Love

Job 36:5Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

Job 36:26Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.

Job 38:1-4 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Job 38:5-11Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

Job 9:4-10He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger. Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars. Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.

Amos 4:13For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what [is] his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, YAHWEH, The God of hosts, is his name.

John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

Yes, Jesus is undoubtedly from the Father. We all know this. We cannot hear God's voice or see His shape, yet Jesus helps us to understand, by himself being of the same Nature as God. Father and Son share many characteristics. As it is in Nature, so it is with the Creator and His Son. So striking are those similarities, so in harmony are they, being One in purpose, that many have failed to make the distinction at all. Both Father and Son are called a "Rock", both are called "Judge", both are called "Saviour" and "King". Yet we know that it is the Oneness of Purpose, not the Oneness of Being that makes this possible. The duties of "Judge", "Saviour" and "King", God has given to His Son, to carry out on His behalf.By carrying out these duties, Jesus again reveals His Father to us.

But there are aspects Of Yahweh that He and He alone displays. One that we have touched upon already is that of Creator. Although some would argue otherwise, Jesus was NOT the Creator, but was there in the Mind of God as the "Word", from the very beginning. The role where perhaps the greatest distinction in the scriptures is made between Yahweh and Jesus is that of Father and Son itself. The role of Son is clearly a subordinate one. Jesus did not seek equality with God, yet in the flawed reasoning of the Jews - flawed reasoning that continues to this day, by calling God his Father, Jesus supposedly claimed equality with God. We know this not to be true. Jesus is the first begotten Son of the Father. Yet Jesus is not the ONLY child in God's family.

We spoke earlier about God's Name, Yahweh and how by graciously revealing His Name to us, we can get closed to God. Now we are permitted to get closer still to God, to be able to call Him, Father. What a great privilege it is for US also to be able to Call God "Father", to be part of His Family.

Isaiah 64:8O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand.

God makes us and, if we will let Him, He will mould us into what He wants us to be.

1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him.

Romans 8:15 Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Corinthians 6:18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Galatians 4:6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Psalm 68:5-6 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, [is] God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains:

"God setteth the solitary in families." Isn't that a beautiful description of how an ecclesia should feel? Individuals, who should not belong anywhere else, God places in a family. Those in chains, He sets free - free from the cares of this world.

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Matthew 6:8... your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Hebrews 12:9-11Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected [us], and we gave [them] reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened [us] after their own pleasure; but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Our Father provides for our every need, He guides us and chastens us, when necessary, "for our profit" as the scripture says. But afterwards, discipline yields the "peaceable fruit of righteousness". What does Our Father ask of us in return? Money? Crops? Burnt Sacrifices? No. Does God ask much? Does He ask too much? Perhaps sometimes it seems so. But the scriptures say:

1 Corinthians 10:13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

I ask again, what does God want of us? What does any parent want? Love. Willing obedience. A little time. Parents today are told to have "Quality Time" with their children. All time spent with God is "Quality Time".

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

John 4:23Worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Colossians 1:12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Psalm 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

Can we do these things, worshipping the Father in Spirit and in Truth, Loving Him, not the World; giving thanks unto the Father and singing unto God, rejoicing before Him? We can try! We can surely try.

As many children do, we can look up to the example of our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. He, it is, who has paved the way for us - he IS the Way. Whatever our troubles, distractions or problems, Jesus has been there already. He understands.

Hebrews 2:17-18Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.