Day 268: The Many Faces of God, Part 4 of 5: God the FatherActs 17:28
'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
Thoughts for Today:Yesterday, after church, my wife Sherry hosted a luncheon for the women's ministry at our home. What that meant to my daughter Amanda and I was we needed to find something else to do not related to being at home. For Amanda it was pure fun, she got her favorite playmate (me), all to herself, all afternoon. As I read our passage today I thought about my relationship with Amanda and how much I treasure it. I love the early mornings, as the first thing she does when she gets out of bed is to search the house for me until she finds me, then crawl up on my lap to talk and snuggle for a time.
I love being a Dad and I love my little girl. But one day she will go the way of our other four children as she grows from a child to an adolescent, and finally into an adult. The older kids don't come around as often. It's not because I'm not available, it's because other interests and priorities have taken precedence over their relationship with me.
The Bible tells us that God views His relationship with us as both "Father" and "Daddy." As a Dad, my heavenly Father grieves when my relationship with Him changes as well. For example, when I have more important things to do in the morning than seek Him first; and when (just like my older kids), I let other interests take priority over my relationship with Him. That is until something bad happens. It's funny how quickly even adult children run home to Daddy when a crisis occurs or need help solving a problem they perceive to be bigger than themselves.
Paul tells us "We are his [God's] offspring," we are sons and daughters adopted into God's very own family (not second cousins twice removed). The trouble comes in when we lose connection to our heritage, when we start behaving in a way that is different than we were raised or created to be. So what do we do when we feel separated from God and have lost our way? The first thing to do is get back in God's presence, Paul says, "For in him we live and move and have our being." Paul is saying that God is so much more than a concept, comfort or strength; He is the very source of life and purpose of our being.
Questions to Ponder:Have you lost connection to your heritage? I know it is not a popular position to take in our "self-actualized" world to look to our heavenly Daddy for comfort and direction, but perhaps that is indeed the problem. We've lost connection to our bloodline. We behave in ways that are incompatible with our heritage. What area of your life do you need to reconcile with the ways of your heavenly Father?
'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
Thoughts for Today:Yesterday, after church, my wife Sherry hosted a luncheon for the women's ministry at our home. What that meant to my daughter Amanda and I was we needed to find something else to do not related to being at home. For Amanda it was pure fun, she got her favorite playmate (me), all to herself, all afternoon. As I read our passage today I thought about my relationship with Amanda and how much I treasure it. I love the early mornings, as the first thing she does when she gets out of bed is to search the house for me until she finds me, then crawl up on my lap to talk and snuggle for a time.
I love being a Dad and I love my little girl. But one day she will go the way of our other four children as she grows from a child to an adolescent, and finally into an adult. The older kids don't come around as often. It's not because I'm not available, it's because other interests and priorities have taken precedence over their relationship with me.
The Bible tells us that God views His relationship with us as both "Father" and "Daddy." As a Dad, my heavenly Father grieves when my relationship with Him changes as well. For example, when I have more important things to do in the morning than seek Him first; and when (just like my older kids), I let other interests take priority over my relationship with Him. That is until something bad happens. It's funny how quickly even adult children run home to Daddy when a crisis occurs or need help solving a problem they perceive to be bigger than themselves.
Paul tells us "We are his [God's] offspring," we are sons and daughters adopted into God's very own family (not second cousins twice removed). The trouble comes in when we lose connection to our heritage, when we start behaving in a way that is different than we were raised or created to be. So what do we do when we feel separated from God and have lost our way? The first thing to do is get back in God's presence, Paul says, "For in him we live and move and have our being." Paul is saying that God is so much more than a concept, comfort or strength; He is the very source of life and purpose of our being.
Questions to Ponder:Have you lost connection to your heritage? I know it is not a popular position to take in our "self-actualized" world to look to our heavenly Daddy for comfort and direction, but perhaps that is indeed the problem. We've lost connection to our bloodline. We behave in ways that are incompatible with our heritage. What area of your life do you need to reconcile with the ways of your heavenly Father?
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