Having A Divine Father

Having A Divine Father

Welcome to Bringing Discipleship Home from Cross Waves Church, where we teach you how to disciple others from your home.

Fathering a child is easy but being a dad can truly impact a child for a lifetime. Our culture tries to devalue the importance of dads in raising children.

We can spend a lot of time talking about the importance of dads, but today, I want to talk about the importance of our heavenly Father. Our heavenly Father should shape our character and how we see ourselves.

There is a simple story about Jesus when He was twelve years old. His parents and family would go to Jerusalem every year for Passover. This particular year after the celebration, the family headed home to Nazareth, and on the way, they realized that Jesus was missing. They had lost the son of God! Oops!

So, they head back to Jerusalem to find Him. It took a total of three days, but they finally discovered Jesus in the Temple sitting among some religious teachers. Jesus was dialoguing with them and these educated men were astounded at Jesus and His understanding.

Mom and dad were angry, and they asked Jesus why He stayed behind in Jerusalem? Jesus innocently stated, “didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49 NLT)

This story helps us understand that even at twelve years old Jesus understood that He was the Son of God – the Messiah! Jesus knew He had a unique relationship with God the Father. Talking about God as Father was extremely radical to the Jews.

For instance, in the Old Testament’s thirty-nine books, God is only referred to as Father fourteen times—and then the references are very impersonal. In those fourteen references “Father” is always used in reference to the nation, not to individuals. The Bible refers to God as Abraham’s Father, but Abraham never spoke of God as “my Father.”

However, Jesus knew He had a far different relationship with His heavenly Father than anyone else. Every time that Jesus prayed, He addressed God as Father. In the Gospels, we read that Jesus referred to God more than sixty times as Father.

Because Jesus completely understood this truth at the age of twelve, He developed perfectly. Because of this unique relationship with God the Father, Jesus developed unique relationships with others.

We read in Luke 2:52, “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” (NLT)

What makes this story so personal for us is that if you are a Christ follower, then you have entered that favored relationship of having a divine heavenly Father. The apostle John said, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children.” (1 John 3:2) Let that sink in, we are God’s children. He is our dad!

When Jesus was teaching us how to pray in Luke 11:2, He said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy.” (NLT) We are to call God, Father.

The awareness of Jesus that God was His heavenly Father shaped everything that He did as He walked this earth. Knowing that God is our heavenly father, should also shape our attitudes and actions while we walk on the earth.

The more we let our heavenly Father shape us, the more we will grow in favor with both God and other people that we come in contact within our daily encounters.

So, as you enter this day, do you really understand whose child you are? Do you really know your heavenly Father? Are you embracing your heavenly Father’s character?

Never forget that you are a child of God; now go do your Father’s business.

Today’s Discipleship Tip: 
Never forget that you are a child of God; now go do your Father’s business.

Key Verse:  
But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:49 NLT  

Bible Reading For the Day:
Luke 2:41–52

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