God is the perfect example of how a father should train up his children. A good father LIVES what he teaches his children. He never expects his children to do anything that he himself hasn’t, doesn’t, or wouldn’t do.
That should be a huge encouragement to us all. Anything God ever asks us to do, you can be fully assured that He has, does, and will, do that same thing Himself. When we see God’s commandments, we are seeing what God Himself is doing.
For example, when He asked Abraham to offer up his son as a sacrifice, God Himself was offering up His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us.
When He tells us to love our enemies, He is loving His enemies.
When He tells us to turn the other cheek, He is turning the other cheek.
When He tells us to forgive 70 times 7, He is forgiving 70 times 7, including OUR sins.
When He says that if someone “trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” [Luke 17:4 KJV], then that’s what He is doing to us.
Isn’t that SO good!? Everything God is asking us to do toward others, He has done, or is doing, toward us. That should make it easy for us to do the same.
God’s commandments actually show us His nature. If we are born of God, then we also have God’s nature, and are ‘naturally inclined’ to do what He does, and “His commandments are not grievous.” [1 John 5:3 KJV]
Take a look at the highest standard that I know of. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48 KJV] Some say, “That is impossible… Dad (God) can’t really mean what he says, so we’ll just ignore that one.” Others will say, “I know Dad means it all right, but I’ve tried and tried, and I just can’t do it. Dad is upset. He is so ashamed of me, he’s threatening to dis-own me. I am SO frustrated! I can’t wait to get out of this house!”
But what if we see that commandment, and in those words, we hear our Father say, “Son, I want you to grow up to be just like me. Now watch me. This is what I do, and how I do it. Keep your eyes on me, and do what I do. You’re my son, so I know you’ve got it in you. You can do it, and I know you will!” Doesn’t sound so hard anymore, does it?
No. God, our heavenly Father, is not going to frustrate us, and provoke His children to wrath, by giving us commandments that He doesn’t really mean, or that are impossible to obey. He’s not going to condemn us for not doing the work of a 40 year old, when we’re only 4. Nor is He going to tolerate behavior like a 4-yr old, when we’re 40. There is a whole lot of difference between a ‘perfect’ 4-yr old, and a ‘perfect’ 40-yr old. God knows what we’re capable of, and THAT is what He expects. And the truth is, that it’s a whole lot more than any of us think!
Again, look at our example. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, DID it Himself, in a physical body, as a man in the power of the Holy Ghost, as our example. When we are baptized in the Holy Ghost, we receive the very same Holy Ghost power that Jesus had, and we can do what He did, including a whole lot of things that seem unreasonable or impossible in the mind of natural man.
Now here’s HOW He did it: “10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” [John 14:10-12 KJV]
Does the Father dwell in us, and we in Him? Are we OF God? Did Jesus go unto the Father, and send back that same Holy Ghost into us? Yes? Then our Father dwelling in us, will DO the works. That means far more than just doing some great miracles.
Whoa! Did you hear what He just said? Not just instructing us, and coaching us, and demonstrating by example! … even BEYOND that! DOING the works in us!! How easy can He make it?! What an AMAZING Father we have!! Wow, wow, WOW!!! Oh, I LOVE HIM!!!
Recent Comments