The Father Loves the Son

John 3:35

The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

Today, as I write this, it is my eldest son’s birthday. It’s hard to believe he was born thirty-two years ago. I remember speaking to my wife’s growing belly telling him I loved him and couldn’t wait to see him. On the day he was born, I held him in my arms for the first time, looked at his precious little face, and felt a wave of love for him flood over me. Love was not a new emotion for me. I loved my wife more than anyone. I loved my parents, siblings, extended family, and friends, but the love one has for their first-born child is ineffable. You have to experience it to truly understand. It’s at that moment when you realize what it means to say you will do anything for this tiny little person God has given you. Although you only have one firstborn, that same love returns with every child the Lord gives to you. I have been blessed to be inundated with that sense of love with each of my six boys. This father loves his sons. Someday, everything I have will be given to them, (whether they want it or not). As their father, I want to bless them. I want to leave them with things of value. I do not mean only material goods and wealth, although that is part of it. I want to leave them with lasting memories, enjoyable times with the family, invaluable life lessons, a solid biblical understanding, and the indispensable knowledge of their Lord. A father who loves his children desires to give them all manner of good things.

Our heavenly Father loves His Son, Jesus Christ. He has promised to give all things to the Son. The amazing thing is we have been adopted into the family of Christ, and so all that the Father gives to Jesus is also shared with us. We might tend to think that Jesus is the Father’s favorite child, but a loving father doesn’t have a favorite. He loves all his children equally. It is staggering to think the Lord of the universe loves you and me, His adopted children, just as much as He loves His natural Son. The Father loves you just as much as He loves Jesus! Just because the Father loves His Son doesn’t mean Jesus had an easy life. He suffered unbearably. Yet, it was through His suffering that He learned obedience (Heb. 5:8). Because of His obedience, your Father has given you an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that does not fade away, and is reserved in heaven for you (1 Pet. 1:3-4). God is blessing you now, even in difficult times, but your real inheritance is the lasting memories you create as you walk with the Lord, the enjoyable times you spend with your family in Christ, the invaluable lessons you learn from your Father, and the understanding you gain from seeking the Lord and experiencing His presence. As you do this, you overcome every obstacle, inherit all things, demonstrate you are a child of your heavenly Father (Rev. 21:7), and there will be no doubt how great the Father’s love is for you.