Firm Foundation: Part 3

I Believe in God the Father...

So, who is God? Scripture teaches us that He is the Father. God the Father. God OUR Father. God the Father of Jesus Christ. God who is self-sufficient and needful of nothing. Being our Father, God has rights and obligations He mercifully provides as He watches over His children – to lead us, to guide us, to discipline us, to help us, to protect us. He has the right and obligation to provide for us, to help us, to strengthen us, to feed us, to clothe us, to make a way for us, to forge a path for us, and more. God the Father pours out His unconditional love upon His children; He helps us grow and learn and gain wisdom. The Father prepares an inheritance for his children, makes a way for us to carry on the family name, to reproduce godliness in generation after generation of children who He will claim as His heritage. Oh … the list could go on!

The Scriptures give us tremendous insight into the personal way our God relates to His children.

We believe in God, the Father. When Jesus began teaching his disciples how to relate to God, he referred to God with the word “abba” or “father.” More literally, “abba” is like our words “dad” or “daddy.” The concept of God as Father wasn’t new to the people of Jesus’ day, but also it certainly wasn’t the dominant way people referred to God. But Jesus came to show us what the one true God is like: a loving Father to dependent children.

When we declare that we believe in God the Father, we affirm our position in His family as His son or daughter. Let’s go to Him as a child goes to their father, dependent upon him for everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

He’s our Provider. He’s our Protector. He’s our Guide and Leader. He’s our Counselor. He’s our Healer. He’s our Comforter. He’s our Salvation. He's our Everything!

Yes!  God the Father is all of that and so much more and He takes His position as Father very seriously. Let’s be sure to take our position as His children just as seriously!