Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Father
- Father: This is the pinnacle of the Covenant Triangle. God is the Father. He is the creator. He is love. Our relationship with the Father is rooted in His love for us. We get our identity through Him. When the Father is in our life, obedience becomes clear.
As I read over my blog post from three years ago, I was struck by my
focus on Paul’s disappointment. As we
read through 2 Corinthians 1, we can feel a sense of disappointment in the words. Paul’s lived a hard life. He’s encountered opposition in Asia Minor. People are turning on him. The Corinthians have not figured out their
issues and require another letter. The
famine in Jerusalem continues and the need for his collection is growing. Paul sounds like a disappointed man in this
opening letter.
Yet, look where Paul begins.
Paul begins with the character of the God. Paul begins with hope and mercy and
grace. Paul begins with consolation. Paul reminds them that as they are consoled
they are to console others.
To me, this is one of the most important characteristics of
Father. One of the things I loved about
my dad when I was growing up was that he was always there for me. When I fell down, he picked me up. When I made a wrong choice, he helped me
understand it, deal with the ramifications, and correct it. When I need support he was there. When I needed courage he helped me find it.
God is even greater than this.
God gives us eternal courage. He
gives us eternal hope. He gives us
eternal comfort. When the world kicks
us, God comes to us, reminds us of His promise to grant us life eternal, picks
us up, and encourages us to try again.
That’s God. That’s the
Father. That’s what comes out of God’s
love. Like Paul, no matter how much
disappointment we face in life God is there to be Father to us and comfort us
so that we can go and do likewise.
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