| Reflect Your Father's Heart |
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Luke 15:27-29
'Your brother has come back home,' the servant answered, 'and your father has killed the prize calf, because he got him back safe and sound.' The older brother was so angry that he would not go into the house; so his father came out and begged him to come in. But he spoke back to his father, 'Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders.
What have you given me?
'Your brother has come back home,' the servant answered, 'and your father has killed the prize calf, because he got him back safe and sound.' The older brother was so angry that he would not go into the house; so his father came out and begged him to come in. But he spoke back to his father, 'Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders.
What have you given me?
Like the prodigal son's older brother, many believers are working tirelessly for the Father; but they do not have the heart of the Father. Instead of rejoicing with his father that his younger brother had been restored, he was angry because he felt unappreciated by his father. He was not only ignorant of his father's heart towards others, he was also ignorant of his father's heart towards him. He lacked the foresight to realize that all that his father owned belonged to him, Luke 15:31.
One of the reasons why Jesus could boldly say in John 14:9 that anyone that has seen Him has seen God the Father is because He consistently reflected the heart of God the Father in everything that He did. Are you reflecting the heart of God the Father in everything that you do? Before you can reflect the heart of the Father, especially in your relationship with others, you must maintain a genuine relationship with God the Father.
It is as His love permeates your entire being through the help of His Spirit that you will be able to reflect His heart of love in your relationship and dealings with others. As the Spirit of God develops this heart of the Father in you, you will develop an urgency to reach out to the lost. Like God the Father, you will not desire for anyone to perish; instead, you will be willing to sacrifice your comfort to ensure that as many as possible come to know and have God the Father as their own Father.
One of the reasons why Jesus could boldly say in John 14:9 that anyone that has seen Him has seen God the Father is because He consistently reflected the heart of God the Father in everything that He did. Are you reflecting the heart of God the Father in everything that you do? Before you can reflect the heart of the Father, especially in your relationship with others, you must maintain a genuine relationship with God the Father.
It is as His love permeates your entire being through the help of His Spirit that you will be able to reflect His heart of love in your relationship and dealings with others. As the Spirit of God develops this heart of the Father in you, you will develop an urgency to reach out to the lost. Like God the Father, you will not desire for anyone to perish; instead, you will be willing to sacrifice your comfort to ensure that as many as possible come to know and have God the Father as their own Father.
PRAYER FOCUS: Ask the Holy Spirit to stir up the heart and love of God the Father in you so that you can reflect it more to others.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR READING PLAN: LEV 11-13 - See more at: http://www.cgmglobal.org/aboveonly/today.php#sthash.MYDAvo35.dpuf
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