To Bring Joy to the Father
The sermon emphasizes the importance of reflecting God's image and radiating Jesus' likeness in order to bring joy to the Father.
In this sermon, Basilia Schlink emphasizes the importance of reflecting God's love and bringing joy to the Father in Heaven. She explains that God desires His children to follow in His footsteps and become like Him. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God has paved the way for us to love others and bring heaven on earth. Schlink encourages listeners to have a burning desire to never show an evil picture of God's image through rebellion or lovelessness, but instead to embrace opportunities to be recreated in the image of His meek and loving nature.
Full Transcript
God lives and works today. He is a living, loving Father who wants to be able to rejoice in His children. An earthly Father is happy when His children follow in His footsteps and become like Him.
This is also the great joy of our Heavenly Father. And because He is love, He wants to imprint upon us the image of His love. Listen to today's meditation by Besselia Schling called, To Bring Joy to the Father.
In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord Jesus tells us, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, our greatest longing must be for the Father in heaven to be able to rejoice in us. When He looks down upon the earth and has to look at so many ugly, distorted caricatures of His image, I at least should bring joy to His heart.
Now, our Heavenly Father has given us His only begotten Son, so that we all may reflect His image once more. Oh, that our hearts would burn with one desire, never to wound the Father in heaven by showing an evil picture because of our rebelliousness, defiance or lovelessness. Therefore, let us praise the Lord when He gives us opportunities to become recreated in the image of His meek, lamb-like love.
Only when we get our feelings hurt or are slandered or hated can this love be born in us. There is no other way. Perhaps we are surrounded by people who don't handle us with kid gloves, but who sometimes provoke and humiliate us.
At such times, let us pray, My Father, I thank You, for now You are giving me an opportunity to grow into Jesus' image, and then I will be able to bring You the greatest joy, for You will see His image imprinted upon me. Let us give thanks when others make life difficult for us, and then we can learn to truly love them. And besides, nine times out of ten it's really our own touchiness that's at fault.
To love in the true sense of the word means to reach out to those who aren't compatible with us, and to be especially kind to them. This is what the Father's waiting for. It's His greatest longing and His greatest joy for us to radiate the likeness of His Son.
This is worth more to Him than a hundred thousand prayers. God has a right to expect this love from us, because Jesus has paved the way. Through His victory on Calvary, He's won this love for us.
We need only believe in His victory and let our hearts become filled by the one longing. The Father in Heaven must be able to rejoice in me. Dear Lord, let me become like You.
Bring love in me to birth. Spending my love upon earth. The love that makes heaven on earth.
You have been listening to a program written by Basilia Schlink of the Little Land of Canaan. To learn more about how God lives and works today, visit us at our website www.canaan.org. If you contact us, we would be happy to send you a free inspirational booklet. If you do not have access to the web, please write to God Bless You!
Sermon Outline
- I. The Father's Joy in His Children
- A. The Father's desire for us to reflect His image
- B. The importance of loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us
- II. The Opportunity to Grow in Love
- A. The Father's gift of His only begotten Son
- B. The need to let our hearts burn with a desire to reflect Jesus' image
- III. The Power of Love in Difficult Circumstances
- A. The opportunity to grow in love when we are hurt or slandered
- B. The importance of praying for the Father's love to be born in us
- IV. Radiating the Likeness of Jesus
- A. The Father's greatest longing and joy
- B. The importance of reaching out to those who are not compatible with us
Key Quotes
“To love in the true sense of the word means to reach out to those who aren't compatible with us, and to be especially kind to them.” — Basilea Schlink
“This is worth more to Him than a hundred thousand prayers.” — Basilea Schlink
“The Father in Heaven must be able to rejoice in me.” — Basilea Schlink
Application Points
- Reflecting God's image and radiating Jesus' likeness is essential to bringing joy to the Father.
- Growing in love requires a desire to reflect Jesus' image and praying for the Father's love to be born in us.
- Loving our enemies is crucial in reflecting the Father's image and bringing joy to Him.