child/CHīld/
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He came to his own people, but they didn't want him.But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, he made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. John 1:12 MSG
A lot of people are screwed up. I was going to start this post by saying "think back to what it was like being a child". Sadly, not everyone gets the kind of childhood they should have, so thinking back to that wouldn't be helpful at all. Even painful. It is not fair.
One of my primary revelations is of God's love for me as Father God, some translations of the bible use the phrase "Abba" Father, this is a Greek word literally meaning a more familiar name for a father such as "Papa" or even "Daddy". My revelation comes through my childhood, I had a pretty good one. My Mum and Dad are brilliant, I know I was and am loved as their daughter and I have never had any reason to doubt that. They are each other's first spouses and they are still together, which seems rare these days. My Dad, although he sometimes had to work long hours was always present. He built my sister and I a big wooden slide when we were very little, we used to polish it to make it go faster! When we were older he built us a den with swings on the side and a rope ladder to climb up into it to share with our little brother. My first memory of having a grown up conversation was with my Dad, and one of my favourite wedding photos is of him helping me out of the car when we got to church. Basicly I am a 'Daddy's girl' at heart.
A couple of years ago God pointed all this out to me. When I talk about God speaking to me, please understand, I don't hear an audible voice, the only way I can think of to explain it is that I have thoughts that I didn't think. Anyway, God asked me if I thought my Dad loved me, possibly the easiest question I have ever been asked. Of course he does! God pointed me towards these verses:
Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need...
One of my primary revelations is of God's love for me as Father God, some translations of the bible use the phrase "Abba" Father, this is a Greek word literally meaning a more familiar name for a father such as "Papa" or even "Daddy". My revelation comes through my childhood, I had a pretty good one. My Mum and Dad are brilliant, I know I was and am loved as their daughter and I have never had any reason to doubt that. They are each other's first spouses and they are still together, which seems rare these days. My Dad, although he sometimes had to work long hours was always present. He built my sister and I a big wooden slide when we were very little, we used to polish it to make it go faster! When we were older he built us a den with swings on the side and a rope ladder to climb up into it to share with our little brother. My first memory of having a grown up conversation was with my Dad, and one of my favourite wedding photos is of him helping me out of the car when we got to church. Basicly I am a 'Daddy's girl' at heart.
A couple of years ago God pointed all this out to me. When I talk about God speaking to me, please understand, I don't hear an audible voice, the only way I can think of to explain it is that I have thoughts that I didn't think. Anyway, God asked me if I thought my Dad loved me, possibly the easiest question I have ever been asked. Of course he does! God pointed me towards these verses:
Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your children. So don't you think the God who concieved you in love will be even better? Matthew 7:7-11 MSGMy Dad, although wonderful, is human. God isn't. He's God, the star-breather. I don't know what your experience of childhood was like, maybe it was good, maybe it wasn't. I'm here to tell you that our earthly fathers, even if they were brilliant, bear no comparison to our Heavenly Abba Father. I know for a fact that people's experiences growing up affect how they feel and act towards God. How can you trust a god who asks you to call him Father if your biological father abandoned or abused you? I believe the answer is through time, prayer, healing. You can be restored, it is possible.
Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need...
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exeeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes. Phillipians 4:19-20I'm not saying that if you ask him to win the lottery that your numbers will come up. Good parenting is not always about saying yes. God's answers I tend to find are one of three:
Yes
Not yet
I have a better idea
In order for us to get a 'yes' we need to be asking for something that will do us good, and that we're ready for. 'Not yet' means there's a journey to go on first. 'I have a better idea' is when it gets exciting!
I would urge you, spend some time with God, however you do that, pray, put worship music on, read the bible. Above all else, ask him what he wants to say to you right now.
This ressurection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us - an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him! Romans 8:15-17 MSG
I would urge you, spend some time with God, however you do that, pray, put worship music on, read the bible. Above all else, ask him what he wants to say to you right now.
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