Of/In the Lord

As is the case a lot in my bible study, I find myself in the same passages time and time again. This morning in Ephesians 6. I may have written on this in before, as I have notes in the margins of my bible to the effect, but I was led here by God again and I know that means there is something here for me to learn and understand.

“⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” – Ephesians 6:4 & 1 (ESV)

Yes, I know and did post these verses in reverse order. Speaking first to fathers to discipline children yet not in anger, but of the Lord. And then to the children to understand that the instruction and discipline of the father are of the Lord and they should obey in the Lord. These work together and both are responsible in making them work together.

I feel as though there is one-sided approaches to fathers and children. And those one-sided approaches are seen in perspective. Fathers see disobeying children and children see angry, overbearing fathers. And where perspective is important, it is also important to see things from the other’s perspective to get a sense of where the actions are coming from.

Children, we have to see that fathers are doing what they understand to be in the best interest of us. Fathers want us to be independent and successful. Do they get it right all the time, NO. Are all fathers raising us “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”, NO. Yet, generally, fathers are acting in the way they know how. It is our role to ensure that we are obeying them “in the Lord”. We are to be following the teaching of the Lord and finding His instruction in that from our fathers.

Fathers, we have to see that children are doing what they understand to be in the best interest of us. Children look up to us to be the example of what right looks like in the world. Do they get it right all the time, NO. Are all children obeying “in the Lord”, NO. Yet, generally, children are seeking to understand the fathers instruction. It is our role to ensure that we are disciplining and instructing in the way “of the Lord”. We are to follow the teaching of the Lord and finding His obedience in our children.

Notice in the above that it is our responsibility to study and learn from the Lord what is right, regardless of which side we are on. Some of us are on both sides, fathers and children. And for us, we have double work to do, instruct “of the Lord” and obey “in the Lord”. Either way each is “the Lord” where we are to find that which is right and honorable.

Where are you looking for the example? Are you fully looking to your father or children here in this world? What if you were to look for the example of/in the Lord and applied His teachings to here in this world?

You and I have the Same Father

This is where I land this morning as I read and study God’s Word. We are of the same Father. We are together in Christ and in the same household. We are adopted brothers and sisters.

“¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…¹⁸For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” — Ephesians 2:13-14 & 18-19 (ESV)

It matters not where we come from, we are all going to the same place. We all have the love of Christ to lean on and use as our comfort and guidance. We all have the same opportunities as we come from the same household and have the same Father, our LORD, Christ.

How did/do we get here you ask? Well it is simple. We all have to accept the salvation provided by Christ thanks to His death on the cross for all of our sins. Yes, all of our sins. He did not do it for Himself as a show of see me. He did it so that we would not have to. He died of the persecution for our sins so that we would be able to move forward and spread the gospel knowing that we are no longer slaves to our sins. We have been forgiven and are able to move forward with the comfort of knowing that we are free.

I and you are brothers and sisters in Christ thanks to the one act of Christ and our acceptance of His act as being for us. And now we are of the same lineage and of the same life opportunities and are heirs to the kingdom of God, together, meaning that we have the same Father in heaven.

What is your thought on your lineage with me? Are you separate as you are somehow separated and don’t know me? What if you saw us as brothers and sisters thanks to the salvation provided by our Father through our brother Jesus Christ?

Our Father Rescues Us From Slavery In This World

“¹I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ²but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.” – Galatians 4:1-2 (ESV)

In the verses above, we can see that until the day we are counted as men we are slaves to the needs of the family. I know that I would use this verse with my boys often to let them know that they are to do as they are told and will not be “given” anything for doing so. Then as they grew up into their teenage years, they would be asked to help out as they had moved to the next phase. And now as they are into their 20s, they are the ones asking if they can help out as they have reached that point of now caring for themselves. This may seem counter to the societal norms, but it is certainly in line with biblical norms.

Now, let’s look at how this translates into this world and our movement in it. We are young in life and are driven by what the world tells us. We are to do that which is in line with the world, as we know no better and are in need of guidance and structure to move forward. Then we have the opportunity to accept Christ as our savior and we are asked by Him to do the work in spreading the gospel. As we grow in our faith and understanding of the Word of God, we move to a point of asking God for more opportunities and at this point we are now caring for ourselves in the order of biblical norms.

We have accepted God as our Father and He has accepted us as His children. In doing so, we have been made heirs to the throne of God and are no longer slaves to this world.

“⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” – Galatians 4:6-7 (ESV)

And there we have it. God rescues us from this world and the slave that we are to it. We are accepted into His family as adopted sons and daughters. We are granted all of the greatness that comes with the family crest. We are now set to grow and know the family business and take on more and more responsibility which leads to our receipt of all that comes with the glory in heaven.

What is your view of how your father rescues you? Are you looking for independence and cannot imagine being told what to do? What if you were to accept the Father, allowing yourself to be told, then asked, then you offer to do the work of the family as you have been rescued from this world and accepted into the Kingdom of God?

The LORD will be Father to You

I am reading this morning in 2 Corinthians and Paul is telling the church that the LORD will be a father to those who separate themselves from the unbelievers. He is pointing out that as a member of the Temple of the Living God, we are to not be in constant fellowship with those that are not members. Paul brings his point home by citing from Leviticus, the third book in the bible and well before Jesus came and gave us the new covenant.

“¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

¹⁷Therefore go out from their midst,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

then I will welcome you,

¹⁸and I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.’”

— 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (ESV)

The plan of the LORD all along is to be a father to us. This is not something new that just popped up and is the way things are to get you to follow Him. It was from the beginning, the plan, again demonstrating that God has already thought it all through and that we are to trust Him in all things. They may not happen right now, but they will happen and we should be prepared for them and not surprised when they occur.

Our Father is just that and you can see in the passage above that He is not just our Father, but He declares that we are to be His “sons and daughters”. He claims me as His own and all I have to do is accept Him.

Father, thank you for claiming me. Thank you for offering yourself to me. Thank you for showing me the way to you and that you are there waiting for me with open arms. Thank you for giving me the gift of salvation, I ACCEPT!!!

What is your view of the LORD? Are you seeing Him only as a/the supreme being He is? What if you were to accept Him as LORD and your Father?

Earthly Fathers in Christ

“¹⁴I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. ¹⁵For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” – 1 Corinthians 4:14-15 (ESV)

See the writing of Paul to the Church at Corinth. He is letting them know that he is their father in Christ here in this world.

We all have those earthly fathers in Christ that can guide us when we are in need. This father may be our birth fathers or could be a surrogate much like Paul was to the Corinthians. This father is not a/the replacement for God the Father, rather he is someone who is there in the flesh to stand with you as you petition God the Father.

Even as God the Father is with me always, I am still human and find comfort in having someone physically available to walk with. It is a less than fulfilling to be alone, even alone in Christ. Yes, He fulfills my every need, yet there is something to having someone that will stand with me so that when I am not hearing the Father, I can hear my father who may be hearing from God the Father with/for me.

Paul was not the lord over the people and that he made very clear. He was an earthly father/teacher in the name of Christ to the people. He was the voice of Christ to the authority to speak the gospel to them all the while giving us the example of how to approach the gospel ourselves. We are to stand to the gospel yes, yet we are to stand in peace as Paul did and accept the punishment of man for the upholding of the law of God.

“¹⁶I urge you, then, be imitators of me. ¹⁷That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.” – 1 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV)

I am reminded of a quick little video I saw once as relates to being an imitator of the father. In the video, there was a man walking through a restaurant. The man was dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase. Now that may not seem too unique, only as you looked behind the man, there was a small boy walking behind him. The boy was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. Cute right? Looking at the video, I see the boy imitating his father. He may not have known all that there was to the goings on in the moment, yet he was being like his father, knowing that dad was doing something and he wanted to do it also.

We need to have that father to look to as an example to do something. We have to be careful as to who we look to, although a great place to find one is in the presence of God the Father. There are earthly fathers out there for each of us to lean on. Yes, God the Father is where we look for true guidance, but there are times when we may not hear Him and need someone next to us to relay the message coming from Him.

Who is your earthly father? Are you out there trying to go it alone? What if you were to seek out an earthly father in Christ to stand with you as you petition God the Father?

Bring You to the Father

I believe that there is a thought in this world that everyone can come to the Father. That somehow just by existing, you are available to be added to the flock of Christ. That the Father accepts you just as you are. Well, keep thinking that for sure as it is true.

You see, the Father accepts YOU just as YOU are. You do not have to be of a certain lineage. You do not have to be of a certain “religion”. You do not have to attend the “right” church. The Father accepts you just as you are.

“¹¹He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,” – Romans 4:11 (ESV)

As noticed in the verse above referring to Abraham. Abraham is the father of all nations. Not just the nations of God, but all nations, and he was counted as righteous. Now for some additional context, it was the circumcised who were considered the more righteous and of the “right” lineage to be children of God. And yet, God chose an uncircumcised to be counted as the father of all nations. He, Abraham, was righteous prior to being circumcised and was still accepted and counted as God’s child.

“¹²and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” – Romans 4:12 (ESV)

We are much the same as Abraham in that we are accepted in our current state, regardless of what that state may be. We will then be molded into what God would have of us as we continue to progress in His will.

I, and you, are to come to the Father just as we are and accept the gift of salvation He has for us. Notice, it is a gift and the only thing we have to do is accept the gift. Now, there is more to it than just acceptance, there is the following of His will and spreading of the gospel to those we come in contact with, but to be a recognized child of God, we only need to accept. We come to the Father just as we are. We are accepted and transformed. God only wants us, He purifies us by doing away with all of that which does not go to the advancement of His Word. We are only to bring us and accept the rest from Him.

What is your thought on how you can come to the Father? Are you of the impression that you have to do or be something special? What if you were just to come to Him just as you are and accept the gift of salvation to be transformed by Him?

Sent By The Father

This morning as I was reading and studying my bible I was reminded that it is the Father, God, LORD, who sends me out. I know what we may be thinking, and frankly when you read, it was Jesus who sent the disciples and by extension, us out to spread the gospel. And where that is true, I have to remember that Jesus is LORD and God and Father.

“²¹Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” – John 20:21 (ESV)

Here in this passage it was indeed Jesus. But look closely at the above verse and see how, when we know that Jesus is the Father, it is stated, “As the Father…I am sending you.” Oh how my conscious view changes.

Even in the secular and societal world, when someone is given a directive from an authority to send or have someone do something, they are doing so as if the authority itself sent and has them do. Now I am not comparing the secular and societal world to God the Father and His direction, but I am showing the parallel that can be drawn.

I am sent by God the Father to do His will. I was given the directive from Jesus, who is the Father as part of the trinity with the Holy Spirit as well. In fact, as you look into the next verse in the passage, Jesus directly extends the Holy Spirit to the disciples as He does for each of us as well.

“²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” – John 20:22 (ESV)

I see this verse and recall that our Father would send the helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with us. Jesus is in the Father and the Holy Spirit is in Jesus whom He shares with the disciples, you, and me.

Jesus said the words sending me and breathed the Holy Spirit onto me, not as an act of a messenger, but as the Father. The Father is sending me out to do His will and spread the Good News.

Who is sending you? Are you caught up in the words and who they are delivered by? What if you accepted that the words were given by Jesus, but as the Father, He is sending you?

Our Father, Ruler Over Me

Who is the ruler over you? There are a lot of competing forces in this world and each of them are trying to “earn” your allegiance only to rule over you once it has been given to them. I think it is interesting that “rulers” in this world gain your allegiance with promises of gain, only to turn and then expect blind following as they use that allegiance against you.

God is not that type of ruler. First of all, He does not work to “earn” my allegiance. Yes, He sent His son Jesus to die for my sins, but, He only loves me and He gives me salvation and is fully transparent in everything. He does not make promises for tomorrow, only that tomorrow will take care of itself. He does not ask for anything from me, other than love and obedience to His will. He does not ask me to go against authorities of this world, only that when the laws of man do not align with His laws, I should follow His law and accept the consequences of this world.

I have Jesus as my example of what right looks like and follow His example as I traverse this world. Jesus understood that the rulers of this world did not rule over Him. He followed the law of man when it did not conflict with the law of the Father and when it did, He accepted all that was the result of going against it. Jesus made it clear that this world and the rulers in it were not the rulers of Him.

“³⁰I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, ³¹but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” – John 14:30-31 (ESV)

As a child of the Father, I too am ruled by Him. There is no claim of “ownership” of me from the rulers of this world. I have given myself to the Father and allow Him to rule over me.

I just chuckled as I was thinking of the last sentence above. I allow the Father to rule over me and yet, I do not feel as though He has His thumb on me in doing so. I have free will. I have free thought. I have contentment. I do not need for anything. Yes, I do have my hands out to Him, but I am only asking for love and comfort and direction, not hand outs. I look to Him for guidance and direction, not for Him to fix it all to my liking. The Father is all things to all people, unlike rulers of this world, who are all things to themselves.

I allow the Father to rule over me because of the personal relationship I have with Him. Jesus had the same type of relationship with the Father and as He is my example, if it is good for Jesus, my brother, then it is good for me.

What is your relationship with rulers? Are you slaves to the rulers of this world and looking for something from them that may never come? What if you approached it as Jesus, knowing that the rulers of this world have no claim on you and that the Father is the one to be your ruler?

Come/Go to the Father

It is not enough that we exist in this world. We are to be going forward, or we might as well be going backward. Where better to be going that to the Father. Our Father is our comforter, protector, guidance counselor, and confidant. And how do I get to Him? Well I have to come/go to the Father through Jesus, the Son.

“⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (ESV)

Thomas asks a similar question to which we can see the response from Jesus above. How do we get to the Father, through Jesus. Jesus was sent to this world to be God in human form. He is the Father for me to see and interact with. I should be taking Him at this and not looking for some other way. There is only the one way to get to the Father and that is through the Son.

Before Jesus, to get to God, we went through the priest. As good as that was, and yes, there were good God fearing priests, they were not always on my side or frankly the side of God. They were on their own side as in order to gain access to God, there was a “need” to provide more and more to the priest.

With Jesus, the only thing asked of me is that I accept the gift of salvation, accept that He died for my sins, and accept that He is LORD. Yes, that is it, there are no other ways to gain more access. There are not any monetary considerations. There is only the acceptance of Him as LORD and as he says, He is the Father.

“⁸Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ ⁹Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.’” – John 14:8-11 (ESV)

I have to come/go to the Father from this world and the way to Him is through the Son. I have to know that when I am with the Son, I am with the Father also.

What does your path to the Father look like? Are you trying to get there through some monetary means? What if you came/went to the Father through the Son by accepting His offer of salvation and accepting that He is LORD?

Jesus and The Father

“³⁰I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30 (ESV)

The words of Jesus that I believe.

We might dismiss the unity of Jesus and the Father. Jesus was man in this world walking with us and experiencing all that we experience. God is the almighty being that was larger than man. How could they be unified, much less the same?

I will admit to thinking the same things as I go through this world. And then I read passages in God’s Word that remind me of their unity and sameness. Jesus makes it clear that His followers know Him at the sound of His voice. We know God by the sound of His voice. I am a follower of Jesus and therefore am a follower of God and know the sound of His voice, which is the same.

I know, that seems a bit of a rounder that may not make sense to some. Let me try something else. Ever notice how a child just knows the sound of their parents voice. When mom or dad cries out for them, they know and will come running. Well, God is our Father and when He calls out, we know and come running. When Jesus calls out, we hear the same voice, we know and come running.

When God did miraculous things in the world, the world understood them to be from God and would worship and glorify Him as a result. Yet, when Jesus did the miraculous, he was looked upon as somehow appropriating the works of God. But, if Jesus was doing the same miraculous works that God was doing, how is it that He was appropriating, wouldn’t He be acting as God in those situations?

“³⁷If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; ³⁸but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” – John 10:37-38 (ESV)

Jesus points out that even if He is not believed to be the Son of God, we still must believe the works that He is performing as those coming from God. As they are coming from God, then He must be of God and therefor He and God are unified and as we know it, they are one.

I have to remember that Jesus is the human form of God. He was here in this world to experience it and demonstrate to us that all that is known can be acted on, even those things that are hard. Jesus did not have it easy in this world, he experienced loss, persecution, He was doubted, He got by being content with what was available. And yet, with all that seemed to be against Him, He continued doing the work of the Father here in this world for all of us to witness and behold. He and the Father are one.

What is your view of Jesus in this world? Are you looking to Him as some figure of the church or a figment of the stories? What if you did see the work He did as that of and from God and saw that He indeed was only doing as a result of being one with God?