"The Father of Jesus is very fond of me."

April 29, 2013          Romans 8:15-16

"The Father of Jesus is very fond of me."

Brennan Manning, who died April 12, 2013, had a profound influence on my understanding of grace. Perhaps more than any other contemporary writer, he led thousands of people into a personal experience of the Apostle Paul’s great proclamation, “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Through his own experience of life, Manning demonstrated that nothing we do on earth alters the great promise of scripture: “This I know: God is on my side!” (Psalm 56:9b). (If you haven’t read Manning’s book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, I highly recommend it.)

The foundation for this new series of meditations can be found in a story Brennan Manning tells.  “Several years ago, Edward Farrell, a priest from Detroit, went on a two-week summer vacation to Ireland to visit relatives. His one living uncle was about to celebrate his 80th birthday. On the great day, Ed and his uncle got up early. It was before dawn. They took a walk along the shores of Lake Killarney and stopped to watch the sunrise. They stood side by side for a full twenty minutes and then resumed walking. Ed glanced at his uncle and saw that his face had broken into a broad smile. Ed said, "Uncle Seamus, you look very happy."

          "I am."

          Ed asked, "How come?"

          And his uncle replied,

"The Father of Jesus is very fond of me."

If the question were put to you, "Do you honestly believe that God likes you?" -- not loves you because theologically he must, but does He like you -- how would you answer?

If you could answer, "The Father is very fond of me," there would come a relaxedness, a serenity and a compassionate attitude toward yourself that is a reflection of God’s own tenderness.” (I think I first read this story in Manning’s book, Ruthless Trust. It is also included in Reflections for Ragamuffins: Daily Devotions from the Writings of Brennan Manning)

Three times in John 15, Jesus calls us his friends. This word “friend” gives me pause to examine my life for evidence that I have more than head knowledge about Jesus. Do I actually live my life in the reality of a relationship with Jesus? If so, is that relationship more like boss and employee or servant; or do I hear him call me friend?

Our friendship with God is the heart of the Gospel of Grace so eloquently proclaimed by Paul, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15-16)

Today, learn to rest in the wonder of God’s affection for you: "The Father of Jesus is very fond of me."

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version will follow soon.

·        The second edition First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.