A Father's Love (Lent Devotion) - Tuesday, April 9
A Father's Love
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. (John 3:35)
Responsibility is the duty and power to deal with something and to be held accountable.
When I was a teenager, my mother often left one of my siblings in my care. I knew the house rules. I also understood that if my baby brother broke the rules, I would be the one held responsible for anything he did, because he was not yet fully capable of understanding the consequences of his actions. For that short amount of time, I was given the power and duty to correct him within the guidelines my mother had given to me.
Adam and Eve were given God's command regarding the tree of knowledge, as well as the free will to obey or disobey that command. They were told of the consequences, but having never experienced death, it is unlikely they fully understood, like my baby brother, the consequences of their actions. Despite their naiveté, someone had to be held accountable.
Jesus says the Father has given "all things into His hands."
Jesus was born into the world and bore the responsibility of paying the penalty for our sins. Because we cannot save ourselves, He had been given both the duty and the power to lay down his life and take it up again on our behalf.
By faith in Jesus, we become the children of God, and with that title comes our own responsibility to the people around us. We know the punishment for sin is death, and the gift that comes from faith in Jesus is eternal life. It is our job to share that message with the lost.
We don’t know the full ramifications of not following Jesus’ command to “go and baptize” (Matthew 28:18-20). We do not know how many souls will be lost for eternity if we shirk our responsibilities. We also don’t know the miraculous things God could do if we use our lives to tell others about the love and grace that comes from Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Father, because of our sinful nature, we will always remain like a helpless infant, unable to correct our condition apart from your intervention. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, who was willing to rescue us from eternal damnation and separation from you, and help me to lead others to the cross. In Jesus’ name, Amen.