Happy Father's Day!

Matthew 23:9 - Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 

Happy Father's Day to all who are fathers! Jesus did not mean we should not call our fathers on earth our fathers...just not to put them above the Heavenly Father. I thank God for my church and the wisdom of the young fathers there, their devotion to God first, then the love they have for their wives and children. We prayed for them this morning and honored them. 

But all honor and power and glory are due one Father in particular. He is the Father of us all and the Father of this universe. By His Word He spoke all things into existence, including you and me. His name is the name above all names. No earthly father can compare. 

We sang this song this morning. Although I know this song well, it spoke much more deeply to my heart today. It is about a Father who created me, who will never leave me or forsake me, who knows my coming and going, knows my thoughts from afar...and loves me like no earthly father could. This is an amazing God. Do you know Him? Can you say you feel even a hint of the depth of His love for you? We will never know the absolute depth, but we can be assured when He says He loves us, He does. The immensity of all this brings tears to my eyes.

Indescribable (Chris Tomlin)

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to it's light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. All of them, from beginning and till the end of time; He knows our names. 

You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same. With all our faults... 

Amazing love. Indescribable. After all these words, I am reminded of what Jesus tells us:

Matthew 10:29-31 -  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

One God

Deuteronomy 4:39 - Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord  Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

As I was in prayer this morning, the words came to me: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I stopped and thought about the grand meaning of those words. There is no end to the depth do them. It is a concept of oneness. It all started with one God, one will.

Our God created. He spoke and it just was. All things are controlled by God. God is even allowing man to choose his own direction turning it into something more acceptable to other men because of the belief that they, like Adam and Eve in the garden, can possess on their own all the knowledge they need. He is allowing man to dig a huge hole for himself which we are seeing they/we are falling into. His will on earth is not for destruction. His will is that of heaven: peace, life, joy, as initially intended. Only those in Christ can truly say nothing could be better, despite what we see happening in the world.

I got to thinking about things of "oneness" in the Word. God desires unity, people being of one heart and mind, worshipping one true God. If it sounds one-sided it's because God knows best. The Father knows best. Adam and Eve knew what was best until they fell into the lie that there were better things for them if they just made their own choice. All it took was one quick bite of an apple. Man's ideas stem from believing that same lie. And sadly we are all tempted to believe it.

There is only one God, which will surprise many some day when every knee will be bowed to our LORD, when many eyes will be opened before His judgment is cast upon all people and the decision is made, the left hand or the right. Yes, God will choose, He will decide who will enter into His Kingdom. Those who have chosen not to believe the lie but believe in the Truth which is His Word, and His Word which became flesh, which is Jesus, shall be in His will, the will of heaven, the will of the Father for earth. One Truth, one God.

My mind wandered some more. Unity, being of one mind. Having the mind of Christ. Being unified as a body of believers. This is all He wants from us. Unity. Single-mindedness. And this also involves one Church. Like man decided they could make their own decisions, have their own choices, he has decided one doctrine isn't enough. One denomination isn't enough. There is only one Church. It is ruled by God alone, powered by His Spirit, with only one Word of truth, Jesus Christ, the Word which became flesh. A triune God, three in one: Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

God knew when He first created, as John 1:1 states, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the whole concept of unity. One God, one Word, one Spirit. Is that so hard to understand? When there is unity among people, unity in an idea, unity in spirit, don't things run more smoothly? Why would we want it any differently world wide?

Maybe this idea of one God, one unity is too hard to comprehend. But God is God. He has all the knowledge and we do not! We are called to believe. It is those who cannot take Him at His word (or choose to receive the Word, Jesus) who fall into the ranks with the men in the world. Also...this unity, this one God, is for all mankind. Every people, tongue and nation: And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy ... for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9)... Remember, one God...Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Here is what God called the prophet Isaiah to speak to His people, Israel: One God, no other. No other to save. Those who believe (of any people, tongue or nation) are one with Him, who have experienced the Savior's touch, have Him and His Spirit living within them. One in Christ, our Savior.

Isaiah 43:10-11 - “You [the people of Israel] are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior."