“Think of it this way: if your son asked you for bread, would you give him a stone? Of course not—you would give him a loaf of bread.  If your son asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? No, to be sure, you would give him a fish—the best fish you could find.  So if you, who are sinful, know how to give your children good gifts, how much more so does your Father in heaven, who is perfect, know how to give great gifts to His children!” (Matthew 7:9-11 Voice)

Today is “Father’s Day” when we celebrate our earthly Daddies.  In church, the joyful fathers were prayed over and celebrated.  In restaurants, many promotions were offered to celebrate the loving fathers.  Households have parties to salute the responsible men of the house.  Many bought gifts to honor the highly regarded fathers. 

Happy Father’s Day to all the love-infused fathers.

As I was getting through the day, I realized I had nowhere to go to and celebrate with 🙂 🙂 🙂 !  My biological father is in heaven.  My sister and her family live miles away.  My brother and his family live halfway across the globe.  I live practically all alone … oh well, not really … because I know the Lord is with me.  Hallelujah! 

At almost lunchtime, I had this thought on my head but it spoke immensely to my heart, “Celebrate with Him Who unconditionally, deeply, unfailingly, steadfastly and faithfully loves you like no other!” And so, I made up my mind to celebrate the most important One in my life, our Heavenly Father, Abba! Oh how it totally changed my perspective for this day.

Truly, if our earthy Dads gave us the best life we could ever have thus far, how much more mindful our Heavenly Father is of us?  So great is His love that the redemptive solution for man’s fall in the Garden of Eden was already established from the foundation of time.  Nothing catches our Heavenly Father by surprise.  He is the Onmiscient, All-Knowing God Who knows the end from the beginning.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.   Jesus, the Lamb of God Who was slain as a willing sacrifice from the creation of the world was already divinely prearranged by Him.  God never planned of having us separated from Him forever.  He desired our relationship with Him restored to eternity.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) This everlasting life is to be lived in Him, with Him and through Him.

God knew all along that our restoration can never be made possible by ourselves.  No matter how much we try, we fall short of His glory.  After the fall, we were so earthly bound as slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.  He knew we needed a Savior, the Perfect Sacrifice with the Perfect High Priest Who can fully fulfill and satisfy every law requirement for us to be able to come boldly and confidently near Him. 

“But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children.  And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.  And since you are His child, God has made you His heir.”  (Galatians 4:4-7 Voice)

The Blood of Jesus Christ paid a very steep price for our freedom.  “Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, “Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished.” (Galatians 3:13)

The Power of His Blood made us FREE and whom the Son sets FREE is FREE indeed.  “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:35-36) 

And not only that, when His Blood made us become righteous, blameless and holy, He gave us the Holy Spirit to abide in us forever. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) We become the Holy Habitation of His resurrection power in the presence of the Holy Spirit, so we can live graced and empowered to be who He created us to be, as His sons and daughters, and to do the purpose He called us to do, having divine inheritance and the authority that comes with it.

Unless we know the importance of this firm foundation of being FREE in Christ, only then we can confidently live out by grace through faith these FREEDOM factors that He purchased for us ….

FREEDOM from being slaves to the law that deprives us from coming near His throne. As sons and daughters, we are forever welcomed into His wide stretched arms and clothe us with His love. (Galatians 4:4)

FREEDOM from fear of being rejected and unapproved before His presence. In Christ, we become bold as a lion and our confidence is greatly rewarded when we come to Him ever mindful that Jesus made a way for us to be at peace with our Heavenly Father. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

FREEDOM to become His very own children calling Him, “Papa”. To run to Him for safety and security. To sit on His lap and be comforted by the touch of His presence and Hear Him say, “I love you, My child”. (Galatians 4:6)

FREEDOM to be co-heirs with Christ. Whatever Christ paid for once and for all, we have it. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and power Who went around doing good healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him, so are we. Emmanuel, God with us, is our reality. As He is, so are we in this world. “Since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.” (Romans 8:17)

FREEDOM to receive all that He has ever planned for us, to prosper us and never to harm us, but to give us a hope and a future.  (Jeremiah 29:11)

FREEDOM to worship Him in spirit and truth every single day in the most unique revealed personal way where our hearts are postured to beat like His. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

FREEDOM to explore and experience His goodness knowing that only God is good and is always in a good mood. He promised that only and surely His goodness and mercy shall hunt us down and pursue us all the days of our lives. “So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Luke 18:19)

FREEDOM to have the mind of Christ as we meditate in His Word day and night. The renewing of our minds always causes our lives to be transformed for as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. “For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT)

FREEDOM to be healed from the past, for in Christ, all things are made new. Many of us have not so good memories of the past, but Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of the past and bring us newness in life once washed by the power of His Blood. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Voice says, “If anyone is united with the Anointed One, that person is a new creation. The old life is gone—and see—a new life has begun!”

FREEDOM to become overcomers because Jesus overcame everything for us. The in-filling of the Holy Spirit in us is the exceeding great power Who enables us to overcome our life’s obstacles. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33 AMPC)

FREEDOM to receive healing in our bodies.  Jesus came as a Man and with His broken, pierced, bruised and wounded physical body,  WE WERE PHYSICALLY HEALED!  ” He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree  [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 AMPC)

FREEDOM from fear of the deceiver’s traps and plagues. “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” (Psalm 91:9-10)

FREEDOM to think that we are righteous before His eyes because of the finished work of Jesus Christ and not by our own doing, but by believing.  The just shall live by faith. “God made ·Christ [the One]  Who ·had no sin [or never sinned; did not know sin] to become sin for us, so that in Christ we could become right with [the righteousness of] God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:21 EXB)

FREEDOM to have authority in Christ. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

FREEDOM to ask for godly wisdom and it shall be given. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5 NIV)

FREEDOM to declare a thing and it shall be established. “You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways.” (Job 22:28)

FREEDOM to use the keys given to us to bind what is not of God and loose what is of Him. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19 AMPC)

FREEDOM to be expectant to be supernaturally provided for.  “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

FREEDOM to be confident in Christ Who keeps us from being in trouble.  “It is He who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.” (Jude 1:24)

FREEDOM to have a divine encounter with Him and be blessed when we call upon the Name of Jesus. “In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.”  (Exodus 20:24)

FREEDOM to go wherever the Good Shepherd leads us to go.  He knows the way. He is the Way! “The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.” (Psalm 23:1 AMPC)

FREEDOM to live adventurously with our Papa.   “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” (Romans 8:15 MSG)

With all these in my mind to name a few while celebrating Abba, Daddy’s Day, how do you think the course of my day went?  THANKSGIVING, PRAISE and WORSHIP!  These are just  a handful of His thoughts of me, of us.  How much more if we dig in and deep into His Word?  His Word says that His thoughts of us are more than the sand in the sea that at times make me inquire of Him, “What are Your thoughts of me right at this very moment, Abba?”  “What’s next, Papa?”

“Your thoughts and plans are treasures to me, O God! I cherish each and every one of them! How grand in scope! How many in number! If I could count each one of them, they would be more than all the grains of sand on earth. Their number is inconceivable! Even when I wake up, I am still near to You.” (Psalm 139:17-18 Voice)

We have a Heavenly Father Who forever loves us, forever is mindful of us, forever sees us, forever hears us, forever is with us. Celebrate Him today and everyday. He is forever Worthy of it all.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for making my day bright and beautiful.  You never cease to amaze me as to how You ordain my day to be.   Thank You, Jesus, for always being my Light and my Salvation that I will not fear in any way.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for always guiding me into ALL TRUTH, revealing to me what is of utmost necessity every moment of the day. 

To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Photo Credits: Binky Tolegida