1 John 2:14-15
"I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
In this passage, John talked about another phase in spiritual growth - Fathers. The characteristics of the fathers are that they know "him who is from the beginning" and they have father's heart. Children and fathers are different; children know the Father, just like how babies recognize their father after they are born; however, children do not know God's will, just like how kids don't necessary know the plans and thoughts of their fathers. Fathers, on the other hand, can understand God's will, God's creation, God's redemption and God's Kingdom. Many believers and churches today are only able to see their own needs, but lack the mindset for God's Kingdom. Our perspective on things are narrow, so when we pray we always focus on our work, family and health, but we seldom care about what God wants to do in the end time, where is God's church heading towards, how will God's Kingdom expand. No wonder the more we pray, the more we feel worn-out.
May God come and broaden our mindset so that we not only pray for ourselves, but also for God's Kingdom and all churches. The more we pray for God's Kingdom, the more we become excited, because we will see that God's work is advancing all over the world. It is a spiritual principle that the more you give, the more you will gain. Many believers don't understand the word of the Lord that "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." You will become satisfied only when you are willing to sacrifice and give. If you always keep your door closed and just ask God to satisfy your own needs, then your life would be like the Dead Sea, where water only goes in and nothing comes out, and thus become salty and have foul odor. There is no end to pursuit of God, for we easily fall into the trap of constantly pursuing God while missing God's mission and timing in your life.
Fathers know God's will and timing, and they can seize God's will and timing to move forward courageously. Also, fathers have the heart of the father, and when they know there are lost souls they will go seek them. Just like Jesus who has a merciful heart, the fathers will not rebuke those who are weak, but instead they love the weak ones because Jesus came to be a friend of the tax collectors and sinners. May the Spirit of the Lord help us, give us the merciful heart of God the Father, so that we will continue to grow from the state of a spiritual infant to gradually become a father.
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