Tag: Fatherly love

You have a rightful claim to your heavenly Father’s kingdom and possessions, and God will ensure you receive what is rightfully yours.

Imagine how different your outlook on life would be if you were a 15-year-old son or daughter of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. At one point in 2019 he was the richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $170 billion. If you were one of his four offspring, you would be an heir to some or all of that money. Suppose his will stipulated that at age 25 you would receive 10 percent of the inheritance; that’s $17 billion. As a teenager, your thoughts about the future, about your plans and hopes and dreams, your sense of security—all would be different than the average person. No matter what problems or challenges you faced from now until turning 25, you would remember and console yourself with the great change that awaited you.

This is the attitude every Christian can have. We are God’s sons and daughters and thus his heirs. He owns everything and promises to give it to his children. The earth and much more we cannot yet comprehend is our inheritance.

Colossians 1:12 says Christians should be “giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light” (NIV). Notice the word “qualified.” One dictionary defines an heir as “one who is entitled to inherit property.” Notice the word “entitled.” This means the heir has a legal right to something. The children of the heavenly Father have a right to all he owns.

Your heavenly inheritance

Consider a few things Scripture teaches about your inheritance.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV).

–We need light to be given to our spiritual eyes to grasp how great our hope in this inheritance can be, how glorious this inheritance is. Its riches are infinitely greater than anything the children of Jeff Bezos will receive. The Bezos children should envy you rather than your envying them.

“All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21–23).

–Being an heir of God literally means everything is yours, shared with all the rest of God’s children, because everything belongs to your Father. This is your Father’s world, and he delights to give it all to you. You will inherit the whole world.

–Even something negative like death is yours in the sense that Christ has transformed the death of a Christian into something he uses to bring us good. Through death we go from mortality to immortality, from perishable to imperishable, from weakness to strength. We die in union with Christ and his death, unlike those who do not follow Christ, who die in their sins in union with the devil.

“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5 ESV)

–We will inherit the kingdom of God, our Father’s glorious new creation of righteousness, peace, and joy that is coming someday upon the earth. It is our right as a child of the heavenly Father.

“He saved us…so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5–7 ESV).

–We will inherit eternal life. In Christ this is your right.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:16–17 ESV).

–Jesus is the heir of the Father, and we are fellow heirs with Jesus. We share in the inheritance of Jesus! What is his is ours!

–Being an heir of God requires perseverance and a willingness to suffer persecution as Jesus did in this life. You can lose your inheritance by losing your faith and falling back in love with the fallen world. Esau is the prototype of this folly:

“See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son” (Hebrews 12:16 NIV).

But for faithful believers in Christ who endure to the end, the story is altogether different:

“You know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Colossians 3:24 NIV).

–Our inheritance is our reward for choosing the true God over false gods.

“By faith he [Abraham] went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise” (Hebrews 11:9 ESV).

–God promised Abraham amazing things, including that he would be singularly blessed, have a great name, be a blessing to the world, and receive the promised land (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:7). Genesis shows that these promises were Abraham’s possession, and therefore they became the inheritance, the heritage, of his son Isaac, and then of his grandson Jacob. They inherited not only property from Abraham but also promises, the promises God gave Abraham. But Abraham has many more heirs, as the following verse reveals:

“If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:29 ESV)

–That’s right, the glorious truth is that through faith in Jesus Christ we also become the heirs of Abraham and therefore we inherit many of his promises. We are entitled to share in what God promised Abraham.

–Our response to all these glorious promises should be praise and confidence:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3–4 NIV).

The Father’s heart

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the wonderful, loving father told his oldest son something that reflects the heart of our heavenly Father toward us: “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31). Those words make God’s heart personal and direct to you. Memorize and meditate on them until you believe them with all your heart, and no matter what life throws at you, you can go through every day with firm hope in the inheritance that awaits you.

Ah, Jeff Bezos, you are but a pauper compared to my heavenly Father, and unless your children are followers of Jesus Christ, they too are paupers compared to me.

Our way and God’s way

Our way: The original lie that Satan spoke to Eve in the Garden called into question the goodness of God (see Genesis 3:1, 5), and fallen humans have been swallowing that lie ever since. We may think the Father is holding back his best from us.

God’s way: The Father’s loving generosity is without limit. All he has is ours.

Life principle: We should set all our hope in the gracious inheritance we will receive when Jesus Christ is revealed from heaven. We should sacrifice anything that would compromise it.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Knowing that God delights in you transforms life from mere duty to endless joy.

Our son took his family to Disney World this week and has texted photos of his girls standing with Mickey Mouse, Goofy and others. The looks of delight on the girls’ faces are priceless. Parents and grandparents live to bring delight to their children.

What do you delight in? Roller coaster rides? Work? A hobby? Reading a particular genre of books? One stocker I visit with at the grocery store delights so much in superhero movies and comic books by Marvel and DC that he attends an annual convention they sponsor, and it’s not cheap. Others that I have visited with in recent weeks have delighted in the NBA playoffs, talking enthusiastically about who is playing well and who they predict will win each series.

The human soul yearns for delight. We hunt for it. We sacrifice time and money for it because our souls long for more than work and tedium, duty and obligation. God hardwired us for delight.

Delight is defined simply as the experience of great pleasure, joy, or satisfaction.

God’s delight

God himself takes delight. When he creates all things in Genesis 1, his delight is evident as he creates every material and living thing with dazzling variety and then at the end of the day pronounces them good. Proverbs 8 personifies God’s wisdom in creation and says, “I [wisdom] was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man” (Proverbs 8:30–31, ESV). I believe these verses also describe Jesus in his role in creation, for through him all things were created.

So God is not an austere, stoic, grim figure. He is a joyful being who delights in the love between the members of the Trinity, delights in his works in creation, and delights in his children.

God the Father delights in the Son

In particular, God the Father delights in his unique Son.

When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, “behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:17).

Isaiah prophesied these words about the Father’s feelings toward his special servant, who turns out to be his Son: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1). The Father’s soul delights in Jesus.

At the transfiguration of Jesus, “behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him’” (Matthew 17:5 ESV).

God delights in us as he delights in Jesus

It’s easy to see why God the Father delights in his wonderful Son. Jesus is perfect, glorious, and righteous in every way. What’s hard to comprehend is that the Father also delights in us, marred by sin, broken, failing him time and again. Nevertheless Jesus said in one prayer to the Father, “You sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:23).

In this verse, note the words “even as.” Jesus said the Father loved the followers of Jesus even as he loved Jesus. How can that be? How could the Father love fallen humans even as he loves Jesus? Only through Jesus. The followers of Jesus are in Jesus, and therefore we are justified and sanctified in Jesus, and therefore the Father can delight in us even as he delights in Jesus.

Here is how God feels about his gathered people in Zion: “He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV).

Not only does God delight in his people, he has far greater capacities of delight than we do. His delight in Jesus is infinitely greater than a child’s delights at Disney World. His joy, satisfaction, and pleasure in his unique Son is boundless, greater than our vast universe. And as impossible as it is to imagine, his delight is equally boundless in you. You are the son or daughter in whom your heavenly Father delights.

Our way and God’s way

Our way: We may regard God only as an austere, demanding ruler and judge, and life only as duty and work.

God’s way: At the center of creation is a joyful Father who delights in his children. God delights in you as a good father delights in his sons and daughters.

Life principle: Walking with God is not only about obedience and responsibility, but also about delight, mutual delight. When you delight in your Father’s delight in you, your walk with him is transformed from mere obligation to pleasure.

Why does God provide for your every need?

Imagine a family of four: a man and his wife and son, age 5, and daughter, age 7. The man has a well-paying job, and his wife stays home to give full-time childcare. The man is an affectionate father who hugs his children and tells them how much he loves them every morning when he leaves the house and every evening when he returns. All is well for this family until the man decides he wants more money to spend on travel, golf, and expensive dining at a private club.

He decides that the way to get the money he wants is to gamble. He begins going regularly to casinos, gambling more and more, winning now and then, but losing far more than he gains. Soon he spends his savings and begins going into debt to try to make up his losses with a big win.

He still has a family. Every morning when he leaves the house and every evening when he returns, he hugs and kisses his children and tells them how much he loves them. But one day he tells his wife that they can no longer afford to buy clothes and toys for the children. A few weeks later he tells her to get a part-time job to pay for groceries because he can no longer afford to provide food for the family. He tells her that the kids are old enough to take care of themselves for a few hours a day while she is at work.

Every morning when he leaves the house and every evening when he returns, he hugs and kisses the kids and tells them how much he loves them.

No, we would say, he doesn’t love his children. No father who truly loved his children would fail to provide for them like this. Loving fathers provide the fundamental needs of their dependents.

Jesus, on daily bread

Jesus based his teaching about money and the meeting of our daily needs on this principle. God is our Father, we are his dependents. Loving fathers, good fathers, provide for the fundamental needs of their children. For this reason, Jesus taught that we don’t have to worry about the provision of our daily necessities.

In his main teaching on this subject, notice in verses 26 and 32 below that Jesus bases his assurances about the full provision of our needs on the caring Fatherhood of God:

“²⁴ No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. ²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:24–34, ESV)

Ultimate responsibility for daily bread

Neglect and love are incompatible.

Your Father in heaven loves you, and you can be sure he is a good Father who takes his responsibility seriously. He has no limitations. He is fully able to provide for you. Therefore he does not expect you to live as if the ultimate responsibility for meeting your needs rested on your shoulders, as if there were no God ruling the world. No, Jesus taught that your heavenly Father is fully aware of your needs and that you are valuable to him as his child. He takes ultimate responsibility for meeting your needs.

Of course, as a good Father he is raising mature children who learn to work hard and be responsible—but we are never to think we have ultimate responsibility for provision. We are not God. Only he rules the affairs of this world. So our responsibility is to work and to manage our money well.

But, Jesus taught, in verse 33, we are not to fear like those who don’t know God, not to live for money like those who don’t know God, not to live unrighteously like those who don’t know God, and not to make the kingdom of God anything lower than first priority like those who don’t know God. If we will “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Why? Because God is your father, he is good, and he loves you. Those who walk in his ways enjoy his full provision.

Our way and God’s way

Our way: Fallen people live as though God is not their provider, as though money, job, career, job skills, a corporation, the economy, or a boss were their ultimate provider. These are the secondary sources of our provision, but the ultimate source is God the Father.

God’s way: As a loving, caring Father, the Lord gives infinite attention to faithfully providing everything we truly need. God uses secondary sources to provide, but secondary sources only work because he makes them work. (See James 1:17; Psalm 104:10-32; Romans 11:36)

Life principle: The key to enjoying your Father’s faithful provision for every real need is to live by the rules of his house: to seek first his kingdom, that is, his rule in every aspect of your life, and to seek first his righteousness, that is, his commands for how to live in the way that pleases him. Surrender control of your life to God, and obey his commandments, and you will never lack for your true essentials.