Blog # 379 Our Father

Blog  #  379   Our Father

         Our Father...

With the image of God as  Father before us, how much easier it is to trust God, to feel at home before Him as we try to do our best, or lie down at the end of a day thankful rather than anxious, how much easier it is to accept confidently God's forgiveness of our faults and how in all we do our
emphasis is not so much upon our works as upon our relationshjp to God, our growth in our love for Him, and our joy in knowing He is our Father.

              As I was standing in my garden one day years ago, I noticed, as is the case with most gardens, some insects were eating the plants.  The insects were obviously enemies of the plants.  They were as real as I was in the garden. I began to think it was not worth it to have a garden. The insects would come and destroy my work. It might be better to do something else and buy  my  vegetables in the store. Then it occurred to me to wonder if we couldn't appreciate God's mercy and love more perfectly if we applied this thought to God's relationship with us when we sin.

          Sin is our enemy and tends to destroy us, the same as insects are the enemy of a garden and tend to destroy it.  In taking measures to destroy the insects in the garden I saw myself somewhat like God in His attitude toward our sins.  He wants to rid us of them because he loves us. He comes to our aid in overcoming our sins much the same as I came to the aid of the garden in riding it of insects. God never says I will abandon the garden to the insects, the garden is not worth my effort to rid it of its enemies.  Rather God sends His Son, the Lord Jesus, to win for us through His love and suffering the power  to overcome our sins, to conquer the enemies of our souls, and to produce good fruit in lives of holiness and peace.
 
          I was happy when I walked in from my garden, having learned from it to understand and appreciate more perfectly the meaning and beauty of the revelation of Jesus that God is our Father, His Father and ours.

          Father. help us to see Your love in all that occurs in our lives, to trust you as our
Father, and to come to you lovingly, thankful, and unafraid, through Jesus Your Son, whom You sent to teach us of your goodness and Your love!  Amen!


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