Sunday 2 December 2012

Know Him as Father



Know Him as Father

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’”
(Romans 8:15, NIV).

TODAY’S WORD
When you acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of the living God, that He came to earth, lived a sinless life, died for our sins and rose again on the third day, then you have a new relationship with God. He becomes your Savior. People receive this truth and know God as the all-powerful, all-mighty Creator of the universe—the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And, He is all of that and worthy of our praise! But, many people don’t realize how personal God wants to be with you. He doesn’t just want you to see Him as living far off, He wants you to know Him as a close, loving and gentle Father—your Daddy.

If you didn’t have a good father growing up, don’t let that taint the image of who your heavenly Father is. He is merciful. He is forgiving. He is loving. Let the Word of God show you how good and faithful He is. Get to know Him in a more personal way. Talk to Him on a daily basis. Remember, you don’t have to go through anybody else to talk to God. You have a direct line. Know Him as your Savior, know Him as your Lord, know Him as your Father, and know His love in a new way.

PRAYER FOR TODAY
God, I want to know You more today. Show me Your ways that I may walk with You. Show me Your love and Your grace. I surrender every area of my heart, mind, will and emotions to You, my Father in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

***
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7 NLT)
Love is a skill that can be learned. In other words, it’s something you can get good at, and that means you get better at love by practicing love. There is no time better than the Christmas season to practice loving others.
You may think you’re a good lover, but God wants you to become a great lover, a skilled lover, a master lover. Yet most people never learn how to love. You can become an expert at relationships.
Wouldn’t you like to become known as a person of extraordinary love? When people speak of you, they might say: “He doesn’t care who you are or what you look like.” “She doesn’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve done or where you’re from.”
The only way you get skilled at something is to practice. You do it over and over. The first time you do it, it feels awkward, but the more you do it, the better you become.
The same is true with love (1 John 4:7). Let’s practice loving each other. As the Bible says, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15 HCSB).
Talk About It
  • What can you do to practice love this Christmas season?
  • Who are the most difficult people for you to love? How can you move past the awkwardness of showing them love to being skilled at loving even the unlovable?

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