God the Father
9 Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
10 Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
– Matthew 6:9-13
Hello there! After a slightly lengthy series on the Kings of Judah, we reached the climax last week. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on a cross, and rose from the dead for our sins. Jesus was God.
But there’s more to it than that. As Christians, we worship a triune God, a Trinity. There’s God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our helper (or paraclete).
It’s tempting to lump all three together or to act as though each one is completely separate. No, Christians don’t worship three gods. We worship one God in three manifestations. However, we cannot exercise our faith to its greatest potential if we don’t understand why each member of the Trinity is crucial to our faith. We need to emphasize the complete Trinity, not just one part.
A caveat: I’m not a theologian. This three-part series isn’t meant to dive into the rationale or logic behind why “the Godhead three in one” is 100% theologically feasible (which it is). I leave that role to your pastor, mentor, or another godly Christian leader. They can explain it better than I ever will.
God could have been one being. So because He chose the Trinity, there must be a reason. Turns out, each member of the Trinity serves a special purpose. Think of it like your limbs. Each limb is a part of you, yet each limb is different and executes a unique function. You also don’t usually walk around with one limb and not the others, meaning they’re all connected. It’s a weak analogy, I know.
All that said, here are three reasons why God the Father should be of vital importance in our lives today.
God Created Us in His Image.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.’ So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”
– Genesis 1:1-2, 26-27
God created the world with His voice. He didn’t shape the world by hand, as you or I might do with clay or putty. The words of God made the world. Then God created human beings. Specifically, He said, “Let us make human beings in our image.” He didn’t call the Earth good (not to say it isn’t). He called humans good.
My friends, this world will disappoint us. It will reject us. It will not live up to our expectations. You know what, that’s okay. The God of the Universe – the God who made the Universe – created you, and He calls you good. Note: we’re still sinners who make mistakes. This is not an excuse, because “The Fall” affects everyone.
God loved us so much that even when we messed up, He sent His Son to die for us. God created us, and to deny our Creator is to deny the very essence of our being. If we refuse to trust God as our Creator, we accomplish the equivalent of buying a car and throwing out the operator’s manual. We can figure out the basics by ourselves, but once it gets complicated, we’re cooked. We’ll get more into the “operator’s manual for life” in a moment.
God Wants What’s Best For Us.
“Long ago the LORD said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.’”
– Jeremiah 31:3
To continue off the previous point, as our Creator, God knows what we need better than we do. If you’ve ever had a pet (e.g. a dog), you know things that they don’t. You know they shouldn’t go somewhere, or shouldn’t eat something, even if they want it. You can see their lives from a bigger perspective. They may not understand, but you love them. Sometimes that love means saying no to running by the road or eating chocolate, even when they don’t get it. Again, weak analogy, because God doesn’t view us as dogs.
You may say that God’s special love only extends to Israel. You’d be right if we were living in the Old Testament. Praise the LORD, when Jesus came, God called all people into a relationship with Him (which is independent of His relationship with Israel). God doesn’t force anyone into fellowship with Him. Actually, it cost Him a lot to get access to this relationship. He wanted what was best for us, even when it hurt Him to get it.
God Gave Us His Guidebook.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.”
– 2 Timothy 3:16-17
To continue with the operator’s manual illustration, God gave us a manual. It’s called the Bible. *your mind explodes in surprise*
This collection of books lays the framework for following Christ and Christianity. The Bible isn’t our entire faith (we still need prayer, fasting, giving, community, and missions, to name a few), but it lays out everything we need. God gave us His Word as the only unchanging, eternally true handbook for life.
If we cease to believe in God, we cannot believe His Word. Likewise, if we start to doubt God’s Word, we doubt God. We need both! If you have doubts, check the Bible. See what it says about God. While you’re at it, take a look at God’s love for you. His Word is filled with messages about how much He loves us and cares for us. Bonus: He gave us a way to communicate with Him. It’s called prayer.
In Conclusion.
I could go much deeper. These three points are meant to lay a framework, to remind you why we serve the God we serve. If you’ve put God on the shelf, I’ll ask you to take Him off it. We cannot afford to place God on the shelf. He’s far too important.
As such, here are three takeaways. I hope you’ll apply them to your life (I certainly will)…
1. Treat everyone as God’s child.
We humans are made in God’s image. Every one of us. We should therefore treat everyone as we want to be treated. We should show them God’s love by caring for them, praying for them, and serving them.
2. Decide who has the best plan.
There comes a point where we must choose whom we will serve. I can’t walk my way while trying to walk God’s way. It’s a pride issue. Do I think I have the best plan, or do I trust God’s plan?
3. Study God’s Word.
If you aren’t already doing so, read God’s Word! Start small: pick up the Bible every morning (or evening, or whenever works for you) and read a chapter. I suggest starting in the Gospels. Read about the God who created the world, watched it fall apart, then sent His Son to die so we may live. I make it a habit to pick up God’s Word at the beginning and end of every day, and it makes a huge impact.
I fear our “self-sufficient” world lures us into believing God is irrelevant. Yet as our Creator, Designer, Saviour, and Instruction Manual Writer, He does matter. If you have questions about this, please talk to a pastor or church leader. You can also leave any questions in the comments. I’ll try to give you a solid answer.
My prayer for you today is as Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus, found in Ephesians 3:14-17…
“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in Heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
I'd love to hear from you!