Recently, I had someone in my home who referred to themselves as a guest, when in my heart and mind I considered them a family member. I wanted them to feel at home and to act accordingly.
This brief conversation swirled in my head for days. Then the Lord turned my heart towards Him. Do I act like a guest or family member with Him? Do I feel at home with Abba Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit? What does it mean to feel at home with the God of the universe?
There is a song that I have enjoyed for some time now, it is called, Halls of Heaven, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIn0DNDcjiw. It talks about how we can meet Him face to face. How we have been called boldly to come into His presence. How, as a child, we come running through the halls of heaven, to the Holy of Holies. Joy is overflowing.
When the Lord urged me to write this blog, several verses came rushing thru my mind and I feverishly started searching for them in my Bible. I knew some from memory and some I had to look up. Yet, the theme was the same. He calls me His child. He calls me His family. He wants me to rejoice in His presence.
Because of what Jesus did for me, I can come into the presence of my Abba, (daddy in Hebrew) without any obstacles. Jesus continuously ushers me to His Father, my Father. I CAN run thru the halls of heaven because of the blood of Christ.
There are times I come to my Father God with my face displaying shame and guilt, and I confess to Him. In turn, Abba takes His big, gentle hands and cups my face and makes me look at Him and He says, “because of Him (pointing to Jesus), I forgive you my precious daughter.” Then He embraces and holds me tight and promises to help me not do it again. Oh, His grace and mercy. Tears are falling as I write this, because I see it! I see Him!
Oh, do YOU see Him like this? Do you know that He is real, that He is kind? He is our Father. He wants us to run and rejoice in His home, His kingdom. His throne room belongs to us. We can be at home there. It is a welcoming place for His children.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1
“For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother,” said Jesus. Matthew 12:50
Then Jesus looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:34-35
God sets the lonely in families. Psalm 68:6a
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5
In 1 John, it says, “dear children” about 11 times! Do you feel like His dear child? Do you feel comfortable, as a child, in the presence of your Father? Do you feel like you can run up and sit on His lap?
If you do not, please take this time to re-read these verses and go to the book of 1 John and highlight how many times it says, “child” or “children”. Pray and ask the Lord to help you understand and bask in the beauty and truth of who you are in Him. Let this truth, that you are His child and a part of His family, sink deeply within your soul. Then may you live in that truth. It is transformative!
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord.
Psalm 104:33-34