1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,280 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to 2 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: have you listening with us. Today's topic is about approaching 3 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: our Father in Heaven confidently, regardless of what our relationship 4 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,959 Speaker 1: with our Dad might have been like. We'll return with 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: the devotional after a brief message from our sponsors. Approaching 6 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: our Father, written and read by Cindy McManamon. Let us, then, 7 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: with confidence, draw near to the Throne of Grace, that 8 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: we may receive mercy and find grace to help in 9 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: time of need. Hebrews four sixteen English Standard version. Do 10 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: you need to help and yet hesitate to ask someone 11 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: unaware of what their response might be. The writers to 12 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,119 Speaker 1: the Hebrews must have known we would experience that type 13 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: of hesitation when coming to God, and apparently wanted us 14 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: to know we can approach our Father God with confidence 15 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: and find him full of mercy and grace when we 16 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: need help. This wasn't an easy concept for me to grasp. 17 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: Even though I grew up in church learning of the 18 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: love and forgiveness of my heavenly Father, I also grew 19 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: up believing I had to earn my earthly Father's love. 20 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: I don't often remember my dad saying I love you. 21 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: But I do remember how pleased he was with my accomplishments, 22 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: and so I often heard the words I'm so proud 23 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:45,960 Speaker 1: of you. Thus it was ingrained in me that if 24 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: I accomplished much and made him proud, that equated to 25 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: his love for me. I also grew up fearing my 26 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: dad's reaction if I were to make a dentt in 27 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: a wall, or a scratch on our car, or break 28 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: something of value. I was especially fearful of bringing home 29 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: a traffic ticket. I learned how to tiptoe around him 30 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: and to do everything I could to keep the peace 31 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: at home. When my dad wasn't under stress or triggered 32 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: from past pain, he was approachable and very kind to me. 33 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: Other times he wasn't. It was often a gamble. Today, 34 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: my dad is a different person through the transforming power 35 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: of God's Holy Spirit. He has softened tremendously through the years. 36 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: I know today that he loves me for who I am, 37 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: not for what I do. Yet, many times, how we 38 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: grew up around an earthly father or without one, can 39 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: tend to shape our view of God as our heavenly father. 40 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: I remember the freedom I experienced when I understood the 41 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: truth of God's unconditional love and acceptance for his children. 42 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: Romans five eight tells us, but God proves his own 43 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: love for us in that while we were still sinners, 44 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: Christ died for him. That means if there was nothing 45 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: we could do to earn God's love, there's nothing we 46 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: can do to lose his love. It also means we 47 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: never have to perform or try to measure up to 48 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: our heavenly father's standards, because Jesus already did. We are 49 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: enough for our heavenly Father, because God sees us through 50 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: what Jesus accomplished on the cross on our behalf. God 51 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: doesn't love and accept us based upon our behavior, or 52 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: our accomplishments, or what we make of ourselves. His acceptance 53 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: of us is based on our faith in his perfect son. 54 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: Ephesians two eight nine and Hebrews eleven six, intersecting faith 55 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: in life. No matter what your relationship is like or 56 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: was like with your earthly Father, God's love, presence, and 57 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: help is far more accessible to us than any earthly dad's, 58 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: even the most loving ones. Hebrew's force A assures us 59 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: that because we have a high priest Jesus, who can 60 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: sympathize with us, we can approach God with boldness and 61 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: receive his mercy and grace anytime we need his help. 62 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,239 Speaker 1: We are in relationship with Jesus. We can confidently approach 63 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: our Daddy God at any time of the day and night, 64 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,559 Speaker 1: and He'll be there for us, no condemnation, no fear 65 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,559 Speaker 1: of retribution, only grace and help in time of need 66 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: every single time. God is consistently merciful, and our approach 67 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: doesn't have to depend on his mood or circumstances. How 68 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: is your relationship or lack of one with your earthly 69 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: father affected how you see God as your heavenly father. 70 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: God's attributes are not only a picture of what our 71 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: earthly father was meant to be, but I believe God 72 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 1: longs to make up for what you never experienced with 73 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: your dad by being your faithful, dependable love, an approachable daddy. 74 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: Can you look to him today to be the daddy 75 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: you have always wanted but might have never had. Oh Lord, God, 76 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: open our eyes to see you as the perfect father 77 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: and the one we can approach with everything on our 78 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: hearts and minds. Thank You that you always hear the 79 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: cries of your children and your grace and mercy never 80 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 1: run dry. For further reading, see Romans eight, Verses thirty 81 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: eight and thirty nine. For more on growing closer to 82 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: God and being able to call him Daddy, see my 83 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 1: book The New Loneliness Devotional Fifty Days to a Closer 84 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: Connection with God. Thanks for listening to today's devotional. 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