God wants us to come to Him in love, not fear. A fear of God creates levels of separation from Him. God does not want us to be distant. On the contrary, when we accurately understand God’s unfailing love, which was demonstrated in Jesus, we are motivated to seek Him. Then, in a much healthier way, we can more fully experience His boundless love for us.
Scripture tells us the most effective way to learn about God, is to approach Him as a child approaches a loving Father. God does not want us to see Him as a boss whose favor depends on our performance. Nor does He want us to think of Him so much as our King or Judge. Above all, we want to respond to God as our loving Father, so we can appropriately receive His love and care for us.
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are…Beloved, now we are children of God (1 John 3:1-2).
As we respond to God’s offer of intimacy, we open ourselves to the fellowship of His insightful presence. This fellowship positions us to hear the inspiration He shares. Our intimate experience in His Presence enables the spirit of life within us to draw from His expressive heart and learn to be more like Him.
God does not want us to be distant; He wants us to approach Him as a loving Father.
Nurtured in Love
The New Testament repeatedly confirms God is our heavenly Father, who loves and nurtures us as His own children. As Jesus walked this earth, He demonstrated for us how a child/Father fellowship with God is designed to function.
For whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner (John 5:19).
As God’s children, we can receive some of the benefits of His eternal qualities here in this world. God has always desired to dwell in the midst of His children like He did in the Garden with Adam and Eve, and as He offered to do with Israel coming out of Egyptian slavery.
I will dwell among…and will be their God (Exodus 29:45).
Our Father’s nurturing Presence is available to everyone because every person is precious in His sight. While difficult to fathom from a human perspective, God loves each of His offspring without exception, with an eternal love. Even our choice to ignore His love does not negate His love for us. Rather, He patiently waits for us to sense and respond to His inviting presence. God’s intention is for us to learn from His heart and develop into more mature children with whom He can share deeper insight.
Will We Choose God’s Intimacy?
Quite different than many perceptions, God has designed life as a process that enables Him to birth offspring into existence and begin their ongoing growth toward maturity. Thankfully, we can know our devoted God as so much more than a distant “coach” who merely teaches and instructs. His Presence is with us and among us along life’s way; watching out for us and offering us the guidance we need to thrive.
While our heavenly Father invites everyone to interact, we have free will to choose when we respond and to what degree we partake of His caring love and insightful fellowship. The level of our response enables us to be more intimate with Him.
God sent forth His son, born of a woman…that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5).
In the old Hebrew society, adoption took place when a son reached twelve years of age. Up until then, while fathers were involved at a distance, sons were primarily raised by their mother. After the official Bar Mitzvah (transferring a son to father’s daily care), the father would begin to personally teach, train and discipline the child in his way of life.
In our adoption as sons and daughters, we become more than offspring who know God at a distance as a Provider, Lord, King, and Judge. When we receive adoption and approach God as Father, we become children who learn to embrace His attitude and mannerisms regarding life.
God’s Limitless Love
Since the concept of fatherhood originated with our eternal God, we can count on Him being an ideal Father, better than the best earthly dad. As our devoted Father, He promised us that through Christ (God’s anointing presence), He would never leave or forsake us. His love will not allow Him to ignore or abandon us. Our Father’s love is so far reaching that it is described as being limitless and unfailing.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).
God has shown in many ways that He desires an intimate Father-to-child fellowship with each of us. God loves every person He has created, He blesses the just as well as the unjust (Matthew 5:45). What love He has for each us!
He does not want us to come in fear but in love. The most abundant blessings fall upon all who chose to receive and live in God’s limitless love, partake continually of His Spirit Presence, and grow from childhood disciplines into intimate fellowship. What abundance He intends for us!
Keith Carroll, Relational Gospel Founder
More resources about our relational God:
Created to Relate, Insights Into Our Design and Purpose, and The Christ Culture, A Way of Life Like No Other are available for purchase on this site, by request in bookstores, and on Amazon.com. We provide the first two pages of each chapter on this site for your introductory perusal. Please check them out!
Many folks are finding my books to be insightful and stimulating. They are excellent for personal understanding, for new believers, and to share in small groups. We provide a Leader’s Guide to facilitate discussions and a “free” study guide that can be downloaded as a pdf.
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