THE LOVE OF GOD - from the standpoint of an earthly parent

MATTHEW 7:7-12

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

To describe the love of God in a way you can understand, in this Scripture, the Lord likens Himself to an earthly parent, the love of fathers specifically in this context. One experience most children share is the undeniable love and sacrifices parents make on their behalf. Unfortunately, not everyone comes from well-balanced homes and has these experiences, but in this context, we’ll be focusing on balanced parenting. 

Personally, I witnessed my parents deny themselves certain luxuries to accommodate my needs and that of my siblings. The normal responsibility of a parent is to ensure the welfare and needs of their offspring are met as God helps them and being older and more experienced than their offspring, parents are expected to make the best decisions in this regard.

As a daughter of my earthly father, whenever I need anything useful from him, all I have to do is ask and he will provide it as long as it’s at his disposal. If I need counsel on any matter in which he is knowledgeable about, all I have to do is seek his input and he will gladly bring me up to speed. 

And if I know that he has certain connections that can help me in life, he goes ahead to open up such doors of opportunities for me. Now, for me to have such access to my earthly father is deemed normal, and as a child of obedience, if I maintain that respect towards my father, he will trust that the things I ask for would never bring dishonour to me, him or our family. He will trust that the values he instilled in me would always affect the decisions that I make. I cannot guarantee the same results for a child of disobedience, a child who constantly goes out of the way to do things that’ll hurt the image of their family. Such a child cannot be accorded the same rights as one who lives up to the expectations set.

Carefully considering the Matthew 7:7-12 scriptures, the words: Ask, Seek and Knock, are repeated... These are actions that the Lord requires us to take to receive from Him. There's a demand on our part to receiving from God and it is that we actively engage Him. Passivity gets nothing from Him, it doesn't build the desired relationship you need to know God as you should, to know what He desires for you and from you. It would be rather strange and absurd to go to God only when you need something and expect the best of Him, He is God, not your errand boy. You do not ask, seek and knock on someone you are unfamiliar with. 

So, to receive from Him, He requires you to put in the effort. Asking of God, Seeking Him and Knocking-in hopes that He opens up to you means that you are ready to receive from Him according to His standards, and God surely has standards. God is on the other end of all of this and He gives you what is best for you, not what you consider to be best. James 4:3 ("You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.") reveals to us that it is possible to ask and not receive, why? Because we ask for things that satisfy our selfish desires. 

Think of the love of God in this manner, your parents do all that is in their capacity to send you to the best schools they can afford, secure the best jobs for you, open doors of prospects to you that can better your life and reveal knowledgeable and useful things they know would help you, imagine asking them to hand over the money meant to send you to school for you to go clubbing or shopping? Or asking them to teach you about the occult or pornography? These might seem like good ideas to you, but your parents being more enlightened and wiser than you are would not oblige to your requests because they know it’ll be of no value to you, they’ll rather put their resources to better use that will ultimately lead to the fullness you can attain. 

This is what God does for you, He reserves you for the best, not as you deem best, but according to His good pleasure. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33. The preceding verses let us know that the Gentiles, non-Christians in this context, eagerly seek to see their fleshly desires met. But what Matthew 6:33 helps us realise is that in seeking God, He provides for you according to what He deems best for you. You might desire thing according to your fleshly needs but God who knows the end of a thing from the beginning will give you what He wants for you because He seeks to preserve your life. You may not understand His instructions and pruning, but they’re ultimately for your good and it’ll do you well to obey them. I should make this clear that God plays His Fatherly role to every creature regardless of their stance towards Him, He loves every single one of us and the ones who obey Him would understand the need for God to have the upper hand in their life. 

The Scripture goes on to say, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 7:12. If you desire the best from God, you must be willing to give Him your best. 

Think about this, you put your time, resources, and energy into what you desire, usually expecting the best in return. How then do you desire the best of God without giving and sharing with Him the valued aspects of your life? Our Father in Heaven is a Good Father, Scriptures reveal this to us, "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:15, so regardless of your disposition towards Him, He remains faithful to you. 

But… if you seek to function in maximum capacity and reach the fullness of who you were created to be as designed by the Chief Author and Creator Himself, you will have to live according to His directions and invest in knowing Him on a deeper and personal level.