Welcome HomeÀpẹrẹ
![Welcome Home](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F46454%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
All I Can Say
An influential theologian once said that the most important thing about us is who we believe God to be. If our relationship with God is only one where He is the master and we are His servants without deep personal connection, though this is true, we miss out on having Him as a Father and being His children.
God is a Father. He is the perfect Father of all creation, to be precise. He embodies the purest expression of love, simply because He is love. Therefore, if earthly fathers are so capable of loving their children and providing for their children, how much more does the perfect Father desire to provide for us?
The most powerful way of growing in our relationship with this Father is to continually explore the various ways in which God cares for, provides for, and loves us. From this experience, we also respond in gratitude and thanksgiving.
What thoughts and emotions do you experience when you think of God as a Father? Is it positive? Is it negative? How does your relationship with your earthly father affect your view of God the Father? Having a wrong understanding of who God is influences every aspect of our lives. It has a significant impact on how we perceive ourselves. When we believe that God the Father is always angry at us and always wants us to perform before He blesses us, we will inevitably be harsh on ourselves. Similarly, if we believe that God is distant, cold, and apathetic towards us, it will inevitably cause us to believe the lie that we are not loved and not wanted. The only way to break these lies is to replace them with the truths of who God really is. God wants to affirm our identities as His beloved children.
Because we are in Christ and washed perfectly clean by His blood, the Father looks at us and says, “You are my son/daughter. I am well-pleased with you. I rejoice over you. You are welcome at My table. You belong to Me.”
Take a few minutes and declare the following statements over yourself. Do this every day for the next few weeks: “I am a child of God. I am loved by my heavenly Father. I am celebrated by my heavenly Father. He loves me. He is well-pleased with me. I belong in His house. I am welcome in His presence.”
Ìwé mímọ́
Nípa Ìpèsè yìí
![Welcome Home](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F46454%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
ShofarBand is a South African worship and songwriting collective. In January 2024, we released our live album, Welcome Home. This plan is based on those songs, telling the story of a God who is both transcendent and intimate, both high above and near to us. May this plan and these songs enlarge our view of the love and holiness of God, creating space for encounters with His Holy Spirit.
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