Those Who Struggle With a Gracious Father-God, Part Two

In his book, Home Tonight:  Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen writes the following:

"Jesus' whole mission, his life, words, works, disgrace, and glory, are only relevant because of his relationship with the One who sent him.  Everything about his life is forever in relationship with the One he calls Father."*

My last post ended with the suggestion of a different meaning to "religion" versus "relationship" when referring to Christianity.  Popular Christianity's focus of late has been the individual's relationship to Jesus, and many preachers are now moving toward a message that includes this emphasis on a personal relationship--and that's great.  But, I feel like we've really skipped a step in the process.  Jesus modeled a relationship with the Father that was intimate beyond what our measurable and bounded human tongue may express.  Putting his relationship with the Father in the simplest of terms, Jesus asked us to simply believe in him and that he was sent by the Father.  Referring to the quote above, we see, and I am sure we can all agree, that everything Jesus did--everything--was a result of the relationship he had with his Father.  After all, the Father sent him, and Jesus did everything he saw his Father doing.

This is no less true of us than it is of Jesus.  We, being in communion with the Father, have also been sent, but let's not focus on a "missional purpose" quite just yet.  We exist in Grace.  We thrive in Love.  This means that we can choose to live every action, every thought, and every premise of our lives knowing that we are the Beloved in a relationship with a loving, heavenly Father.  It is Divine Love's yearning that we would see ourselves in Love, in Him, and thus live as such.  Jesus modeled this relationship with the Father because it is the same one which we have.  Because of that relationship, sin is no longer an issue.  We are free.  We are blessed.  Because of the goodness of his love, temptations cannot offer anything of consequence.

Jesus modeled his relationship as a son to his Father, and we can live out that very same relationship, because he has given us the Spirit of Sonship.

I hope that this small glimpse into the reality of the relationship you have in Christ with the Father will spur you on to dedicating time to invest primarily in time alone with your Father in heaven.  Do not refuse to believe you are loved, for that troubles the heart; rather, insist on experiencing that love.

And finally, have you withheld love from a brother or sister in Christ?  Then do so no longer.  We are called to express the love we have experienced from our Father to each other.  Dare I say that if you are withholding love, then you may want to check to see whether or not you have taken the time to be loved?

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy

(Part One may be found here:  http://jdkrider.blogspot.com/2015/01/those-who-struggle-with-gracious-father.html)

*Henri J. M. Nouwen and Sue Mosteller, Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, New York: Doubleday, 2009, 94.

Those Who Struggle With a Gracious Father-God

Hello All,

I have noticed something:  most Christians I encounter do not take the time to get to know God as a loving, gracious Father.  Sometimes they are great at acts of service toward others; sometimes not at all.  Some seem to have more vested interest in doctrinal truths; others have very little idea of what the Bible says is true of the believer.  Most are caught up in an addiction of some sort; others mask their addictions through more acceptable vices.  Many claiming to be Christian admit no sense of wrong when they say "Yes," when they really mean "No," or when they make promises they will not keep.  And I would also say that plenty of Christians live far more independently of others than is healthy.

But why the disparity?  Why the contradiction?  It is partly because we have all been hurt and we have all made a vow after having been hurt:  I will never fully give myself to trust another person.  We wear a mask, and as a result, we can never be truly and authentically loved.  While it may be true that sometimes those from whom we are seeking love may indeed not actually love us, this is not so with our Heavenly Father.  The vow and action on our part isolates us from His love.  As Henri Nouwen wrote, "My refusal to accept that I am already loved destroys trust and corrodes my heart."

I see various results of that view of God's Father-Love:  we keep distance between us and others; what relationships we do have, we are willing to let go of easily; we are unwilling to truly reach out to those in need and we even withhold our affection; our friendships require little to no investment of ourselves; we struggle with sin and temptation as though it is normal; we struggle with sin and temptation as though there is no reprieve; we struggle with sin and temptation as though we are powerless to choose otherwise; we give in to sin and temptation, because we have no clue about the good things our Father has for us.

In my next post, I will help you to understand that there is a different way to look at the idea that Christianity is not meant to be a "religion," but rather a "relationship."  When we hear that, we have always thought of our relationship with the Father, but in reality, to properly understand that Divine desire, we need to take a step back.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy