There is an ache in God’s heart for every one of His children to return to Him—even those who are lost and sinning—as we will see in the third parable. The Lost Son

Resting securely in the love of God is a birthright of every believer. You can be confident that your Father loves you constantly with an unchanging love (Rom. 8:39). God declares that in His love, He wants to be involved in every area of your life. There is nothing you do that God does not care about. In Hebrews 12:5-11, the Scripture talks about Our Heavenly Father loving us so much that He will discipline and correct us at times. Our earthly fathers corrected us so that we would live in the best way possible. Likewise, God disciplines us so that we might become more and more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18). This takes place in various ways: As you read the Bible and realise you have been walking in some way that is displeasing to God; as a conviction or thought placed in your mind by the Holy Spirit, etc. In fact there are all sorts of ways our Father speaks with us to make sure we live the abundant life He has promised (Jn. 10:10). If you are ever in doubt here, then ask someone who is older and more experienced what they think. Based on the Bible, they will be able to guide and advise you. In John 14:18, He says that He will not abandon us as orphans. In 2 Corinthians 6:18, He says, “And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” Receiving the Father’s love For he chose usin him before the creation of the worldto be holy and blamelessin his sight. In love hepredestinedus for adoption to sonshipthrough Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasureand will—to the praise of his glorious grace,which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

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One of the great declarations of the Bible is that God is Our Father. The Bible tells us of the amazing closeness, intimacy, warmth and tender-heartedness of God, Our Father. When received through faith in Jesus Christ and acted upon, this truth gives amazing freedom and power in our lives as believers. If you’re looking to encounter the Father with others who are hungry for more revelation, we invite you to an upcoming Immerse focusing on this, May 13–20 in Kansas City. Spend eight days experiencing theological teaching coupled with practical, hands-on training in the harp and bowl model all in a community of 24/7 corporate prayer. It is easier to explain Abba using the Italian language by looking at the word “Papa”. This is a real word very young children use for their Fathers and is pretty easy for them to say and is a term of great love and endearment. However, the very same word “Papa” is used for the Pope, someone the Italians particularly hold in great esteem. The word Papa therefore holds huge honour and a magnificence and reverence in that context and one of great intimacy and familiarity in the other. Loved this book, as I had to admit I cried when reading this book, as it was a great book for me heading into Lent. Yet, I was a little disappointed that this book was not about God, the Father – which proclaims it’s about – experiencing the depths of his Love for you. But, after finishing this about a week ago, and reflecting on it, I can see why others feel upset that the book is not about the love of God, the Father, instead how the author who is a senior pastor has dealt dealing with the unbroken – lost souls of the world throughout his ministry by attempting to be an example of God’s love within the world. Therefore, I began to think to myself – isn’t this supposed to be our faith, and life mission upon the earth, to bring the Love God, the Father has for us, to the unbroken – lost souls of the world? God wants us to know the intimacy of Him like a small child does with their dad, but also to understand that Our Dad is the Creator of the universe. He is mighty, powerful, awesome living God. Allow God to soften your heart so that you can call Him “Dad” and know that He looks upon you with favour and listens to your voice with delight. 2. Living Out the Father-heart of God

The father was watching for him! He ran (which was disgraceful for a man of stature) and kissed him—not worrying if his son still smelled like the pigpen! Growing up, when I thought about God and Jesus, I always thought that Jesus was the nice one and God as being distant and angry. When I prayed as a child and young adult, I would talk to Jesus, but not to God the Father. I thought he was disappointed with me, cold, and judgemental.The story is left open-ended, perhaps a deliberate invitation to the religious Pharisees to join the celebration of those who have been forgiven of their many sins. Print them out and write down what God is showing you about how He sees you! Write down what God is saying about you in the Bible Verses and read it out loud!