And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty, 2 Corinthians 6:18
On my computer screen is a picture of a beautiful baby girl. There are two things about this picture that are particularly delightful. Firstly, the tiny lass is flashing a big happy smile as she looks directly into the camera. Secondly, this tiny lass is a granddaughter of mine, a relationship that has obtained for her a very special place in my heart. Although she is less than three months old, she has already become one of the most important people in my life. All because of her relationship to me. In the same way, as our text indicates, you and I are very important to God because of our relationship to Him.
If my little granddaughter cried every time I picked her up and held her, and if she showed no interest in me whatsoever, it would have an impact on the amount of enjoyment that I obtained from her company. Our God also obtains more delight from us if we pay more attention to Him, if we spend time in His presence, reading His Word and communing with Him. God will never disown us, just as we never disown our children regardless of how disobedient and obnoxious they might be. But our attitude toward Him will make a significant difference in how he deals with us, just as pleasant and obedient children usually receive more attention from their parents – and grandparents – than unruly and nasty children receive. We can expect God to treat us fairly, more fairly than we often treat others, but we can’t expect Him to take pleasure in us if we ignore or neglect Him.
Most children take great pride in the work that their parents do. Just listen to children in a classroom when asked what their parents work at, and you can’t help but hear pride and excitement in their responses. Some parents do have exciting jobs, and others have jobs that sound exciting to their children. But no parent is anywhere near as exciting as our Heavenly Father! No one is as wise as He, no one is as strong as He, no one has the experience and great stories as He. There has never been a better provider, a more faithful friend, a more compassionate counsellor, or any other role that a parent plays in a child’s life. The more we get to know Him, the more excited we should be, and the more anxious we should be to tell others about Him.
What a wonderful family you and I have been brought into! And what a great God is our Father! We ought to tell others of His greatness. -Jim MacIntosh