Shepherd, Father, and King
In my last blog entry, I wrote about Jesus being our Shepherd, Father, and King. So today, I thought I would pick up where I last left off.
Jesus said “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NKJV). First of all, God is our Shepherd, for Jesus compares us to a flock of sheep. But He also is our Father, for Jesus mentions our “Father’s good pleasure.”
The Pharisees thought it was blasphemous for Jesus, to refer to God as His Father. Imagine would they would think about us, His followers, calling God our Father. It was a radical concept!
To Mary, after His death and resurrection, Jesus said “Go to my brothers, and say to them, ‘I ascend unto my Father and your Father, my God and your God'” (John 20:17 THE MESSAGE). Jesus established a new covenant between mankind and God whereby we can now address Him as Father! John reminds us, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (I John 3:1 NKJV).
God delights in giving us things
What does our Shepherd and Father want to do? According to Jesus, it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom, reminding us that He is also our King!
I love the fact that Jesus says it is God’s good pleasure to do so. I don’t know about you, but I have always loved to get gifts for my children and grandchildren. It is never a mere duty, but something I delight in. Know this: God is that way: far more than we can imagine. He delights in giving us the Kingdom!
What exactly is the Kingdom of God?
Jesus was with the Pharisees on one occasion and said “The Kingdom of God is already among you” (Luke 17:21 NLT). At this point, He was referring to Himself, reminding us that wherever Jesus is, that’s where the Kingdom of God is. Jesus also told us to “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). So the Kingdom of God is where Jesus is, ruling and reigning.
Is He ruling your life today?
To seek God’s Kingdom is seek to win people into that kingdom, they might be saved and God might be glorified. It is God’s good pleasure as our Shepherd, Father, and King to help us in this pursuit.
