It is not too difficult for man to know a Creator God. From the created world around us, we can roughly make a good guess of what the Creator is like. We can say that the Creator God is extremely wise and extremely powerful. But a key question to probe further is to ask "Is this Creator still interested in me?". There are people who believed that God after his creation leave the created things to work out for themselves. The Creator just left the scene after the creation and men are left to live or die on their own. In time of tragedies, it does seem that our God has left and has no further interest in us.
God as Father!
Then, Jesus came into the scene to tell us that God is still interested in us. In fact, God loves us enough to give us His Son Jesus to die for us so that we can have the Zoe God's kind of life and to be with God forever. Jesus reveal to us that God is not just the Creator but that God is the Father to us. God as our Father is shocking concept. Not sure which religion, except Christianity, proclaim a God as our Father.
History of Relationship between God and Man
It is interesting to me to see how the relationship between God and man changes with time. Adam was the first man created by God from the earth and breath of God in the image of God. In only one place, Luke 3:38, Adam was recorded as a son of God. The son-ship is a loose term used to describe that Adam was just created by God. The true son-ship should be a pro-creation, a giving birth, of the same blood. Even so, Adam and God enjoyed a very close fellowship. Adam addressed God as 'you' and not as Lord or God, at least before the fall. It was not recorded whether Adam sacrifice to God but we know Adam's sons, Cain and Abel did make offering to God and hence acknowledging God as the higher One, the Creator. Noah addressed God as Lord. So did Abraham. Many descriptive names of God were used but they are more describing the characteristics of God - such as
God as El in :
- El Shaddai: God Almighty
- El Elyon: Most High God
- El Olam: The Everlasting God.
- Yahweh Jireh The Lord will provide.
- Yahweh Nissi: The Lord is my Banner of Victory
- Yahweh Shalom: Lord of Peace.
- Yahweh Sabbaoth: Lord of Hosts of Army
- Yahweh Maccaddeshcem: The Lord that Sanctifies.
- Yahweh Ro’i: The Lord my Shepherd. (By David in Ps 23) - This is closest to Father.
- Yahweh Tsidkenu: The Lord our Righteousness.
- Yahweh Shammah: The Lord is presence
- Adonai: God as the Master, or Owner.
Believers that believed and received Jesus as the Son of God are born again by the Holy Spirit as children of God. (1John 3:1) Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
Believers are not like Adam. They are born of the Spirit of God and are of and is God's. John 3:5,6,8.
God as our Father is something we must remember. Jesus taught us to pray by beginning with Our Father ... Hence, we when come to God, we must know that we come in the role of sons and daughters of God. We are not just man, or servant.
Father Loves to...
Father delights in His children irrespective of their performances.
He is sadden by our sins and our suffering.
He waits for us with open arms to receive us back to him.
He provides for us. He guides us. He protects us.
He watches lovingly over us.
He desires that we become like him - creating and contributing to all.
He dances over us (as some song writer wrote).
Children Come...
Come to God with God as the Father mindset that we can be truly honest and transparent with Him.
We can truly enjoy Him without fear or guilt conscious.
Come to Him to experience His presence and love.
Pour out our hearts, our fears, bitterness, discouragements, shames, to Him.
Share our joy and victories, events and humor with Him.
God is most glorified when we are most satisfied with Him said John Piper.
God is most satisfied when we are most glorified with Him - when we exhibits the character of His Son Jesus. This is only possible when we spend much time with our Father through Jesus in us. Let the Jesus in us grow to occupy all our being that we think, feel, talk and behave like Jesus.
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