We’ve been looking at how we can call Sovereign God our Father. This devotional reading concludes our look at how God has the attributes of a father.
Nuggets
- God is a Father because He protects His children.
- God is a Father because He grows His children to become more like Him.
- God is a Father because He comforts as a mother does.
- God is a Father because He provides for us.
To read devotions in the Habitual Holiness of Heart and Life theme, click the button below.
Devotions in the Commit to Grow Our Habits study
Beginning in the last devotion, we started looking at how Sovereign God can be our Father. We close that out in this devotion.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Here is a running list of nuggets for the study.
Baker’s sermon gave us the foundation for this devotion.
God the Father Protects
“O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!” (Ps. 94: 1 ESV)
God is a Father because He protects His children.
Life is hard. Have you ever heard someone say life would be so much easier if we didn’t have to deal with people?
It is probably the rule rather than the exception that we have conflict with others. Depending on the conflict, we may want to extract some vengeance on them.
God says, “Don’t do it.” Vengeance is His, not ours. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Rom. 12: 19 ESV).
To me, this is all tied up in the relationship aspect. When we are truly committed in a relationship, we want to take care of them and do things for them, especially when they are hurting.
When someone is persecuting our loved ones, our protectiveness really kicks in.
Why shouldn’t we avenge ourselves? Wardlaw helped us with this.
We think extracting vengeance will lead to peace and happiness. It won’t. Wardlaw wrote, “There is nothing so wretched as the harassing disquietudes of angry and revengeful passions.”
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The anger of vengeance doesn’t make things right. Only forgiveness does. Plus, we aren’t called to be judge, jury, and executioner.
Grant made a good observation. He reminded us that the person on whom we are exacting vengeance may not be an enemy.
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Part of that is because the desire for vengeance puts the focus on us, not on God.
Another part is it clouds our judgment. We aren’t really seeing it as is, and we don’t see the motivation correctly.
When we take vengeance on our own, we dishonor God. Boston said that this is because it violates the second greatest commandment, where we are commanded to love others.
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Glossary
God didn’t abdicate His position as Judge or Protector. We can’t take it upon ourselves to exercise vengeance.
That makes sense. God doesn’t exact vengeance to destroy them. His goal is to restore them.
God the Father Instructs and Corrects
“For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished” (Jer. 30: 11 ESV)
God is a Father because He grows His children to become more like Him.
Just as God doesn’t create us and leave us alone, He does not create us and leave us as we are. His goal is that we accept Jesus as our Savior and become more like Him.
Look what Manton said. He wrote, “In disciplining us, and treating us with much indulgence, wisdom, and care. A father takes a great deal of pains in forming his child, fashioning its manners and [behavior]: so God doth with His children.”
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We’ve talked a lot about God’s laws and commandments really giving us His character. But we can’t downplay the fact that they are laws. We will be under these laws for eternity.
We’ve also said that the laws show us how much we need Jesus. They correct us to bring us to His saving grace.
We generally think it is the Holy Spirit that is instructing it. It is important to remember that God is directing the Holy Spirit.
Selby took that a step further. He reminded us that God gives common knowledge to all of His children.
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Yes, it seems like some know more than others. But this reminds us that we all have a common foundation. (What impact does that have on vengeance?)
God the Father Comforts
“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem” (Isa. 66: 13 ESV)
God is a Father because He comforts as a mother does.
I know I’ve read this verse before. I sure don’t remember it.
A mother does comfort her children during the child’s lifetime. Any mom worth her salt is always going to be asking her kid in some form or another, “Are you happy? Are you healthy? Are you hungry? Do you have enough money?”
They are going to be concerned about the kids’ state of mind.
It is so easy to get that state of mind off kilter. God is always there to comfort us.
The confusing part to me is that Baker’s description that he said this verse was evidence for is “He takes great delight in them (Isaiah 66: 13).”
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How does delighting in us mesh with motherhood? (Yeah, the joys of trying to figure out what someone else meant.)
Let’s turn to the sermons associated with this verses to help us out.
- Mothers are sympathetic. They understand their children.
- A mother’s love is constant. Nothing is going to make them not love their child.
- Mothers grieve when we do wrong. Their actions elicit a response because of the deep love felt.
- Rounsefell wrote, “A mother’s love is often REDEMPTIVE …” Mother counsel their children, trying to get them to get on the right path.
- A mother does a lot for her child: love, bend over backward, work, hurt, and sacrifice. The children may grow up and move out, but they will always be their mother’s child.
- Mothers patiently wait for their children to work things out and get on the right path. This is where the forbearance comes in.
- A mother is ready to forgive her wayward child. While not diminishing the child’s behavior and eliminating the consequences, a mother wants to help the child believe they can change.
- Mothers are our first teachers. They teach us everything from walking, talking, and eating.
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Now doesn’t that sound like God? Well, yes, it sounds like all good fathers.
So, we apply this to our spiritual condition. God is right there to do all that for us. All this tells me two things.
1. Gender isn’t important. Yes, God made us male and female (Gen. 1: 27). But gender isn’t always going to be an issue. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3: 28 NIV).
No, this doesn’t mean we are one of the 112 genders people today think there are. This means we will be spirit, as God is now.
2. We are tender babes. We really are milk babies in many aspects. We will always be needing to know and understand more about God.
Most importantly, we will always be needing God. We will never outgrow that need.
God the Father Provides
“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!” (Ps. 31: 19 ESV)
God is a Father because He provides for us.
God shows His goodness to all. Yes, He shows it even to non-believers.
Everyone can come to God seeking salvation. Saphir wrote, “Jesus has opened to us heaven; and, risen with Christ, we seek the things which are above, we pray to our Father in heaven.”
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But with this privilege comes a duty. We must pray to God. We must submit to Him in love and trust.
Why shouldn’t we pray to Him? God provides all we need. Spurgeon wrote, “All that you can want is provided in Christ.”
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This isn’t a little trickle. This is an overflowing provision.
Think about how the Promised Land was described. “And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites” (Ex. 3: 8 ESV).
God is going to provide over and above what we need. He is going to provide our wants if it is in His Will.
This provision is especially true of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Don’t trip over the fact that God stores up His goodness. He doesn’t hook us up and give us a download of all His goodness at conversion.
God provides His goodness as we need it. We can’t forget about it or use it up. It is right there when we need it.
Making the Connections #1
Talmage gave an interesting comparison between fathers and mothers. Fathers didn’t turn out to be interchangeable with mothers.
- Mothers teach their children the more elementary things, such as our ABC’s. She has more patience in teaching us foundational things than a father is. Talmage wrote, “If He were simply a father, He would whip us.”
- A mother’s favorite is different from a father’s favorite. Instead of choosing favorites by the child’s ability or attributes, a mother’s favorite is the one who needs her the most at that time.
- A mother helps heal all the hurts, not just the big ones as the father does. Fathers are good at dealing with broken bones, but not all of them can deal with a broken heart like a mother does.
- A mother is more usually patient than the father.
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This isn’t to say that we don’t need fathers. We definitely do.
We’re not saying God is a Woman.
What we are doing here is looking at God as a Mother as well as a Father. God is our everything. That means He is both parent.
Making the Connections #2
Okay, so let’s focus on prayer for a minute. This is the God to Whom we are praying.
- God is a Father because He is the Father of Jesus Christ.
- God is a Father because He provides for us.
- God is a Father because He protects His children.
- God is a Father because He grows His children to become more like Him.
- God is a Father because He comforts as a mother does.
- God is a Father because He provides for us.
- God wants to do all that for us. He just asks that we submit to be His children. We can only be His children when we ABCD.
“But to all who did receive him [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn. 1: 12 ESV).
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
Who better to call Sovereign God than the One Who really is and wants to bless us?
How Do We Apply This?
- Consider the consequences of vengeance and leave it to God.
- Cultivate our meekness and patience.
- Forgive others.
- Live by faith.
- Consistently read God’s love letter to us — His Word.
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Father God. We are humbled when we think how much You love us. We are amazed at what You have and will provide for us. We submit ourselves to You. Help us to grow more like You. Amen.
What do you think?
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Thank you for these wonderful messages you share. I truly wish that society would reflect and act more upon the examples of the Holy Family and the word of the Holy Gospel. May God bless you and provide you with the strength to continue reaching out to others and to those in need.
Thank you for your words of encouragement! My prayer is that God uses these words He has given me to draw others closer to Him. Yes, society would improve following His examples. I pray we are all obedient to Hin.