart with a perfect love. The night I accepted His love, He began to reveal to me the character of a faultless Father. As the Father embraced me, my idea of errant love slid into oblivion. I learned the true meaning of love as I gained knowledge of God. He taught me His characteristics and personality through the diversity of His names, but my favorite will always be Father—Abba—my Daddy.
Do you know Abba—the heavenly Father? He is waiting for you with His arms wide open. Come and be embraced by the Father.
I know I’ve been blessed to have a daddy who showers me with love – even to this day I know that he’ll do anything to make sure I’m happy, healthy and safe. There’s never been a time in my life when I doubted his love for me. Was he perfect? No. But neither am I! AND – he’s pretty darned close! SO – it’s been easy for me to believe that God loves me, too. I know that’s not the case for many women – they didn’t have the kind of dad I had, so they’ve gone looking for love in all the wrong places – which usually doesn’t end well. The awesome news about our Heavenly Father is that no matter how far we’ve gone from His side, we can always come back. Do you feel isolated – cut off from the Father’s love? Run to Him – jump into His arms – let Him whisper in your ear. I’ll bet you hear how much He loves you – always has – and always will. Learn to trust that love – let it guide you – direct you – protect you – provide for you. Your Heavenly Father has good plans for you! Sharon
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