What Does My Heavenly Father Think Of Me?

What Does My Heavenly Father Think Of Me?

We all come from diverse types of (earthly) family backgrounds.  Good, great, so-so, terrible, one parent homes, no parent homes, staunch, loving, outgoing, etc.  Regardless of our backgrounds, what our parents thought of us and and how they spoke to us while we were growing up had a profound affect on how we think about ourselves.

We may or may not have a preconceived idea of who God is or what He thinks of us.  Do we think He is always angry, looking for an excuse to hand out divine retribution?  Do we think He is someone impersonal, who cannot be approached except through some ritual or going through some other person?

Our perception of God and what He thinks of us influences our relationship with Him.  We will not approach Him if we think of Him as cold, uncaring, or angry.

It is important that we go to the Word of God and find out what God thinks of us and what he desires for our lives.  No one likes to be misrepresented or misunderstood, so we should afford God the same courtesy, and not let other influences paint an inaccurate picture of Him.

You may come from a very large family, or perhaps you have no family.   Regardless, if you are born again you now have a Heavenly Father and you are now part of His family.

As in any family, there are benefits and responsibilities.  And while you may go far enough astray in your earthly family so that are reluctant to take you back, that is never true with God -- the door is always open and forgiveness is always there.

Before we look at a few truths from the Word of God on this subject, I would like to point out that God has always honored believing.  He is not a respecter of your earthly family's background -- skin color, education, skills, hair style, or economic status, but rather a respecter of those who believe His Word:

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith [pistis, believing] it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This verse says "he that cometh to God". It also says that God is "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him". God wants us to approach Him, to diligently seek Him. And, He desires us to believe that He is a rewarder. We can do so because God, through His only begotten son Jesus Christ, cleared the way and there are no obstacles!

Ephesians 2:12-19

That at that time [before being born again] ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

These verses mention "both", "twain" (old English for "two"), "you which were afar off", "them that were nigh" (or "near").

Before the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, there were basically those who were part of the Judean faith and those who where not.  There who were not were referred to as "Gentiles" or the "the uncircumcised", or here in Ephesians, "those which were afar off".

In the temple in Jerusalem there was a wall past which a Gentile was not allowed to proceed, only those of the Judean faith.  This wall separated those who were believers from those who were not.  Before the day of Pentecost, those who were of the twelve tribes of Israel had a distinct advantage, if you will, over those who were not.  Gentiles could convert to Judaism, and they were called "proselytes" (which in Greek means "stranger" or "newcomer").

Ephesians states that the Gentiles, those that were afar off, are now "made nigh" to God.  It then says that the "middle wall of partition", that which separated Judean and non-Judean, is now gone.  Christ Jesus removed any distinction between men and women when it comes to having access to God.

Furthermore, by the death of Jesus Christ "the enmity" was slain.  This enmity had been there ever since the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis, but now that which separated God and man was slain, removed forever.  There are no barriers (of God's doing) between man and God.  This is due to what God did in Christ -- his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and the giving of the gift of holy spirit in Acts 2.

Jesus Christ removed the distinction between the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision (Ephesians 2:11), he made "one new man" in verse 15, he slew the enmity in verse 16.  The next thing he did, in verse 17, is he "preached peace".  Why?  Because now that there is nothing to stand in our way to having access to God, we are truly at peace, and have access to the peace of God.

Verse 18 says "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." This access is not through your denomination or mine, or Mohammed, or Buddha, or your priest.  It is through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord, believing God raised him from the dead, and having that new birth spirit 1.

Why can anyone come to God and believe?  Because Jesus Christ removed ALL barriers! In our earthly family, or in our friendships, whenever there is a barrier it is an uncomfortable situation.  There were times in my life when I went through great effort to avoid someone that I had a problem with simply to avoid the effort of clearing the issue up.

I Peter 5:7

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Learning how to go to our Heavenly Father with our needs or our deepest fears takes practice. Unless we know that He does care (which He does) we will not bother. Unless we know that He hears our prayers and will answer them, we will not bother. But, as we go to Him and believe, we receive.

We learn from the mighty King David:

Psalms 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear [have reverence], and shall trust [confide] in the LORD.

King David believed God. We will need patience at times, but God does hear our cries, our prayers of believing. If we don't give up we will obtain deliverance.

Our Heavenly Father loves us and has done everything possible to let us know that. If He offered up His only Son so that you and I can be fellowcitizens with the saints and be in the household of God, why would He ignore us or push us away once we are sons of God?

We may limit God's blessings in our lives because of our failure to walk on the Word of God, but that is our doing, not His. Once we are in His household we need to learn what to think, confess, and believe so that our lives are rich and full and we can in turn bless others.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This is a very "full" verse.  First off, we are not to be "conformed" to this world. This means we are not to be brainwashed, in part or in whole, by worldly sources. These sources could be anything from the news, a television commercial, a world leader, or a friend.  Just because something does not look evil on the surface does not mean that it is not trying to get us to accept less than the Word of God.

We are not to be brainwashed by the Word of God even!  Rather, we are to be "transformed". This is the Greek word from which we get our English "metamorphasis", the word used to describe the four stages of change of the Monarch butterfly.

The process of being "transformed" is a conscious effort that you and I must take. God does not control or use us.  We must go to the Word, put it in our minds, and then walk out on it with believing.

Our minds are to be transformed, not by brainwashing, but by our free will act of renewing it. The Greek work for "renewing" is anakainosis.  When we are born again it is Christ in us.  That is a spiritual event and does not affect our minds.  We renew our minds by doing two things:  studying the Word of God and then putting it into action.  It is in the action that the mind is renewed. Then we prove that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God in our lives.

Whether we like it or not, we are products of what we think.  If we allow our minds to be fed only with what society provides, we will not be able to renew our minds and evidence the greatness of what God gave us in Christ.  Therefore we must feed our thinking on the Word of God addressed to born again sons of God, which is primarily found in Romans through Thessalonians.

Putting the Word of God that pertains to the new birth into our minds and walking out on it, believing it, releases tremendous power.

Learning what God thinks of us, what He has given us, what He will do for us -- can only be found in His Word.  We cannot believe more than we think, so we need to study the Word of God.  Let us continually go to it, read, and put it into practice!