Father's Love Letter

My Child…

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. (Psalm 139:1) I know when you sit down and when you rise up. (Psalm 139:2) I am familiar with all your ways. (Psalm 139:3) Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-31) For you were made in my image. (Genesis 1:27) 

In me you live and move and have your being. (Acts 17:28) For you are my offspring. (Acts 17:28) I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5) I chose you when I planned creation. (Ephesians 1:11-12) You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. (Psalm 139:15-16) I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. (Acts 17:26) You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) I knit you together in your mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13) And brought you forth on the day you were born. (Psalm 71:6) 

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. (John 8:41-44) I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. (1 John 4:16) And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. (1 John 3:1) Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. (1 John 3:1) I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. (Matthew 7:11) For I am the perfect Father. (Matthew 5:48) Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. (James 1:17) For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. (Matthew 6:31-33) 

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. (Psalms 139:17-18) And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40) For you are my treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5) I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. (Jeremiah 32:41) And I want to show you great and marvelous things. (Jeremiah 33:3) 

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. (Deuteronomy 4:29) Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) For it is I who gave you those desires. (Philippians 2:13) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) For I am your greatest encourager. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. (Psalm 34:18) As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. (Isaiah 40:11) One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. (Revelation 21:3-4) And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. (Revelation 21:3-4) 

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. (John 17:23) For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. (John 17:26) He is the exact representation of my being. (Hebrews 1:3) He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. (Romans 8:31) And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. (1 John 4:10) I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. (Romans 8:31-32) 

If you receive the gift of my son, Jesus, you receive me. (1 John 2:23) And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. (Romans 8:38-39) Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. (Luke 15:7) 

I have always been Father and will always be Father. (Ephesians 3:14-15) My question is…will you be my child? (John 1:12-13) I am waiting for you. (Luke 15:11-32)

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Text: http://www.fathersloveletter.com
Image: Google Images

Pentecost

Today we celebrated Pentecost - the birthday of the Church of Jesus Christ.  


In the book of Acts we read about the Holy Spirit coming on the disciples - and they began speaking in other languages.


People from all over the world were in Jerusalem for the holiday, and they recognised their languages.  The Holy Spirit blessed them all, no matter where they were from.  Jews by birth, converts, descendants of exiles, and presumably traders and travellers.


The blessings of God are for all of us.  Jesus once said that God makes the rain shine on the righteous and the unrighteous.  Where I live rain is a bad thing!  But in the middle east it's a blessing.


Because of Jesus we can all be forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit by faith.  No matter who we are, the Holy Spirit says that worldly distinctions - race, gender, social status, sexual orientation, marital status - none of that matters in the Church.  Jesus is for us all.


If anyone tells you anything else - they're wrong.


Image: Google Images

He is Risen!

Happy Easter!


Today is Easter Sunday - the day we remember Jesus resurrection.  


This was what persuaded me Jesus is who he says he is.  Whatever you make of Jesus you have to take seriously the resurrection narrative.  That was the turning point in the Christian story.  The one thing all the ancient evidence agrees on is that Jesus dies on Friday, was buried and the tomb was found empty on Sunday.


If Jesus is still dead, Christianity is a fraud.  But if he really did rise from the dead, then that changes everything.


There are broadly three options, and I know this is a gross simplification. 


1. Jesus enemies took the body
This is the least credible option.  They would simply have produced it to quash resurrection claims.  It also fails to account for the conversion of Paul a few years later.


2.  Jesus friends moved the body
This explanation fails on several counts.  The disciples were scared, scattered and wondering if they would be next.  Why didn't the burial site become a shrine?  What would explain the change in the disciples from terrified wimps to courageous proclaimers of the Gospel?  What would account for James, Jesus brother, converting?  


Above all, why were the followers of Jesus all willing to die for what they knew was a lie.  While people often die for what they believe, they do not die for what they know for sure is a lie.


3.  Jesus really did rise from the dead
This is the only explanation which accounts for all the facts.  Occam's Razor says that once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable must be the truth.


This explanation also explains why millions of people today claim to have met Jesus and been changed, healed and forgiven by him.  It explains my experience of him.


In the Bible God makes a promise.  In Jeremiah 29:13 God promises "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."  Jesus himself promised, "I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." (Revelation 3:20)


Why not take him at his word?

Jesus' Death

Good Friday.  The day Jesus died. The day Jesus was punished for the sins of the world - the day Jesus said he had come for.


I find it ironic that we call today good.  What Jesus did for us is good, but it is also a tragedy.  Jesus didn't deserve to be tried by a kangaroo court, tortured and brutally murdered.  That breaks my heart.  We often see the innocent suffer, and today we see that in Jesus own experience.  


When we remember who Jesus is, God in the flesh, this is all the more amazing.  Jesus allowed this to happen, because he knew that only in this way could justice and mercy be satisfied.  There's a song that is often sung at Easter called "In Christ Alone".  One verse says,


This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.


That is what Good Friday is about.  Because Jesus died, we can have eternal life.  It's ours for the asking.  All we have to do is receive it.


The disciples were left scattered on Friday, lost and in mourning they didn't yet understand what had happened.  But Jesus' death is not the end of the story.  Sunday is coming...


Image: Google Images

Good Friday

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

- Jesus in John 15:13

This coming Friday is Good Friday, the day when Christians all over the world remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Why is this day so important? Why was Jesus crucified? Who was really responsible? What does Jesus death mean for you?

At some points in history, and sadly, in some places today, Jews are known as "Christ-Killers". Let's dispel that myth right now - the Jews are not responsible for Jesus' death. Jesus came here knowing what would happen. He chose that path. The Bible says, "...it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins." (Isaiah 53:10-11)

Do you see it? Jesus' death was God's plan! And it was for our benefit. So how can anyone blame the Jews, or the Romans for that matter? So who was responsible? Well, look at what Jesus came to do. He came to bear all our sins. If we never sinned, Jesus wouldn't have had to die. So in a real way, we are all responsible for Jesus' death.

How does Jesus' death affect our sins? The Bible says that "everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard" (Romans 3:23). It also says that, "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Death in the Bible can mean:

• Separation of body and soul - i.e. physical death


• Separation of you from God - i.e. spiritual death

On the cross Jesus experienced both of these things. As well as physical death he was cut off from the Father for the first time ever. That's why, "...at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”" (Mark 15:34) Shortly after, he died.

When Jesus was on the cross, God punished him for all the wrong things you and I have ever done. That's what Christians mean when we say that Jesus died for you. But that wasn't the end of the story. On the following Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death itself, and offers each of us a fresh start with God.

It's easy to have this fresh start with God. The Bible says that, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). It's that simple. You could say a simple prayer to do this:

Jesus,

Thank you for dying for me on the cross to take the punishment I deserve. Please forgive me for all the wrong things I've ever done. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to live as you would have me live. I want to put you at the centre of my life from now on. I give you my heart, my life, and my future. From now on I'm trusting you with it all.

Amen

If you said that prayer, here's what Jesus promises you:

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith." (Romans 3:22-28)

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." (Romans 5:1-12)

This Easter, celebrate what Jesus has done for you! Give it all for the one who gave it all!

Image: Alberto Gomez/Google Images