I loved my father and felt certain of his love. Sure, we had our disagreements and there were even times he hurt me deeply, but I know he did the best for me he could within the resources he had available. There were times I felt very distant from my father too. You see my parents divorced, and I went for long stretches of time without seeing much of my dad.
What ever your history with your earthly father, you will probably find echos of your relationship rearing its head as you try to understand your relationship with your heavenly father. Sometimes, this is a good thing, at other times, it can lead us to wrong thinking about our heavenly father. So, how do we understand the truth about our heavenly father? The scriptures, of course!
There are many verses that teach us about the relationship with God as our heavenly father. I’ve chosen just four this month to give you a bird’s-eye view of how our heavenly father loves us and wishes to relate to us in relationship.
What ever your history with your earthly father, you will probably find echos of your relationship rearing its head as you try to understand your relationship with your heavenly father. #MemorizeGodsWord Click To Tweet
Our Father Chose us!
Week 23
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Galatians 4:7 (NLT)
Never feel unwanted by our heavenly father. He chose you. He did not bring you into the family as a servant, but as a joint heir with his first-born son. He split the inheritance! What a concept in this age of prenuptial agreements and labels of “step-child”. Nope, God adopted us saving us from a hopeless situation and is willing to share it all with us. Amazing when you think about it!
Our Father Provides for us!
Week 24
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matthew 7:11 (NLT)
God doesn’t just meet our needs. he provides good gifts too! And because he knows us well, they are perfect gifts. I’m not good at selecting the right gift, but I am so thankful that my God is!
Our Father Disciplines Us!
Week 25
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. Hebrews 12:10 (NLT)
And yes, a father will discipline his children. It’s not pleasant, but it is necessary if we are to grow into productive members of society. The same is true of our heavenly father. If we are to grow into all we can be and be productive members of his church, then we will need someone wiser and more experienced to reign us in when we get out of line and to train us to live the life we are created to live.
Our Father Protects Us!
Week 26
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. Psalm 91:14 (NLT)
No matter how old I get, things that happen which make me wish I had my father protecting me again. That’s not possible in this life, but I have my heavenly father’s protection. The good thing about this is that God’s protection is stronger than my dad’s and along with that protection, provides the perfect amount of freedom for me within that circle of protection.
This month, I hope you will join me in learning just these four verses that will remind you how wanted you are. I’d like for you to feel cared for, protected and cherished every day, and I think this sampling of verses does a good job of reminding us we already are!
Memory tip!
Break it down! Just divide the verse up into bite sized pieces if you need to. This is most helpful if you use a printed or written out copy of the verse. Break it down visually and then it will commit to memory more easily. Sometimes if you attach a rhythm that helps too. I learned my driver’s license number this way. XX OO XX OOO I say those numbers like they rhyme, they don’t! Sort of like rap it out!
Link to printable June Memory verses.
Link to Week 23 verse with image for those of you who like them.
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