The Father Cares About Us
Yes, the Father does indeed cares about us! He has set in motion an administration to adopt us as his spiritual sons and daughters in the heavens!
“With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment— to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”
– Ephesians 1:8-10
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
– Ephesians 1:3-5
“In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.”
– Ephesians 3:4-7
While the Father’s primary concern is for our eternal welfare, He also cares about our daily affairs. The Bible is replete with counsel on how to deal successfully with fleshly life, whether it be with our family, our friends, our jobs, our marriages, our children, our religious associations, our governments, even our enemies. There is not an area of life that cannot be improved by some counsel found in the Bible.
But that does not mean life will be easy. Many long for peace and security, and we are promised that one day, our planet will be just such a place. In the meantime, we must develop skills and mental attitudes to sustain us during our current earthly sojourn.
The Father does not shield us from the rigors of earthly life. It is through the trials and tribulations of life that we are perfected. Man only learns wisdom by experiencing adversity. And it is by finding successful ways of dealing with adversity that man makes his greatest advancements. Really, the greatest affliction of life is never to have been afflicted.
Life’s difficulties may challenge mediocrity and defeat the fearful, but they only stimulate the true children of God. For we know that whatever befalls us, our destiny is secure:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Romans 8:35-39
We can face our unpleasant, difficult and even harsh circumstances by keeping ever in mind Paul’s words:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
No, life on earth today is not a bed of roses for most of us. But the difficulties we face are not caused by our Father or indicative of divine disfavor or punishment. They are the realities of earthly life according to our stage of spiritual development. (Galatians 6:7-10) Yet, we can endure it:
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
– 1 Corinthians 10:13
We all long for a better life and it is truly within our reach. If we are among those who find themselves at a social, financial or material advantage, we should use our advantages to assist our brothers, never losing sight of the real future, the real life in the heavens.
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
– 1 Timothy 6:17-19
For all of us, whether we are doing well or whether we are suffering, the counsel is the same:
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
– Colossians 3:2
When we do that, we will know, without question, that the Father cares for us and longs to be with us and share His true bounty:
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
– 1 Corinthians 2:9
