God the Father

"I will extol thee, my God, O King, ...Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” (Psalm 145:1,3,8)

Snow Queen, a huge polar bear, gave birth to two small cubs. The mother led the cubs, after their eyes were open, from their snow den to the sea. Here she taught them how to catch fish, seal, and walrus.

Nearby, an icebreaker was frozen fast, locked in ice. One man, camouflaged in fur, decided to spear seal. Snow Queen saw only his back as he sat near a breathing hole. Thinking he was an animal, she and her cubs crawled on their stomachs, making a zigzag trail so as not to startle their prey.

Just as the bears were ready to pounce, a seal came by. As the man jumped up with his spear in the air, he saw the bears. Dropping his spear, he ran for his life over the ice to the ship. For days after that the men watched the bears through their telescope.

One day they killed a walrus for their dogs. Smelling the walrus blubber, the bears crept close. Taking their guns, the men climbed into a small boat to go after the bears. Snow Queen dived into the sea and swam with her cubs from one ice floe to another. But the cubs soon tired. Pushing them, urging them, Snow Queen finally covered them with her body as they rested on the ice.

At the sound of the enemy’s gun, she reared up on her hind legs and uttered a terrible growl. Then with a pitiful moan, down she came, covering her cubs with her strong arms. With her last bit of strength she licked their little black noses and then gently pushed them into the water out of harm’s reach.

Wonderful mother love that didn’t forget her babies! “With untold love our God has loved us, and our love awakens toward Him as we comprehend something of the length and breadth and depth and height of that love that passeth knowledge” (Ellen G. White, Mount of Blessings, p. 76).

Preview

Satan has succeeded in creating a distorted portrait of God in the minds of people. Many picture God to be like themselves—selfish, exacting, dictatorial, cruel, vengeful, slow to forgive, and quick to punish.

Because God’s character has been misunderstood and misinterpreted, Jesus came to this earth to show the world what God is like. His daily life is an example for us to follow, so that we, too, can give the world a true picture of God’s character. By our lives, others will glorify God the Father.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6.). Does your face, your life, dispel the darkness of Satan’s lies about God? Do you shed the light of His glory, His goodness, mercy, and truth? Are you echoing the praise of God so that everyone you meet will understand a little better the greatness of His love? Do you love to speak of His wondrous works for you and in you?

Points to ponder

1. Does the Bible distinguish between God the Father and God the Son?

The Old Testament alludes to such distinction, but the New Testament speaks clearly of the Father and the Son. God sent the Son (John 3:16). God the Son is the Creator (Hebrews 1:2, John 1:1-3,14). Christ also led Israel out of Egypt: “They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:04).

The Bible also speaks of the close relationship between the Father and the Son: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

2. What beautiful word picture did God Himself give to Moses in Exodus 34:6, 7?

3. Do you see the blend of God’s mercy and forgiveness with His justice?

The Old Testament is filled with promises of God’s forgiveness. (Micah 7:19): “Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Nuts & Bolts

(This is a Questions and Statements section condensing the SDA Believe chapter God the Father. Make sure you read the chapter first.)

1. God the Father is so great, so marvelous, and so infinite that our feeble minds cannot comprehend

His glory.

Isaiah 55:8, 9

2. God is a covenant God—one who keeps His promises.

Joshua 23:15; Jeremiah 32:17; Hebrews 10:23

3. God is the Redeemer involved in all of our affairs.

Psalm 18:2

4. God is our refuge and strength.

Psalm 55:22

5. God is a God of goodness.

Psalm 145:7

6. God is a God of faithfulness and unconditional love.

Isaiah 41:10

7. God is a God of both salvation and vengeance.

Isaiah 35:4

8. God is our Father both by creation and redemption.

Malachi 2:10; Deuteronomy 32:6

Have you considered the lovely treetop gardens in the rain forests? From the ground up to about forty feet in the jungle, you seldom see flowers. But look heavenward! High up, where there’s sunlight, God has planted a world of color in lovely air plants, or epiphytes. Many have short stems surrounded by a rosette of leaves that overlap to form watertight cups. Rainwater, dead leaves, flowers, and animal matter fall into these plant tanks. Broken down by microorganisms, they provide mineral nutrients that the plants absorb. Lovely orchids have swellings on the stems or at the bases of leaves, where they store water. Gazing upward at the graceful bouquets of greenery and colorful flowers of air plants brings convincing evidence that there’s nothing too hard for God. Sometimes more than thirty different species of magnificent air plants grow on a single large tree.

If such are the possibilities for plants, what great things await you if you grasp the inexhaustible supplies of heaven, if you keep your focus on God, and live in total dependence on your wonderful heavenly Father.

9. God is a giving God.

God created us as free moral agents. In this He took a great risk, knowing that we could misuse that freedom. And we did. As a result, we sinned. To redeem us God gave us His Son (John 3:16). Think of the pain God felt when He sent His Son to this sin-polluted planet as a helpless baby. How empty heaven was without the Son! He felt all the hatred heaped on His Son. Calvary gives us the clearest picture of the Father’s love. Separated by the horror of all the sins of the world, the Father suffered with Christ.

Words to Remember

• Ancient of Days: A description of God the Father.

• Extol: To praise, glorify, extol.

• Refuge: Safe place free from harm.

The Difference Between

• Vengeance: God’s judgment upon sin and sinners, just and deserved—very different from how people act, who inflict injury, harm, and humiliation to get even.

• Faithfulness: Only God is absolutely faithful and trustworthy. He can be trusted. He will never let us down. He keeps His promises.

• Unfaithfulness: The nature of human beings is the opposite of being faithful. By themselves they cannot love God or others unconditionally. Nor are they absolutely trustworthy.

I Truly Believe

Reflect carefully on each statement below. If, in your heart, you agree with the concept of each statement, place a check in the box.

My Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your love in giving Your Son to die for my sins. Thank You for Your power to keep me from sin. May I never abuse Your forgiving love, but always please You in all things.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.