Our Father

Knows Best

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God; the LORD is one! "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. (-Deuteronomy 6:4-6).

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Dearly Beloved:

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Many things can go wrong in life,  I can certainly attest to it. As we have noted, times come when we will doubt the Father's will and intention. How can a loving God stand by and watch us suffer? Why doesn't God do something about it, and, now? You know I need you Lord, but not tomorrow! What does He expect of me before the answer will come? God, where Are You?

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    King David experienced one of these seasons when he prayed, "O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed, (Psalm30:7.) One thing we can all find agreement. We can navigate treacherous waters in life; times can come to us that can shake us to the core of our being. Paul was one that experienced these many times.  Three times he was shipwrecked, and a night and a day he spent in the deep. He was on frequent journeys in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from his countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, threats in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, perils among false brethren; [i] (2 Corinthians 11:26.)

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   Perhaps you are in a life current that seems more potent than your abilities to manage it. Well, Paul found a refuge that all of us must discover: It is the depth of Abba's hands. Those hands have the miraculous ability to swallow you up when you need it most. In an instant, you feel so small, and your problem seems to lift so quickly. You think that you can fit into the cleft of a rock. It is what Paul must have found to endure the trials. What was it?

Faith? Yes! Also, a faith attitude!

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The Importance of Attitude

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Discussing such topics as we do here, we learn that one's attitude is vital. Winston Churchill said, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." John C. Maxwell stated, "People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." You see, we may not be sitting in a room together contemplating such issues as presented here, but we are assessing the House of our Father together. So we share a common concern:  Our attitude toward the House that our Father built.

    So let's begin here.

    How do you see your Heavenly Father?

    Our answers to such questions might determine if you find the cleft in the rock that Paul discovered, which enabled him to forge ahead regardless of the trials' intensity and frequency. Let's pose these additional questions. What is your attitude towards leaders? And finally, what is your attitude towards each other? Strange questions, perhaps! However, you might also find yourself pausing as you read more.

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    Consider the following.

    Do you see your Heavenly Father first as Daddy, God our Creator? We can say that He is all of these, of course. But knowing Him is most important. Let's face it; minimal belief is easy as even the demons believe He is God (James 2:19.) Ministry works and giving are also comfortable, but an intimate affair with God, well, that is demanding and personal. If we are to attain such a close relationship, a fire must be ignited in us like in the Sons of Thunder, John, and Zebedee.

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SON’S AND DAUGHTER’S OF GOD

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When we search for the sons and daughters of God, they seem more difficult to find in the way of character these days. However, they are amongst us, and we desire to become more like them. Four noteworthy sons are highlighted in the Scripture that equates to four-character types. These exemplify essential characteristics if the family of God will return to wholeness and health again.

   Where are the peacemakers in the family of God?

   Where are those whose hearts are burning with fire for the Lord, so they can help turn up the heat in the House that our Father built?  We look for the Sons of Kohath, the Sons of Issachar, the Sons of God (the peacemakers), and the Sons of Thunder.  

    The Sons of Kohath, (Numbers 4:1-15) are concerned about the holiest things. They want majesty and sanctity to return to a Church that’s being defined more and more by casualness.

     The Sons of Issachar (I Chronicles 12:32) are believers that know the times and how to be prepared for them.

     The peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), are the Sons of God that are pure in heart and will restore peace to the family.  

     But what stands out is that they are not pacifists for peace. Rather, they are devoted warriors; more salient are they than the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17) James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They reveal that Jesus knew their nature and character the moment He met them. What a compliment this is and mark to purse for one’s life.

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HAVE YOU EVER MET SOMEONE WHEN THE MOMENT YOU MEET THEM YOU KNOW THEIR CHARACTER? IT WAS THAT WAY WITH THESE MEN. The sons of thunder had a visible zeal that differentiated them from others. Sons of Thunder means “throb with heat,” which is the essential effect of love. We can all attest to the fact that when one loses their first love, our hearts no longer “throb with heat” for the Lord as it did at an earlier time.

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   However, the qualities of the Sons of Thunder might be compared to the strangers and spiritual pilgrims in Hebrews chapter 11, the famous hall of fame of faith. All of them were uncomfortable in the world. They knew that they were in search of a better place and had a vision in their hearts of the future Kingdom.  I wonder if you have lost a view of the glorious future that hooked these men and women. Perhaps this is taking place across the family of God. Beloved, this was precisely Paul’s concern.

Intimate Affairs with God

Whether we begin with Adam and Eve in the Garden, or the enduring message to the Israelites, or our relationship today, passion and intimacy rests at the heart of who God is. It is central to the testimony of our Father's Spiritual House if others are to find it attractive again. Take the relationships between Israel, the wife of Jehovah, God, or the Bride, Yeshua. All are profoundly intimate terms that are filled with affection. These heart-pounding words from Solomon, "Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you! (Song 1:4.) "He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love," (Song 2:4.)   Solomon is conveying to us the intimate connections between God and his children, a "love chamber."

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    As noted, Israel is depicted in the Old Testament as the wife of Jehovah. Let me note here that the Wife of Jehovah is not a picture of the Church / Bride of Christ, as both the Bride and the Wife are two separate entities. [1] Her husband (God), and Israel experiences a love affair that sadly gives way to a tumultuous courtship, then separation, and tragically, a quick divorce.

     We should underscore temporary because a remarriage gloriously takes place! It is the time when all Israel will be saved, and our groom will establish His resting place in Jerusalem. Finally, all Israel, this former wife of Jehovah, will worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in unison, one with another.

    But together, we are depicted precisely like a bride waiting for our groom to take us home, and what a beautiful day that will be! "The winter is passed; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come; the cooing of doves is heard in our land." (Song of Solomon 2:11-12.) Solomon is drawing our attention towards a habitation with God! So how one perceives God is everything!

   Is your relationship built on love or fear?

   Is it through performance or unconditional acceptance?

  Do you feel the shame of the past, or did you receive a massive dose of self-respect when you came to faith and became a child of God?

  Is your life marked by freedom or legalism?

  Such questions as these Solomon evokes in us!

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   With God's family's being the foundation of love, we offer three branches of love in Part II, from a Hebraic perspective. These branches form the beautiful and majestic trunk of the glorious Olive Tree, Yeshua, who derives His being from the Love of the Father. "Beloved, let us love one another because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is. It is how God's love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him."

(John 4:7-9.)

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