Monday, April 25, 2016

Why did God have to choose Father?

Of all the ways God reveals Himself, Father is one of the most intimate terms He could use. The word itself invokes intense emotion in all those who hear it, regardless of culture, nationality or gender. The role of being a father is of the utmost importance in the lives and development of families and relationships. God reveals Himself in this way to relate to man in such a fashion that all who hear it can know and understand His heart for them. 

“It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of dad.” The Huffington Post, a secular news source known for it’s pulse on pop culture more so than it’s breaking headlines, wrote this in an article titled, The Important Role of Dad, in June of 2014. They also said in the same article, “Studies show that if your child’s father is affectionate, supportive, and involved, he can contribute greatly to your child’s cognitive, language, and social development, as well as academic achievement, a strong inner core resource, sense of well-being, good self-esteem, and authenticity.” If an earthly father has this much sway in the development of a child, and he does, imagine with me for just a moment the impact of a heavenly father. 

A father affects the decisions of a child all the way to the end of life not just while raising them. A son will will emulate his father when he becomes a man. A daughter will look for the character traits of her father in a future spouse. God knew this when He spoke of the faith of a father impacting generations to come, “We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done” (Psalm 78:4 NKJV). Again, if this is the role of an earthly father, imagine how much greater a Heavenly Father is at being imitated and of worthy character to search after. What better role model to look to than God Himself. 

A Father is something you choose to be, not something that comes naturally. The Huffington Post even said it this way, “While almost any man can father a child, there is so much more to the important role of being dad in a child’s life.” If a secular news source can grasp such a critical concept then as followers of Christ how much more so should we be keenly aware of the importance of a father. Christ, God Himself in the flesh, expressed the intimacy of relationship between a father and son in His prayer in John 17 and especially in verse 26, “I made Your name known to them and will make it known, so the love You have loved Me with may be in them and I may be in them” (HCSB). God as the Father shows perfect love and that trait is worthy of following after. His example as a father shows those of us here on earth the conscious choice it takes to love those that rebel against Him. In spite of our failures, rebellions and shortcomings His grace, love, patience and forgiveness is unending. 

God is a perfect father unlike any of us on this earth. That is exactly why He relates to us in this way. We need the love of a perfect father. Our earthly father will fail us at some point, but there is a father whose love will never fail us. For those who do not know or have never had an earthly father, there is a God in heaven who longs to love us the way that you have been missing. God expresses Himself in this way so that no matter what perspective you may bring to the table God far and away exceeds it. “For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (HCSB)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-gail-gross/the-important-role-of-dad_b_5489093.html

No comments:

Post a Comment