Genesis 1:26 (Amplified) tells us, "God said, Let Us (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), make mankind in Our Image (after Our Likeness), and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the (tame) beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth."
God has never varied from this commitment and His Original Intention for His children. Mankind was never meant to be under bondage to anyone or anything. The relationship we have with our Heavenly Father was not one of bondage, but of family. It was meant to be a Love relationship between God and His children, as family. The relationship I have with my wife, children, siblings, grandchildren and great-grandchildren isn't one of bondage, but of love. They don't stay with me out of fear, but they stay with me out of their love for me and my love for them.
My part in this family is to enjoy, provide and care for them, to the very best of my ability, so they'll grow into fine adults and bring forth seed to replenish the generations. They will learn how to love their family, by watching and learning from their own experience in life. My sons learned how to love their wives, by watching how I treated and loved their mother.
The way we do this in God's family, is by watching our Heavenly Father and His Example for His family. If I don't have the correct picture of Him and His family, then I don't have the right picture for myself and my family. When I promise my children something, I'm assured they believe me, because I don't lie to them or promise things I can't deliver. Sadly, we look at the Promises our Heavenly Father has made and then wonder if He really means what He says.
God's Word tells us that, "All of God's Promises are Yes and Amen of us in Christ Jesus." He is able to provide everything He Promises in His Word, because HE IS THE FATHER. We draw our ideas of Him, from the experiences we had with our earthly fathers, and these aren't always good images. We haven't all had good earthly fathers and the image we have of our Heavenly Father is clouded by our experiences. The relationship we have with our spouses are sometimes clouded by our not understanding the True relationship between Christ and His Bride, the Church. Ephesians 5:32 (Amplified) says, "This Mystery is very great, but I speak concerning the relation of Christ and the Church."
My wife could have chosen another man to be her husband, but she chose me. She doesn't stay with me out of fear, but out of love. I don't need to threaten her and force her to stay. She stays because she loves me and for no other reason. Even when I can't provide the very best and we've endured hard times, I can trust in her to remain faithful to me and remain with me, out of love.
Even as Christians, my wife and I struggle sometimes and have some hard times, but during these times, we can depend on one another, lean on one another and remain in love with one another. She doesn't love me for my money or for all I can provide, but she just loves me. Many are upset with God for various reasons and think He's holding out on them or isn't doing His part. We don't love God for only His Provision, but for Who He is. This is unconditional love and will always remain.
If God only loved us when we did everything right, then His Love wouldn't remain unconditional. There's a way to walk with God, according to the principles of the family, which will allow Him to provide all He's Promised us in Jesus. Most of us don't take the time to learn or understand the family into which we were born-again. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek, aim at and strive after, first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all of these things taken together will be given you besides."
What is God's way of doing and being right? We can't become in right standing or become righteous before Him, by our works or traditions. We do so, by accepting the Righteousness He provided for us in Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:5 (Amplified), "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me." Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospels, a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith, disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith. As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live, and shall live by faith."
We are righteous by faith in His Righteousness and not of our own doing. This is "His way of doing and being right or righteous. This is the Kingdom's way of being in right standing with the Father. The above scripture tells us that, "We accept His Gift of Righteousness and realize we're righteous in His eyes and Kingdom by faith." The rest of His Promises are easy to accept, when we put our faith in this Truth. Most of us see our own faults and think of our unrighteousness, instead of considering His Righteousness, which He ascribes, by faith in Jesus.
Many believers don't know what the cleansing of our sins, really means. Even though we're born-again, the full meaning of this eludes us. God didn't just forgive our sin, but He eradicated it as though it never existed. He declared us Righteous, by being in Jesus and as His very Own family. He sees us as being clean.
We're still working out and walking out this righteousness, while we're in this body, but God only counts the steps we take and not how many times we might fall down, while we're learning to walk. Most children spend more time on their Pampers, than on their feet, while learning how to walk. We never doubted that they'd eventually learn to walk. Like children, we make mistakes that we learn to overcome, as we grow. Don't you think our Heavenly Father knows we'll learn to overcome these things?
Don't just look at your failings and think you'll never arrive, on this side of Heaven. You're already in God's family and you'll learn how to do "His way of doing and being right or righteous." the Kingdom has spiritual Laws that govern it and God cannot change the Laws, but He will teach us how to walk in them. These aren't rituals, like in the old covenant. They're Laws that hold the universe in place. If God changed these Laws, then all of creation would be displaced, so we must learn to observe His way of doing and being right.
We must spend time in His Presence and listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit. Just prior to His Ascension, Jesus told His followers about the Holy Spirit, in John 16:13 (Amplified), "But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth Giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole full Truth), For He will not speak His Own Message (on His Own authority), but He will tell whatever He hears from the Father (He will give the Message that has been given to Him); and He will announce it and declare to you the things that are to come (that will happen in the future)."
Jesus wasn't speaking just about "the End," when He spoke about the "things that will happen in the future," but about the things that may happen in our lives tomorrow. Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will show us how to deal with these things. Today, the world is wrapped up in the Coronavirus. We must listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit and He will direct us how to deal with even this, by His way of doing and being right. Don't step out in presumption or fear, but step out in faith in God's Righteousness and in His way of doing and being right. He will direct you.
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