Richard Lutz ~ Ministry Team Member January 21, 2024
To release the unconditional love of the Father God is to release the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I want to focus on the Father heart of God which is so full of unconditional love toward us, to the point that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever should believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
I put my two sons in the category of the prodigal son in Luke 15:18-32 ~ I wait for the day they will return. God loves everyone and desires that no one perishes and there will be great rejoicing in Heaven when one lost soul comes to salvation! Just as the father welcomed his prodigal son back unconditionally, we need to be operating in that unconditional love towards those who need it.
“I did not have a father really! I had to learn to be a good father and I made a lot of mistakes. I had to give my heart to the Lord to discover the love of a heavenly Father who loves unconditionally.
Now to put it in simplest terms the Father heart of God is unconditional love- for God is love. So therefore, a father’s heart is one of love whether as head of the home, in church ministry, or in leadership, etc. I think that if we are going to truly be effective in bringing others to the saving knowledge of who our Lord Jesus is that we are going to have to love others unconditionally. This means in all circumstances and situations.
The heart of a father should be a heart of love and compassion toward his children, just as our Father in heaven has love and compassion for us His children. This love is demonstrated through seven different roles and they are as follows; provider, protector, leader, teacher, helper, encourager and friend. These are character traits that should be in all of us as fathers. And I believe that these are necessary qualities of leaders in the church as well, not to mention all of God’s children.
Let’s have a quick look at these seven traits of a father’s love:
· Provider; “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
· Protector; “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence. (2 Samuel 22:2-4)
· Leader; “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)
· Teacher; “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26)
· Helper; “Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.” (Psalm 54:4)
· Encourager; “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
· Friend; “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13-15)
“The Heart of a Servant” Great leaders do not desire to lead but to serve.
Years ago, when I was still in the work force, I was asked from time to time to fill in as the dock foreman where I was working. And of course, having the experience on the road, I had a good knowledge of what worked best for the drivers who would be doing the deliveries. So, I tried to have the crew load the trailers the most efficient way (the easiest way for the crew loading the trailer, but also the most organized way for the driver). I used to tell them that I felt that my job was to make their job easier. In other words I didn’t let that position go to my head, and in all honesty I had a crew that trusted me to make the best decisions to enable them to work together in harmony. In fact, they seemed to be happier when I filled in, as they didn’t feel like they were being ordered around.
· “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
· “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10-11
· “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:20-21
A final thought…Obadiah means “Servant of God.” Nehemiah means “God comforts.” Therefore when we put Nehemiah and Obadiah together we come up with “God Comforts His Servant.”
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