He's a Good Good Father

Topic: God the Father
Speaker: Herald Canlas
Date: June 18, 2016


Tri-unity seems to be a very sensitive topic. I am afraid to give a wrong perspective of what it means. Let me just share with you this picture below, and I will allow the Holy Spirit to provide you with wisdom.

Okay so before we lose our mind, how about we first discover who God the Father is?

God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose (1 Corinthians 8:6). He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, and good to all He has made (Psalm 145:8-9). He is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1-31; Ephesians 3:9). As the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Psalm 103:19; Romans 11:36). His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind.

God the Father, who has all the authority in heaven and on earth, also disciplines us. He hates sin, He also gets angry, He punishes YES. But He is loving, soft-hearted, forgiving, He is perfect. Let’s drill down to five of who He is to me and to you.

1.       God the Father shows pity.

“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11)

Whenever I read the Bible, I can see myself. Hmnn, Israel is so like me, I would say. I would turn away from sin, then I would go back, turn away, and go back. God has been very patient with me not only after I received Him as my personal Lord and Savior, but He really waited for me to be broken, suffer the consequences of my sinful acts, and finally turn to Him when all else had left me. He was my last resort, yes. I only turned to Him when I had no options at all. That was me for quite long years. But praise God for He shows pity. Now, there is no turning back. My prayer is for God to rebuke me instantly as I sin. I want to be just where God is, regardless if it costs me my worldly happiness.

2.       God the Father shows mercy.

“Even when God punishes men for their sins, it is less than they deserve and is tempered with mercy and knowledge of the frailty of mankind,” (Psalm 103:6–18).

I so love this verse. I can attest to it! I have committed a lot of mess in the past and even until now, but God is just so gentle with me. There even is this special time of my day that I would stop and talk to my Father for a while and thank Him for being so gracious for assuring me of my eternal salvation when I don’t deserve it at all. Yes, He disciplines me – but He deals with me in a very sweet, tender way and greater part is, He is with me as I suffer the consequences of my disobedience.

3.       God the Father chastens those whom He loves.

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes." (Psalm 119:71).

I want you to picture where I am right now as I am writing this. It’s calm, quiet, all I can hear are the birds or whatever insects they are, I can smell the fragrance of the flowers, trees, the sun is ready to shine, it’s cold – I love it, and at the same time I am listening to a Christian song, “From the Inside Out.”

When I was young, I always doubt my father’s love for me. When he would get angry, I would do as he said but with a grumbling heart. I used to hate fathers who spank their children. Only when I came to know God the Father then I understood my earthly father’s love for me. I love this lyrics from the song I just mentioned, “Your love will shine when all else fade.”

When God teaches me, it’s painful. Especially when He asks me to cast out my idols, I’m telling you, it was and it is still painful. But whenever I remember God’s love, every negative feelings leaves my heart. I love the way God reminds me of His love, very unique. He allows heartaches and He would wait for me to come to Him, then He would give me an unexplainable peace that only a daughter of God can apprehend.

4.       God the Father loves us.

Yes Bible reading is important for us to know more about God, but John 3:16 I would say says it all. We all know that God the Father sent Jesus to die for our sins. Do we really understand our Father’s heart, giving up His only Son for undeserved sinners? Tears are falling down my eyes right now. I can’t imagine my tatay grieving for my death. I wonder how a God, who is blameless, felt when His perfect Son was mistreated and killed by His own creation. I am blessed because God chose me to be born in this generation. And yet, I still want to seek God’s character, everyday, and have a very strong foundation of His love for me. I want to know what breaks my Father’s heart and I want Him to pierce my heart, too.

His love truly never fails, mine does … always…. Ours do.

5.       God is both Just and Justifier

“God is a God of judgment, wrath, and vengeance. But these are not His only characteristics.“

Haha! It’s just funny because some would see God this way, but to tell you honestly, this is the part that I missed. I used to believe that God is ONLY loving and forgiving. It was only months after I started reading the Bible when I understood God’s wrath. And yes, He is a just God. It’s just that sometimes, or most of the times, we see only within our peripherals. God can see the past, present and future, God can see both the outside and inside. And that we will never understand while still living in the flesh.

Do you want to escape the judgment of God and instead be assured of His love and mercy? Then call upon His Son Jesus, the only means of salvation (Acts 4:12). The Bible says, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).