A Good Dad

One of the consistent things God has been reminding me over the past year is- he is a very good Dad.

Regardless of how good your dad was growing up, God is much, much better. He is all of your dad's best qualities times a million. He is constantly looking out for us. He loves to provide for us. He is pleased with us. He loves being around us. He doesn't manipulate us, He doesn't have any hidden agendas, He doesn't have any ulterior motives, He is not burdened by us.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Martin Luther- "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness." That has stuck with me because I have a tendency to view prayer and many other aspects of my relationship with God as an attempt to convince God to bless me.  Sometimes I even have the feeling that I need to change God's mind or bend His will in my favor (or in the favor of the person I am praying for).

But in reality that mindset has nothing to do with the gospel. It is paganism, not Christianity. Paganism says if I offer the right sacrifice... enough sacrifice, the right kind, and in the right way, my god will bless me. But the beauty is, this isn't how the Bible portrays God. He loves us, He is in favor of us, He is pleased to give us the kingdom.

He is a good Dad. We can trust Him with every detail of our lives. We don't have to "guard" what we say to Him because He is on our side. We don't have to gain His approval, bend His will, or overcome His reluctance.

This is one of my main desires in church planting. To help people realize how great our Dad is and to walk in that truth. When we know how good He is, it changes everything.