The Character of Abba Father’s Heart – Love’s Perfect Picture

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“Where in the Bible is the actual word love found for the first time?” I guess I hadn’t ever thought of that question until a friend asked me? He had attended a powerful Easter service and the pastor had addressed this topic. So now I am asking you, “Where do you think the word love is used in the Bible first?” Don’t be tempted to read ahead, but rather start with a mental search through the beginning chapters of the book of Genesis. Did you guess God’s interaction with Adam and Eve? Surely you find it there with the creation of man and woman? Nope, keep going! Noah and God’s salvation story with the ark? Sorry, not there either. Maybe when God called Abram to be the Father of all Nations in Genesis 12? You’re getting close but not quite. You have to journey all the way to Genesis 22:2 to find the word love for the first time:

“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah (present day Jerusalem). Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” 

Are you as blown away as I was when my friend pointed this out to me? God kept the word love sacred until the perfect time to unleash it in this story of amazing sacrificial love. As I went back and read through Genesis 22 the picture of a father’s love for his son, a son’s love for his father and Abraham’s amazing love for God gripped me. Here you have a triad of love that goes beyond what my puny mind can conceive.

This amazing and well-known story in Scripture is a divine set up that Father God wanted His children to ponder for centuries. A painful text that always begs the question in my heart could I have done this if I was Abraham? I freaked out when I lost my son in the parking lot of Sea Word (Blog Post March 17), my only son whom I love so much, I can’t even think about doing what God called Abraham to do. But Abraham loved God and believed God would provide another sacrifice some how, some way, and he obeyed (vs. 8). And as you may recall just as Abraham was ready to give up his “only son,” whom he loved dearly, a voice from heaven stopped him and provided a perfect lamb as a substitute for Isaac (vs. 10-13).

Fast-forward 2000 years and the story of Abraham and Isaac resembles another story of a Father who loved us so much that He was willing to give up His “only Son,” (John 3:16). The authentic love and genuine heart of God the Father demonstrated a love beyond human vocabulary. It can be best demonstrated on Mount Moriah where Abba Father did not intervene and allowed His perfect, beloved Son whom he loved for all eternity, to die as our substitute for every doubt, fear, lie, broken promise and ugly, awful sin you and I have ever committed.

As I pondered Genesis 22 this week I was excited to share this with you. God set it up so that the first place the word love was used in the Bible was between a father and a son and this earthly father was willing but was stopped from thrusting the knife into the heart of his “only son.” But our Abba loved each of us so much that he allowed nails to pierce His precious perfect son’s hands, he allowed his son’s feet to be imprisoned on a cruel cross in order to liberate my hands and feet so that we can run into His forever arms of love. The Father has given us the greatest of all pictures of sacrificial love on Mount Moriah! And he calls us to receive this love and experience eternal life which is to know the Father and the love given through Jesus’ His son (John 17:3).

The passion for Oceans Ministries is to make the love of the Father known I can’t help but see how this is the heart beat of our Father God. Here is a prayer that Jesus prayed for us, keeps praying for us, and He invites us to join Him in this prayer:

“Father…I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:25-26).

The Character of Abba Father’s Heart – Love One Another

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A high school teacher who also happened to be my football coached invited our family to join him at a Maundy Thursday service. The church was located in a strip mall in a renovated movie theater. As we walked toward the church we passed several people heading to the bank, restaurants and a liquor store located right next to the church entrance.

We hurried through the doors to escape the unexpected heavy spring snow fall – yes, snow! We all could sense something special going on as we found seats in the front row next to my coach and his wife. We immediately noticed the church was filled with an amazing diverse group of races, ages, and back grounds.

In our seats we were greeted by those around us who made us feel welcome as if we were part of their family. My daughter Anna leaned over and asked me what does “Maundy” mean? I paused, and I hated to admit it but said, “I know it comes from the Latin and pertains to the Last Supper but that’s all I got.” A few minutes later I was bailed out by the pastor who explained that the word is indeed derived from Latin and means “new commandment,” the command of the Last Supper:

“A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34–35

For the next hour we experienced the powerful love of God as John 13 was read, songs were sung, and we ate and drank from the body and blood of Jesus Christ at the communion table. Toward the end of the service we sang the old spiritual:

“We are one in the spirit, we are one in the Lord… and they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they will know we are Christians by our love.”

I stopped singing and I took in the miracle of the Father’s love. We live in a world torn apart by hatred and racial tension and yet in this room are people from every tribe and nation united around the precious gift of the Father’s love through the death of His only Son. This brought to mind Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21: “that all of them may be one. Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Thursday night my faith was recharged as I saw the gift of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’s love do the impossible and unite a diverse group of people into one family. How telling that Jesus said that the world will know Him and the Father by how we “love one another.” This is often easier said than done.

We left the church service in silence, challenged to ponder the gift of the Father’s love that would be remembered the next day as Jesus took on the Father’s judgment for our sins. Once again we passed the liquor store, various restaurants, and the bank to get into our car, as we did I thought about the fragrance of the Father’s love that we can each bring to our community. Truly we are all called to make every day Maundy Thursday and love one another as the Father has loved us!

The Character of Abba Father’s Heart – A Loving Home

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“Welcome home Pastor Tim.” Recently I heard these words during a worship service at a former church I pastored. Even though it has been a while since I lived in that city and currently call Colorado “home”, I must admit that I felt right at home on that day and at that moment. Truly the reason I felt at home was not due to the city or building, rather it was the spirit of love that filled the hearts of the people. I would have to say that Love = Home.

That is exactly what Jesus taught in John 14-17. In these chapters he shows us exactly where our home is found. “Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him,” (John 14:23). Jesus’ mission was to bring us back home where the Father’s love makes us feel loved and welcomed. And this “home of unconditional love” is way better than any house you have ever lived in, that is because this home is right in your heart. Take a moment and think about that, wherever you go, the God of the universe goes right with you as His home is in your heart!

In a few days we will celebrate Good Friday and Resurrection Day; this is where Jesus opens the door for the Father’s love through His death on the cross and we are recipients of that sacrifice. Ponder the fact that Christ’s blood was poured out over the door frame of your heart to allow the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to invade every part of your being. Now that is quite a home!

As you celebrate the day when the Father resurrected His Son from the grave in order to bring Him home to His Heavenly Kingdom, believe that the Father greets you with a loving “Welcome home!” May your spirit run into the Father’s loving arms with great joy and thanksgiving shouting out, “I’m Home!”

Here is a word of encouragement from a brother who read last week’s blog and took the challenge to study John 14-17. He says, “Encourage people to read this section of scripture as if they were reading it for the first time, disregarding any traditions or theology that they have been taught, and just let it speak to them. Powerful stuff…”.

May you know this week the Father’s great love for you and that He dwells within your heart!

The Character of Abba Father’s Heart – Loving

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Understanding our Father’s heart means we are not afraid to be totally dependent upon our Abba, we trust him as a child trusts his daddy. Perhaps as a child you learned this timeless song at church. It goes like this: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so; little ones to Him belong, they are week but He is strong….”

I’d like to take the liberty to change a few words of this great song to: “The Father loves me this I know, for the Lord Jesus tells me so…yes the Father love me, yes the Father loves me, yes the Father loves me, for Jesus tells me so.”

In the beginning man was created in a perfect relationship with God the Father, however, that was distorted in the Garden of Eden when man chose life apart from God. This caused things to go in a different direction and left a huge vacuum in human hearts. And that vacuum is waiting to be filled by the Father’s love, a love that is true and complete.

The Father’s plan was to reintroduce Himself and His great love for his children through His only Son Jesus. Jesus said again and again that He came to reveal the Father, “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” John 14:9. Truly the words of the “new song” are one of the greatest theological truths of the Bible. Jesus came into this world to reveal the love of his Father (John 3:16).

I would be so bold to say every major man-made crisis in our world (Isis, terrorism, corruption in governments, addictions, prisoners, the breakdown of families, etc.) can be linked to the lack of comprehension of God’s great love. When we try to live apart from His love we are driven by fear and insecurity, which leads to internal and external chaos.

The Character of Abba Father’s heart flows from His eternal heart of love for His children. As John says “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we can be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). Jesus came to show us the “lavish” love of a Good Father God.

I want to challenge you to join me this week in reading John 14-17 each day and underline the word Father each time it is used by Jesus. I also want to challenge you to join me in singing the words to the familiar song! “Yes, the Father loves me; Yes, the Father loves me, for Jesus tells me so…. May you know God’s great love for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Character of Abba Father’s Heart – Becoming a Child Again

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“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 18:3.

Sea World has always been one of my favorite amusement parks to visit. Yet, the time we ventured to this well known tourist spot in San Diego with extended family and 18 month old TJ is definitely the most memorable. Upon arrival my wife Patty and I loaded up the stroller with the diaper bag, snacks, sunscreen, blankets and all the other stuff needed for a fun filled day! We quickly asked, well probably more accurately told the family to go ahead and push TJ in the stroller to Shamu Stadium and we would meet them there.With passes in hand Patty and I darted through the gate and parted ways. We were hopeful we could get my nephew to be a volunteer for one of the shows, he was in remission for leukemia so we were sure we could make it happen! As the rest of the family walked up to Shamu Stadium immediately I knew something was terribly wrong. There was no stroller and no TJ! In a panic I asked where TJ was, the blank looks on their faces stated the obvious. Somehow in the excitement of getting into the park TJ had been left in the stroller in the parking lot!

I took off sprinting, running the fastest mile of my life. I plowed through the crowds and jumped over benches, filled with adrenaline I leaped the turn stall at the entrance and just outside I saw a police officer with my son. I cannot tell you the relief, joy, and pain I felt as I pulled TJ out of the stroller and held him as tightly. Yes, I had a lot of explaining to do, but thankfully the officer believed me. That day at Sea World was tainted as I thought about what it must have been like for TJ left all alone. Was he crying, was he scared, did he think we had abandoned him?

That day is imprinted in my mind as just writing about it brings up some of the same emotions that I experienced 18 years ago. And it also helps me understand just a little about the heart of Abba Father for His children. We are spiritually helpless 18 month old toddlers, lost in the midst of a scary world. And we are not capable of saving ourselves. When Jesus says “whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the Kingdom,” he means that we come to see ourselves as helpless children totally dependent on a loving Father to come to our rescue and bring us back to our true family.

As I ran passionately to find my lost son, how much more does our Abba Father run for His lost children who He created out of a heart of absolute love. In the next several weeks we will look at what this running Abba Father’s heart looks like. It is a loving, holy, forgiving, intimate, empowering, supportive, generous, concerned, faithful, & joyful heart.  

The greatest way to prepare our hearts to encounter our Abba Father is to become totally dependent children again. Yes, this is counter culture for us but unless we understand our absolute neediness we will miss the full embrace of the Father’s arms of love rescuing us out of our lost, lonely existence.  You and I were created to know Abba Father’s heart and to do so is to become a child again.

Pray this prayer with me: Abba Father help me know how lost I am without you. Let me see myself as a needy, dependent child, who needs his Father to rescue him from sin, fear, isolation, loneliness, and the lies of the world. Daddy God, I cry out to you today please come find me! I need you more than anyone or anything in this world. Your child, Amen!