Shofar Stellenbosch | Our FatherExemplo

Devotional: The Wholehearted Acceptance of Our Father

Some people think God is only sin-conscious or a doomsday God. But God always accepts us based on the finished work of Christ and He treats us as a new creation in Christ.

You must know that:

• God loves you – you are loved
• God accepts you – you are accepted in the beloved.
• God enjoys you – He loves to be around you.
• God affirms you – you are beautiful to Him.
• God has placed value on your life – you are worth something.
• God declares you to be competent through Jesus – you are not useless.

The message conveyed to children is that things are often more valuable than them or their relationships. Fathers will sometimes be away from home so much and then try to make up for it by buying their children things rather than spending valuable time with them. God’s purpose for every father is to play a vital role in shaping, developing and establishing the identity of his children. Unfortunately, we live in a broken world and come out of broken families. Our relationship with our earthly father will play a vital role in how we relate to God as our Father.

It is important that we know that our dads are not perfect and that in many cases they did not have good role models in their own fathers.

Testimony:

I once spoke to a student who seemed very angry with all people in authority. During the conversation, I prayed and trusted God to show me what the real problem was. The Lord showed me that the number seven was important. Then I saw a vision of an old man walking down a corridor with a pillow in his hands. This man entered a bedroom where a young boy was sleeping. He then proceeded to put the pillow over the boy’s face. When I shared this vision with the student, he started crying uncontrollably. He confessed that his dad tried to kill him when he was seven years old. God began to heal him and he went through a process of forgiving his dad. Today, this same student is a principal of a school. God truly wants to restore us!

Reflective questions:

1. Do you think there is anything you can do that will make God love and accept you more?
2. Describe the type of acceptance you experienced from your earthly dad.
3. Describe your dad’s relationship with his father.
4. Are there some things you have to forgive your dad for? If yes, ask the Lord how you can forgive and reconcile with him.