Uniting in LoveSample

Communion with the Father We can sometimes think of the Father as being angry or distant. Maybe we even start to think that we need Jesus to convince him to like us, maybe even against his will. Of course, God has only one will, and we are mistaken to think that the Father and Son could ever not be fully united. In fact, it is the love of the Father that sends the Son to be incarnate, to take on flesh. It is the love of the Father that sends Jesus to suffer and die for us, even while we were still sinners. Isn’t it amazing to think that the Father set his love on us when we were unlovable? Our love can only ever be a response to the Father’s love and never the source of the Father’s love. God is love. Sometimes, we live like the Father’s love for us changes, and according to our actions, whether we are obedient or sinful, he loves us more or less. But God’s love is unchanging. Our obedience flows out of God’s love. It cannot earn it. Because we think like this, we often run from God when we have sinned. We try to avoid God when we really should be running to him. When we sin, our Father is not looking down on us with wrath, but with compassion. How can that be? Because we are united with Christ, God poured out his wrath on Jesus, and his anger at the sins of his people was completely exhausted on the cross. At the cross was the great exchange where Jesus took on our sins and clothed us in his righteousness. Now, we are the adopted children of God, sealed by the Spirit. The Father did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us. Why would we ever think that God would not continue to be kind, gracious, tender, and loving to his children? When we feel the discipline of the Father, we should realize that it is not punishment or condemnation, but his love guiding us and shaping us to share in his holiness. God is preparing us to dwell with him in eternity as we receive his love and return his love. We glorify God by communing with the Father. Respond to the Father’s love today. Perhaps the best way to know the Father’s love is to gaze on the Son in the Spirit. Reflection Questions Why is it important for us to think correctly about God? Have you been afraid of the Father? How can you learn to run to Him instead of running away? How can it improve your life to recognize that God’s love for you does not change?