I talked yesterday about the lack of proper fatherly instruction and presence in so many of our households now, which I believe is the BIGGEST contributor to the downfall of our Israelite nations (US, Britain, Canada, Israel [Judah], etc.).
But, even the BEST human fathers who have tried their hardest to overcome the sins of their families and to do the best for their sons and daughters still fall short. No one--father or mother--is perfect.
There is only One perfect Father to whom we have to look. It is THIS Father to whom we need to look for perfect love, instruction, and presence. And it is His relationship with his Firstborn Son from whence we should learn the proper way so that we can apply it to our households.
Our Heavenly Father has left instruction on how a son should be:
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee (Proverbs 3:1).
And in the actual law (Torah, first five books of the bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch):
That thou mightest fear Jehovah thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged...And thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words [the law God gave us], which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up [in other words, LIVE your lifestyle by God's law throughout the whole day] (Deut. 6:5-7).
If we are begotten children of God [if we have been begotten of the God Spirit], then we should love our Father and show that we love Him by our obedience, and if we have children, we are to teach them to live the same way.
Our Father gave us His law through His Son, because He loves us, and His law (rules) are good (don't you make rules for your child out of your love and welfare for him and for the safety and respect of others, too?):
And Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day (6:24).
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law (Proverbs 4:1-2).
The apostle Paul, whom the many falsely accuse of teaching against God's law reiterated the two previous scriptures when he said: Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just and good (Romans 7:12).
How does our Father feel about children who love Him so much that they try their hardest to obey and please Him? Let's start with the perfect child, the Most High's Firstborn, who walked in a temporary fleshly tabernacle without sin, Jesus the Anointed:
During Jesus' baptism: And lo voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17).
During Jesus' transfiguration: While he yet spake, behold, a bright "cloud" overshadowed them: and behold a voice came out of the "cloud", which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (17:5).
God loves His children and hopes that none of them perish (decide to stop loving and obeying Him and so eventually lose His Spirit--spiritual abortion):
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish (18:14).
Examples of other Spirit-begotten children with whom our Father was pleased (through the word of the Son, who was the one to actually speak with all servants of God):
Moses: And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of Jehovah shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? (Num. 12:6-8).
Abraham: And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws (Gen. 26:4-5).
David: But now thy kingdom shall not continue: Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart, and Jehovah hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee (I Sam. 13:14).
And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them (Ezek. 37:24).
And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as the heart of David his father (I Kings 15:3).
All children of God should love their Father the same way which all children of God in the past have loved their Father, which is the same way Jesus did:
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him (Jesus) ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (I John 2:1-6)
Our Father loves us and gives us good law, just as we say we love our children and say that we give them good rules. We naturally want our children to love us back by following those rules so that all goes well. And what we really want is for our children to be as righteous as they can be so that we can reward them. Most parents ENJOY rewarding their children. Our Father has promised to send rewards with the Firstborn, so that when the Firstborn returns to establish our Father's Kingdom, those who deserve rewards will receive them.
And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Rev. 22:12).
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev. 21:1-8).
None of us have had perfect earthly fathers. Some of us have had better than others, but none have been perfect. And most of us wish we'd have obeyed our parents more so than we did. Those of us who are children of God have the opportunity now to love a Father who IS perfect, and we have the opportunity to obey His perfect law to the best of our ability and serve it with our HEARTS.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:8).
Love God with all your heart, and he will reward you from his heart.
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