Our Father’s Embrace
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Jesus– The Image of the Father
Our Heavenly Father’s embrace is real! I would like to show you through scripture why I believe this is true. The Father rescued us through His Son, Jesus, who is “the image of the invisible God.” Jesus is majestic and powerful. He created everything we see as well as the invisible spiritual aspects of creation.
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Colossians 1:13-20 NASB
A Perfect Reflection of the Father
Jesus fully represents God and is God. He is holy, righteous, full of wisdom, authority and power. And yet He laid down His life to make peace between God and sinful man. The cross shows us the indescribable love of our Abba Father who wanted us close to His heart. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One God. And Jesus, who came to earth as the Son of Man is a perfect reflection of God the Father.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3 NIV
Become Like a Child
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6 NKJV
In this fallen world, the pride of fame and recognition are often won at the expense of others. But our Lord demonstrated that His Kingdom is not like that of this world. Jesus was humble before His Abba and only did what He saw His Father do.
Willing to Change
God invites us to become like a humble child and to be like our Father in Heaven. But we have to be willing to “convert” from our old way of life into a new life through faith in Jesus. It is a spiritual transformation that takes place through repentance.
Repentance is turning away from the kingdom of darkness and turning to Jesus with no plans to return to sin (evil). The transformation takes place by God’s power when we believe that the Blood sacrifice Jesus payed the debt of our sin.
At the moment of surrender, we are totally cleansed from sin. God gives us His Spirit so we have the power to resist sin, and to love like our Father. And as we journey with God, we have to choose to remain humble like a child by following the Holy Spirit and resisting the devil. We do that by staying close to our Father’s heart! God alone can keep us from falling. (Jude 1:24-25) And if we do sin and sincerely repent, our Father is waiting with open arms to welcome us back to the Table.
Our Father’s Embrace
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16 NLT
Jesus only did what He saw the Father do. (John 5:19) Knowing this, I can safely say that Jesus saw the Father embracing the children, placing His great big powerful hands on their heads and blessing them. Our Father’s embrace is real! He wants us close to His heart!
Yes, we must honor and reverence our Father, pay attention to His instructions and obey Him. But unless we see that He also wants to hold us close to His loving heart, we will view Him from a wrong light. Our walk with God will become cold and works-oriented, fearing punishment and trying to earn His love from a distance. A love-impoverished mindset can cause jealousy and division in the Family. But we are not lacking anything! In Christ, we are one with God, fully loved, honored and blessed by our Father.
Our Father’s Blessing
When we experience our Father’s embrace through the Spirit, our souls can begin to heal. We can let go of the lies the enemy has sown into our minds. Our Father wants to personally place His hands on our heads and bless us. His blessing is not small for those that dare to humble themselves and love His Son– for those who believe that their Abba is merciful and generous. In this blessing, we are free to be the unique child He designed us to be and to fulfill His destiny for our lives!
