Sunday, December 9, 2012

Our Father loves us.

After the fall in the garden of Eden, "this whole universe is now an orphanage." {Russell Moore}

Life here on earth is an adoption process. And this journey, though I trip and fall, time and time again as I learn to walk, is just a short piece of time until I am Home. {Romans 8:23}

On this journey I feel like my heart is so often numb to the wonder of the cross. I barely take the time to stop and taste His goodness, and fully grasp what Jesus did for me.

You see. In sin, in pride, I easily forget that it was my sins that killed my Savior. He died to redeem me, us, His chosen ones so that we might know Him.

My Savoir, my Father, was crushed for me. He took all of the penalty, and placed it on Him. A perfect sinless man dying for this destitute orphan.

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities." ~Psalm 103:10

Amazing, amazing love! Amazing redemption. Amazing grace!

He knew disgrace so that I might know grace. He knew rejection so that I might be accepted in Him. He new death and Hell, so that I might know life and the glories of Heaven.

And I did nothing good to deserve this love. Nothing. And nothing can take me away from this love.

Because of His love I can repent, turn and run back into my Father's arms where I can rest in Him.

With such a Sovereign loving Father how do I even have the audacity to doubt His guiding hand in my life? To worry? To think that I can mess up my life by my own frailty? He has not left us orphans. Our life is hidden in Him... but, sanctification hurts.
"We don't fully believe that our new Father will feed us, so we hang on to our scraps and long for the regimented schedules of the orphanage from which we've come. And when our Father pushes us along to new tastes, we pout that he's not good to us. Bet he's readying us for glory, preparing us to take our place on thrones as heirs." ~Russell Moore
This life isn't about pacifying cries for what I think I may need. We have a hope that far surpasses anything we can even fathom here on this earth. And each stripping away of earthly pleasures is an act of love because all earthly cisterns take us to dry and dusty desert lands. Our Father, knows what we need most!

As my Pastor reminded during the sermon this morning... God's timing is always perfect. If you are His child, cling to Him, because He loves you more than you can even fathom! When we fall or sin or worry, we can repent and know that He loves us still "and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." {Romans 8:28}


"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
~Romans 8:18-25

>Our Father loves us<

3 comments:

Lauralea said...

Amen!

Chronicles of a Twenty something year old said...

Ana this is beautiful and so well written. My daddy went home to be with Jesus when I was three, and so it is often hard for me to visualize God as a father because I dont really know what that means, but this helped to open my eyes! Thank you! <3

Ana R.W. said...

I'm sure that must be hard... I'm grateful this was an encouragement to you, Amber. The Lord truly is a faithful, everlasting Father to His children! <3
Thank you!
~Ana