A Good Father

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:9 -11 ESV

God, my Father in heaven, gives good things to His children. We touched on this last week when we talked about persisting in prayer until God answers. Jesus is driving this point home with His rhetorical questions here.

Good fathers provide for and protect their children. But even the best of fathers is still human and will make mistakes at times. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “you who are evil.” Compared with God, everyone falls short. God is the perfect Father who provides exactly what I need when I need it and abundant blessings beyond that. He gives me good things when I ask Him.

I know not everybody has a good earthly father. But everyone can have God as their perfect heavenly Father. However, this doesn’t automatically happen. It may seem harsh, but Jesus makes it plain that not everyone is a child of God. If we go our own way and reject Jesus, we have a very different father.

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. - John 8:42-44a ESV

For us to have the right to be called children of God, we must accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, - John 1:12 ESV

I am very thankful that I have believed and received Jesus. I trust in God’s promise that He will work all things for good for me (Romans 8:28), even when things don’t seem good. I can do this because I know God is my Father in heaven, who sees me and understands what I need better than I do.

Dear reader, I hope and pray that you also have this confidence in God as your Father. If you don’t or are unsure about this, please comment below or use “Let’s Chat” to reach out. I’d love to answer your questions about how to become a child of God.

Think About:

• Do you have confidence that God is your Father in heaven?

• How has the Father given you good things?