by: Meanne M. Mijares
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love My son, Jesus.
John 17:23
I have always been Father, and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know Me, Philip?
Even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
(John 14:9 NIV)
Every Father’s Day, we set a special Sunday aside to honor our beloved biological earthly fathers year after year. It is very important to honor your parents. To honor them means to love and respect them, of course that’s easy. Our Daddies including mine are great examples of our Lord Jesus. However, sometimes it may be really hard. There are some of us reading this who have never met their own fathers or left the family abode. Or maybe they have done terrible things and it’s hard to respect them or in my case like the others our fathers may have gone up to heaven to be our angels watching over us. No matter what, fathers are not perfect because of sin. Even some famous Biblical personalities who are fathers have made some very bad choices that hurt others.
But this Father’s Day, I would like to give a humble homage to our Creator of Heaven and Earth and the entire Universe, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ through this article. Honestly I do not know where to begin but as far as I know and believe, there is one Perfect Father out there. He is none other than our Heavenly Father. He is the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but He is our Father, too. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion…” Who is this Father? Let’s see and explore through the Scriptures:
He loves us John 3:16
He cares for us Mat 6:26
He forgives us Psalm 103:12
He is compassionate Psalm 103:45
He is giving and generous Romans 8:32
He is understanding Psalm 139:1-2
He accepts us Psalm 139:1-6
He alone satisfies Psalm 107:9
He persistently pursues us Luke 19:10
He is a Father of reason Isaiah 1:18
He pardons Psalm 103:3
He heals Isaiah 53:5
He redeems Job 19:25
He is full of loving kindness Psalm 86:15
He renews Isaiah 40:31
He is righteous Jeremiah 9:23-24
He is gracious Ephesians 1:7-8
He is above all, sovereign Psalm 103:19
When my father passed away 9 years ago, I didn’t lose a father but I still have a father-our Almighty Father who always lives and knows no death. Through these biblical passages, I am beginning to feel secure and no longer alone. But here is one I find best of all because it sums up everything a perfect father should be. And if I come up with a classified ad for a daily broadsheet this would be a great fit. This one is from Psalm 103 in sections (verses 1-6, verses 7-12, and verses 13-19).
(Verses 1-6)
He has forgiven our sins.
He has healed diseases.
He has redeemed our lives (saved us!)
He has crowned us with love and compassion.
He has satisfied our desires with good things.
He is righteous.
He gives justice to the oppressed.
(Verses 7-12) He has led people throughout history.
He shows compassion and grace.
He is slow to anger.
He is love.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve.
(Verses 13-19) He has compassion on his children.
He made us.
He is forever.
His love is always with those who fear him.
His kingdom rules over all.
One reason we run away from God is because we fear Him but the truth is He has our best interests at heart. The Parable of the Lost Son Luke 15:11-32 New International Version (NIV)
God shows His love for us through everything He does. Another word for love is compassion. Compassion is beautifully defined as Love in Action. It means to know that someone is sad and hurting and will do something about it. Our Heavenly Father is a Father of Compassion. He knows that this world is harsh and cruel… filled with diseases, sickness, sin, injustice, loneliness, and fear. But, as we learned today, He has revealed His love through the things that He does for us in our lives. How about you, have you accepted His love? Have you grown more like His love? Have you let Him love through you?
Our Lord Jesus Christ told us the Parable of the Prodigal Son that we might know God is always ready to welcome sinners when they truly repent. It is never too late to return to our Father in heaven. As our Savior, He came to save those who are lost. Let us return to and remain in Him in order to be redeemed.
In closing, let me leave you with the Father’s love letter which is an assemblage of interpreted Bible verses from both the Old and New Testaments that are organized in the appearance of a love letter from God to you and me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvqmhGs1Y8
Reflect on it very well and experience the deep divine love the Heavenly Father has for all of us, His beloved and precious children. Make Him the Lord of your homes. Love God with and in everything. Make Him a part of life’s rhythms and flows of your life in your homes. Remember no one loves us like our Almighty Father!
Dear Father, happy, happy, happy Father’s Month! May all fathers be wonderful, loving and compassionate as You. Amen.
