* Life with Father

In the Gospel of Matthew chapter six , we can’t help but notice a key thought running though the chapter; Life with God as our heavenly Father.

In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus urges us to see ourselves as God’s children and to see Him, think of Him, and pray to Him as our Father. He says in effect... As you live, think, “Our Father”; when you pray say, “Our Father.”

A person’s self-image is extremely important. It programs thoughts, expectations, and emotional attitudes. Jesus desires for us a self-image of children who live with love and are loved by their Father. To know God as Father—our almighty, loving Father—is the highest, richest, most rewarding aspect of our whole relationship with Him.

We need to move from the thought of God as judge
to the thought of God as Father

God, in His capacity as judge has already blessed us with the gift of justification through the atoning death of His Son Jesus. Review the previous devotion, Jesus took away our condemnation. But the judge who has acquitted the person (namely those in Christ) on trial naturally would not have a continuing relationship with him. So we need to move from the thought of God as judge to the thought of God as Father with all that it implies—goodness, generosity, care, sustained concern, and closeness, along with the thinking of inheritance which He has in store for those who are adopted into His family and made joint heirs with Christ.

We are children in God’s royal family; the law of God is our family code; the blessing of the happy man, set out in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), is the blessing of the royal child.


Heavenly Father, what a privilege it is to call you Father! May I live with love knowing I am loved by my Father in heaven. Help me to live knowing you are Father, not judge. Thank you Jesus for taking away my condemnation before a Holy God. Help me Father to believe more strongly You are good, generous, caring, concerned, and close; that I have an inheritance into Your royal family! Renew me daily to walk in my new self-image. Despite whatever negative experiences I’ve had with my earthly family, all things become new in Christ Jesus my Lord. I can’t wait to be with You forever! In Jesus’ name. Amen.