I love to see family resemblances. It always warms my heart. It’s a personal pastime for me whenever I’m in a crowd. Do you realize that we all share in our Heavenly Fathers features through His Son, Jesus Christ?
“God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much…We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created.” Colossians 1:13-15 (The Message)
Can you imagine how much your Heavenly Father adores and admires you when He looks at you and sees His Son?
Read Colossians 1:13-15
- Can you recall a time when you believe God saved you from certain harm?
- Stop for a moment and thank your Heavenly Father for His care.
- Recall a time when you felt that God was pleased with you and thank Him.
Read Leviticus 19:1-3
- Do you respect your father? How do your show that respect?
- Ask the Heavenly Father to give you a renewed respect for your earthly father.
- Notice it doesn’t say, “Respect your father IF…” Why do you think God commands us to respect our fathers without qualification?
Read I Timothy 5:1
- Paul encourages Timothy to treat older men as if they were his father. What does Paul assume about Timothy and his father?
- Why is honoring your father so important to your relationships with other men?
- Why is honoring your father important to your relationship with God?
- Will you pray for more grace and understanding to honor your father?
Four Types of Respect:
1. Positional Respect- Respecting someone because they are in a position of respect.
2. Personal Respect-Respecting someone because they have earned your respect.
3. Self Respect-Respecting ourselves because we are respectable.
4. Godly Respect-Respecting someone because of God’s perspective of them.
- Think of an example of someone to whom you give each type of respect.
- Take a moment and thank God for those people.
- If you struggle with self respect; have you ever considered that God loves and respects you? How does 1 John 3:1 address this issue?
Read Philippians 2:1-4
- What 5 traits are all part of our relationship with our Heavenly Father?
- Take a moment and envision God as a loving father offering those gifts you.
- Thank Him for who He is.
I’m tellin’ you, you are the spittin’ image of your Father. You may not be comfortable with that image at first, but if you’ll relax for a moment and realize what an incredible fact it is when we are in Christ Jesus our Savior… because our Heavenly Father, just like a loving earthly father looks at us, and thinks, “I am so pleased to call them my children.”
“Lord, I am so grateful to be Your child. Thank You for creating me. Thank You for my earthly father and for allowing me to afford him the respect that in turn paves the way for me to love and respect You as You so richly deserve. Touch my heart with compassion for my father and deepen my love and respect for You as my Heavenly Father…and thank You for allowing me to be your son or daughter.”