The Father's Love

The Father's Love

Many people never receive the love of their earthly father. They have had a cruel, abusive father, or a father that were absent from their lives. This is the case with many, many people with whom I counsel. The results are that they have an extremely poor self image and a poor image of God, the Father in heaven. The following are some of the statements which I hear:

God didn't love me.
My parents didn't love me.
Something must be inheritantly wrong with me.
No effort on my part will ever be satisfactory.
God isn't worth loving.
God can't be trusted.
God doesn't care about me.
Nobody cares about me.
You just can't trust men.
Life isn't worth living.

It is no wonder that Malachi wrote, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6).

Some ANSWERS according to the Word:

I. God didn't love me.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3).
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:9-10).

II. My Parents didn't love me.

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up" (Psalms 27:10).
"A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation" (Psalms 68:5).

III. Something must be inheritantly wrong with me.

There are several perspectives that should be considered. (1) Each of us acquire a sin nature though disobedience to God; therefore, there is something wrong with us. (2) However, God has provided Jesus as a substitute for our sins that we might become righteous in Christ. (3) In any case, there is NO EXCUSE for a father who also has acquired a sin nature NOT to love his child.
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalms 51:5).
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalms 51:10).
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (II Corinthians 5:21).
"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

IV. No effort on my part will ever be satisfactory.

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way" (Psalms 37:23).
"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand" (Psalms 37:24).
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23).
"Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:24).

V. God isn't worth loving.

"I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies" (II Samuel 22:4).
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:12).

VI. God can't be trusted.

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25). (The fear of man is looking to man for approval).
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).
"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).
"In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God" (Psalms 62:7).
"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah" (Psalms 62:8).
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes" (Psalms 118:9).

VII. God doesn't care about me or what I want.

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalms 37:4-5).
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalms 84:11).
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

VIII. Nobody cares about me.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (I Peter 5:7).
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

IX. You just can't trust men.

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17).

X. Life isn't worth living.

"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).
"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalms 118:24).
"For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you" (Philippians 1:22-24).

GRACE