07/01

True Love of a Father

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

There is a word in the Hebrew that describes a deep love that is commonly translated as mercy or compassion. It is a word that comes from a root word for womb and it has been used to describe the strong love of a parent for a child. God compares His relationship to us as a Father. It is one of authority, but it is also a deep, strong love. If you are a father or a mother, you most likely know the deep love He describes.

God is our Father, but as His children, we turned away from Him. Jesus was a righteous son that God sent in order to die for us. As a Father who deeply loved us and His Son, God used Abraham to illustrate a father’s love that would go to the utmost extreme in sacrificing a child (Genesis 22). God provided a substitute for Isaac, representative of His own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was given so He could ransom His brothers and sisters back to the Father.

In Isaiah 52:10 (NIV), in consideration of the day when Jesus would die for us, God inspired Isaiah to write that it was God’s will to crush His own son and to make Him suffer, knowing there would be many that would be saved because of His sacrifice. The great love that God has for His Son Jesus is the same love that God has for us. In John 3:16 it gives us the reason why God would put Jesus to death – because of His love for us.

In Luke 15 Jesus gives us insight into how God feels about us. The parable is about a father with two sons. The younger son turns his back on his father and leaves home. The father watches intently for his son to return. When the father sees a glimpse of his son from a distance, the father runs to meet his son and kisses him. He received his son back in the family and throws a party so everyone can welcome him home. God’s love is not just for our salvation, but also for everyday life.

Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not with Him also freely give us all things?” If God loved us enough to provide our salvation through Jesus Christ, then surely He loves us enough to do whatever He can to have a relationship with us today. Certainly He loves us enough to meet our needs today, whatever they might be. Undoubtedly He loves us enough to give us the confidence and power to overcome whatever we may face.

Application: In Ephesians 3 Paul prayed that believers would be able to comprehend God’s love for them. Pray that prayer for yourself and the people in your life, believing that we will all grow in His love.

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