God's sense of humour

As a grandparent, I love seeing and hearing stories of what our grandchildren have been up to, especially if they are funny. Two year old Samuel was watching his grandfather fill up the bird feeders in the garden and announced that ‘Grandpa was feeling the birds!’ It conjures up such an amusing picture.

I am convinced God loves watching his children and laughs over some of our exploits and things we say. I can imagine God’s pleasure as he sees families and friends at rest together enjoying one another’s company. I am sure he laughs along with us at some joke or amusing event. Our sense of humour comes from God. We are made in his image.

He doesn’t just enjoy church services or our ‘quiet times’ or even our good deeds and kind words but all of our life; a piece of work well done, the great golf or football shot, our joy at a bargain we find when shopping, the pleasure we get when taking a walk and marvelling at his creation. When we err or things go wrong God is there to comfort and guide. Every part of our life matters greatly to God.

However there can be a unfortunate tendency to view God as rather distant and even like the spiritual police, waiting to jump on misdemeanours so he can turn his displeasure on us.  This view is prevalent even in the Church. Nothing could be further from the truth. It doesn’t seem to matter how much the Bible speaks of God’s love. No matter how often we take communion and remember Jesus’ incredible sacrifice of love by dying on the cross. Somehow our own sense of shame and unworthiness overwhelms our fragile belief in God’s love.

We would rather believe If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Hebrews 10: 26 – 27) than See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3: 1. One is a warning to a few – the other a blessing to us all.

God loves us. God likes us. God enjoys us. God will never leave us but how much better it is to be a joyful child revelling in God’s love than a fearful child only concerned with confessing sin and grovelling in the hope of appeasing a vengeful God. As a parent and grandparent I want to enjoy my family. I don’t want them always talking about their sin and failings even though it’s right to confess them at the time. I want to share life with them, laugh with them, cry with them but be with them and love them. How much more does God want the same.

Father and child

Too often in the midst of life’s difficulties, it is very easy to lose sight of who we are. Our view of God can become that He is the answer to our prayers and of course that he is what he is.  I need work, finance, healing, breakthrough, help with exams, healing of relationships, a spouse, security, protection, all sorts of things and God graciously answers our requests.

However I believe that instead of seeing God merely as our heavenly provider, what is so much more important is to see that God is our loving heavenly Father and we are his precious, chosen children.

Small children look at their parents and see them as the source of all they need, which they are.  They provide food, clothes, money, warmth, comfort, protection and so on but as they grow older children begin to value the relationship with their parents. Unfortunately the relationship may break down at some point due to the weakness and failure of one or both parties and too often we do not really come to appreciate our parents either till we and they are old or worse still when they've gone.

If we imagine the best possible dad, we don’t want to spend all our time asking him for things.  It would be embarrassing to have a relationship based on our wants and his provision. What we really want is to spend time with Him especially when things are tough.   Only he can provide the comfort and affirmation we need.

It is so much more wonderful is to have a relationship based not on provision but on love and confirmation of our identity as God’s chosen child. We can face a lot when we know who we are and who is always with us.

At this moment I am in the midst of a storm.  I have no idea why or how I got here.  All I know is that life is very bumpy at the moment.  I could spend all my time begging God to get me out or even to tell me how I got here or I can relax and remember who I am and who is in the boat with me.

The ride may be bumpy but I am being held by the strongest pair of arms in the universe. I may feel fearful and alone but I am not.  I am God’s child and he is not going to let me go or let me drown. I am safe with him.

I do not need provision, I need fathering. I need the reassurance that I am his child and he loves me more than I can ever know. 

The truth shall set you free

And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8: 32

One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is live by the truth of God’s words and not by our feelings. I have a Christian friend who was always telling me that feelings were just feelings – nothing more – by which he meant that they could not necessarily be trusted. This used to infuriate me because my feelings were very real and I felt very reliable. The truth is feelings are important but they are also very unreliable and should not just be used as an indication of how things are.

I have found on many occasions when I have felt that something was not right between me and someone else, the best thing is to ask them if something is wrong. Frequently there is nothing wrong; it was just my feelings misleading me. Occasionally there is something amiss but if we talk about it we can be put things right and iron out any misunderstandings.

The devil would much prefer we live in the midst of muddles and misunderstandings, and grievances real or imagined. He does not want us living in the truth and especially with regard to our relationship with God. This is because as we walk in the truth of who God is and who we are, chains of rejection, hurt, bitterness, resentment, unfulfilled ambitions, grief and so on fall off and we are set free to know that God’s love is very real and very reliable.

If there is one truth we need to really get hold of it is that God only wants good things for his children. Which father arranges horrible things for his child? This does not mean God will not discipline us but he does this 'as a Father who delights in us' not because he is a mean, nit-picking disciplinarian. He does it because he wants us to walk in freedom not bound by sin, either ours or another’s or its consequences. Jesus said, ‘which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’ Matthew 7: 9 – 11.

God wants good things for his children and God works good things for his children. As Mark Stibbe says, ‘he is the world’s greatest dad’. Whenever you catch yourself thinking or feeling something negative about God, stop. Replace that thought with a new thought about the goodness of God. It is literally life transforming – for you!

The joy of the Lord

For the joy of the Lord is your strength Nehemiah 8:10

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit which should, like all fruit, grow.  Joy of the Lord which I think means joy being one of God’s children and doing his will should also grow as we get to know him better.

However unfortunately, so many Christians are anything but joyful. Too many seem dour as if serving God is more akin to slavery than sonship. You remember the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son who said to the Father,  ‘All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders’ Luke 15: 29. He had no joy in anything and especially in the return of the younger brother.  He was bitter and resentful. 

Many are talking about the Father heart of God at this time because this is a great truth that needs to be restored to the church. None of us has any idea of how much our Father really loves us but as we start to get a revelation of his amazing, unconditional love, something starts to melt inside us. That desire to perform, to strive, to please God by our own efforts gives way to relaxing in the arms of a loving Father who wants to bathe us in his love and acceptance. Doing gives way to being – being a son or daughter of the living God.
When Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi having been wrongly accused and beaten, they didn’t lie there feeling sorry for themselves. They were praying and singing hymns and everyone in the prison was listening to them. There was an earthquake and all the prison doors came open but instead of escaping, Paul led the jailer and his family to the Lord. The joy of the Lord, praising God in adverse circumstances led to salvation.

No matter what our circumstances, God is always worthy of praise. Praise and thanksgiving take us into God’s courts and presence and joy in the midst of our circumstances washes over us. The world is desperate to know some joy and to know the love of God shown through the lives of believers who despite their circumstances have the joy of the Lord. This is not a phoney superficial joy that is masking the reality of our lives but a joy that comes from knowing a Father God who loves us and is strengthening us in our circumstances.

Non believers need a testimony that is real and is not about what good Christians we are, or what a good church we go to but what an amazing loving God we have, who knows and loves them as well. It is the love of God that draws and wins people and it is the joy of the Lord in our hearts that strengthens and encourages us.  It is a powerful witness to those searching for something that the world cannot give. When you start to show and tell people that God loves them born from your own experience, something inside of them starts to melt as well.  They see a joy and a love that is compelling.

If you are feeling miserable, unworthy, unloved then start praising God and thanking him for who he is. His love and acceptance is healing and his joy will come and strengthen you in the midst of your circumstances.