Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
What words would you use to describe your father? Maybe you would use the word patient. Maybe you would use the words kind, strong, smart, or wise. A lot of words can describe our father. Well, the Bible says in Psalm chapter 103 and verse 13 that “the Lord is like a father to His children. He's tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.”
Two words that describe the Lord as our Father are tender and compassionate. What does the word tender mean? What does it remind us of? It reminds us that God is very loving. That God is very affectionate. That God is very gentle with us. He's very kind with us, and He's very caring.
Another word used is compassionate. God is compassionate. That means He has the feeling of sympathy. He knows how we feel. He is also concerned for the sufferings that we may go through. He has a desire to alleviate our distress, to help us to grow through the stages of life. But He's also a God that takes action. Two great words - He's tender and He's compassionate.
The Lord, as our Father, extends mercy and forgiveness to us even when we make foolish choices. I know I've made a lot of foolish choices in my life, and I've had the discipline from my father. But my Heavenly Father, He disciplines us, but He loves us so completely. He loves us so unconditionally. That's the kind of experience we have with a Heavenly Father, because He is so tender and so compassionate with us.
It motivates us to live a life of serving Him, to live a life that tries to move away from sin. Well, the way the Bible puts it is we should fear Him. That doesn't mean being afraid of Him, but it means having reverence for Him and respecting Him. The Lord is like a father to us, His children.
He's very tender. He's very compassionate. And He is that way to those who fear Him. I pray today that you will look at your Heavenly Father as a tender, compassionate, loving God whom you can give reverence to. And of course, always respect.