THANKFUL

“Father and Son”

                  Robert Bethel © 2017

“Father and Son”

For the Father loves the Son and shows him all things he is doing—John 5:20

Good buddy Brother Robert, a.k.a., the “Beard,” posted this picture on Facebook. While working on their spread, Brother Beard thought he was taking a selfie with his precious son, Hank, a.k.a., the “Hankster,” one tired little farm hand.

Our heavenly Father smiled. “Thanks for the selfie, Beard.” God used this priceless selfie of a father and son to show how he welcomes his kids when we to come to him.

As we read these, hopefully our heavenly Father will reveal more ways he desires our companionship.

• The Lord God, our heavenly Father, has his arms always open, welcoming us to run to him. As his child, we crawl onto his lap any time we want to, any time we need to. This brings a big ole smile to his face. He never rejects our love feast to him. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he says. —

This is acceptance.

• We look to our heavenly Father as our “Daddy.” Jesus often affectionately referred to his father as “Abba” [Daddy in Hebrew].

This is relationship

• Our Daddy is our hero—he can do all things. Our knight in shining armor. Nothing is impossible or too big that my Daddy can’t handle.

This is confidence

• We run to him when we are hurt. Ever scrape your knee? Fall off your bike? Someone offend you? Your loved one wound your soul by actions or words? Because Jesus and the Father are one, he knows pain—our pain—firsthand. He became flesh and blood like us so he could experience everything we do. And oh my, how Jesus was hurt—physically, emotionally and spiritually.

This is empathy.

• The Father’s eyes are always on us. He looks with pride at his kids. He sees our every move. He rejoices when we succeed, doesn’t give up on us when we fall, which is often. He picks us up, dusts the crud off, and says, “Come on, let’s try again. I’m here with you.”

This is support

• We run to his arms when life seems to fall apart. Fear grips our souls. Our Father is good; life is unfair. “What do you mean you want a divorce?” “Doctor, are you sure it’s cancer?” “Mother passed last night. She’s gone.” “Sorry, but your job has been outsourced.” Our Father cradles us close to him and whispers, “Fear not, my child. I am here with you. I love you.”

This is comfort.

• When we are in his arms and he pulls us close, we’re completely at peace. We’re safe. His love for us is unconditional, even when we have failed to meet his standards, which is normal for most, if not all, of his kids. Yet nothing ever created will separate us from that love.

This is security.

• When we snuggle in our Father’s arms, the worries and pressures of life are shut out. The stresses of life fade as our Father hums his favorite love song to us. We close our eyes and drift into a time of refreshing and renewal.

This is rest for the weary.

• When we lay our head against our Father’s chest, we hear his heart beating for us. Soon, our heart beats as one with his.

This is oneness.

• When we are in our Father’s arms, he listens to our concerns. He is mindful how we struggle to understand why some situations arise, why bad things happen, but he assures us he has our best interest at heart and is working on our behalf. He knows our lives from beginning to end. He only asks we trust him.

This is faith.

• When we’re in our Father’s arms, we want to please him. We want to draw closer to him, not just know about him, but to know his heart, to know his character in a more intimate way.

This is passion.

• When we choose to run from our Father’s arms, foolishly heading off in the wrong direction, he follows. He continually calls to us, warning us of dangers we cannot see, but waits patiently for us to change. When we fall and cry out to him, our Father runs to pick us up. It’s amazing how quickly he forgives when we admit how dumb we acted—no condemnation hurled our way. — This is pursuing grace.
• When we are in our Father’s arms, he looks at us with such love that he would die for us.

Oh, wait . . . He did.

This is salvation.

Lord, thank you that we are always welcomed into your arms anytime. You never reject us but draw us close to your heart. Heavenly Father, you are all we need. You are our everything.

Stay close to Jesus.

Jimmy

Jimmy Eskew © 2017

Picture used by permission; Robert Bethel © 2017

Thankful: https://jimmyeskew.wordpress.com/