Unrealistic, unspoken, and unmet expectations keep us from enjoying life and relationships. Jesus offers a different way…

10 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Yesterday, we talked about how our preconceived ideas tend to act as filters for how we hear what we are told and what we read. Our views of God and Jesus are that way, too. People tend to project upon God the image of their own earthly fathers. What we need to do is allow the Holy Spirit to rewire our brains according to what Jesus reveals to us about His heavenly Father–who just so happens to be our heavenly Father, too. A passage that speaks to God’s character is Matthew 10:28-31,

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

What can we learn about God in this passage?

Twice Jesus tells us not to fear Him. The one to fear is the Destroyer (John 10:10), which is the devil.

Jesus calls Him our Father. WOW!

Our Father cares for His creation–every single creature. There are at any given moment 10 quintillion insects alive in the world, 50 billion birds, 1 trillion mammals, and 7.8 billion humans. He’s a mighty BIG God–yet, He cares for us!

He knows intimate details about each of us. That intimate knowledge speaks of a very caring Father.

We are worth more than many sparrows (a little godly humor there). To know how much we are worth to the Father, just look at the cross. “I asked Jesus how much He loved me. He said, ‘This much…’ and He stretched out His hands and died.”

There is a quote in Hebrews from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 31:6) that tells us that God’s nature and character are always constant, that He is always faithful, and that He is always with us,

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

This verse tells us that our security is to be in Him, for He never leaves us or forsakes us. A little further down, we have a confirmation verse:

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Since God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit make up the Trinity and are one God, we can trust that they are immutable, which means “never-changing.” God loved us when He made us, He loves us now, and He will always love us. For those who choose it, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Abba, we have such good news to tell the world. Your love is wider, longer, higher and deeper than we can even know. Your love is even stronger than death! May all hear Your name and trust You for eternal life. May we be part of Your plan to do just that! Amen.