June 25 ~ Romans 8:15
God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Think about television fathers of the fifties and sixties (or for some of you, from today’s reruns on TV Land). Consider Andy Griffith, or Fred McMurray’s character on “My Three Sons,” or even Ward Cleaver on “Leave it to Beaver.” These men were “large and in charge” and commanded respect. But when their sons misbehaved or made a mistake, they had nothing to fear. Sure, there were consequences, and sometimes the dads were disappointed or upset. But these fathers lovingly showed their sons their mistakes and how to correct them… and how to avoid repeating them in the future. The sons respected their fathers. Oh, sure, Beaver acted like he was afraid of his dad at times, but he wasn’t really… and he never felt like his slave.
In my mind, God is the same kind of Father as Andy Griffith – only super-sized and far more powerful. God takes things in stride… enjoys my successes, cries when I’m sad, and is disappointed and upset with me when I disobey Him or make wrong choices. But He is not a “slave-owner,” and He is not waiting to beat me into submission… or keep score of every time I’ve failed Him. At the day’s end, I am still His child, and He loves me. He wants me to have the very best He can provide – and to be all that I can be. Like most fathers, He wants me to live up to my full potential as His child – and to get all I can out of life on this earth… and my life in Him. If we are honest, we all want to please our parents. We want to feel that they are proud of us, and that we lived up to their expectations. And God is no exception to this.
If you view God as anything besides loving, just, fair, and taking your best interests to heart, you’ve misunderstood Him. If you think of God as a fierce judge who is waiting with a list of your infractions and a whip and chain to beat you into submission and correction, you are dead wrong. God loves us. He may correct us from time to time or allow us to suffer consequences of our actions, but He does not want us to serve Him out of fear. If you have any feelings toward God other than love and a healthy respect and reverence, I encourage you to spend some time reading His word and getting to really know him. Go to www.biblegateway.com and do a keyword search for “God’s love,” or “love of God” or other phrases about our Father and His love. See for yourself how deeply He cares. Discover Him in a new way, and serve Him joyfully as His child… and not a slave. God wants us to serve Him willingly and out of a deep joy and love. He’s worthy of that, and more. Find out why… and get busy being His child.
©2010 Debbie Robus
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