The Love of Abba Father

By Cindy Shepherd on March 26th, 2018

The scripture says, He is the Good Shepherd. He will leave the 99 to get the 1. He is that passionate for you and I, because He IS Love, and Love is the most powerful force on the face of the planet. Love can overtake anything. There’s not one thing that you could ever do that will ever stop Him from loving you and me. And if you think there is, I challenge you to read the Word.

Just think, Moses was a murderer; Rahab a harlot; David was a murderer and an adulterer; Paul (Saul) was a terrorist. So what have you done that is so awful? Nothing that God doesn’t already know about and even knew about before He created you. And nothing so great that He can’t say, “I forgive you.” That’s pretty powerful! So what are you waiting for? Run to Him, and you’ll never be the same!

When I was first approached about writing something for the LHC blog, I thought, what would I say? I have nothing to offer anyone. I put it in the back of my mind and really forgot about it. Then time went on. But God…So one day I was reading the blog of others, as I was getting ready for work, and I read the words, “grace and mercy,” and I knew that God wanted me to share some things.

I think above all else, I want you to know God is on your side, but you have to come to know Him. To have a relationship with Him. I mean if I could sit down with you face to face and tell you about my faith, I would. The list would go on and on. I grew up going to church every Sunday. I had parents that loved me and we had a good life, but really something was missing. I knew about God, but I didn’t know Him as my Friend, my Abba-Daddy.

When I look back on my life and see all the places I’ve been and choices I’ve made, I realize I was searching. I realize it was Jesus I needed to know. You see all of us have a past, and for the most part it’s not very pretty. Every person in church may look good, but there is all that “stuff” behind us. Just after high school I left home and joined a group called, “The Children of God.” It sounded good but…they didn’t actually know God. So yeah, I made many wrong choices. It wasn’t until I found (God directed me to) a little church that knew God, that I started to find out who He really is!

Most people today think that God is angry; that He is God, and not also the ABBA, the Father that He wants us to know Him as. God might be angry, but His anger is not directed toward us. He is furious with the devil, the enemy of His great love. He loves us with a passion that we have such a slight understanding of. The devil will have his day with God, but our God, our Father, loves us. He loves us so much He literally gave His son for us. (See John 3:16) I can’t imagine having a conversation with one of my children, and saying “will you go and live among all these sinful people? Will you give up all you have? Will you go, knowing that they will hate you- not just say mean things about you, but HATE you and conspire against you, and torture you, and kill you in such a horrendous way?”

Yet that is exactly what LOVE, Jesus, did. He never questioned, never hesitated, never took thought of what it would cost Him. He knew the Father’s heart and is always in full agreement with Him. His heart is so full of love and compassion that it can never come to an end. And He came to show us love. He showed it to the worst of the worst, and the lowest of the low. He was never afraid to touch the dirty, the smell, and the contagious. You see, LOVE, overtakes all of that. Love has no fear in it.

When you really experience Him as Father, as the Lover of your soul, you will never be the same. No, life won’t be all good and wonderful. Even Jesus warned us of that! But you will not be alone through it. He will be there in your darkest times. I’ve had some – most people do. But He will hold you through every storm and bring you through every fire. And if you miss it again, His grace and mercy are astounding. Our God is a God of fierce, passionate, and honest love. He will never embarrass you, or hold things against you. All you need to do is give Him a chance.

Let yourself be loved today,

Cindy Shepherd