Searching for the Heavenly Father
Greetings and good morning brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we seek to understand what it means to search for the Heavenly Father.
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And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Searching for the Heavenly Father
"And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah,
Chapter 29, Verse 13
Brothers and sisters, today, I saw someone who looked just like the heavenly Father. He walked and
spoke just like him, but to my surprise it was not Him. But I am determined to find Him. I have been
searching everywhere for Him, and one day I am going to find Him. If I have to climb a mountain,
I will do that, and if I have to swim a river, I will do that, too. And if He is hiding in my heart, I will
search there. No matter where He is hiding, I am going to find Him.
Brothers and sisters, as I search the starry skies, I see the evidence of His creative power. As I search
the living creatures, I see the evidence of His life. And as I observe the erupting volcanoes or the
raging seas, I behold his mighty force. Everywhere I search, I see the traces that He has left behind
as He passes by me unrecognized. And though I look until my eyes are bleary, I still do not see Him.
And as I lay buried under the lies and broken promises that have shattered my dreams, a small voice
whispers, "trust the promises of God, and not the promises of man." Brothers and sisters, as I
contemplate the clues that are left in the wake of His passing, I think I might have seen a trace of his
footprints in them, though fleetingly faint. When I think about what He may be, and exactly what
it is that I am trying to find, I perceive that He is love, the essence of the true, beautiful, and the
good.
As I interact with my brothers and the sisters, I find that some of them appear to be true, beautiful,
and good, but upon close inspection, or after the passing of time, or amidst an aggravating situation,
they appear neither true nor beautiful, and the good seems to have vanished as miraculously as it
appeared. As I contemplate the meanings and reflect upon the values of these experiences, I am
somewhat perplexed. If the Father is true, beautiful, and good, why do these qualities fluctuate in us?
As I ponder these conflicting experiences in my heart, I thought the trail had led me to seek for You
in others, but when I sought You in them, I only found falseness. I continued to think and finally
realized You must be love, a personality that is love. And then it dawned on me: You are always
dependable, unchanging, true, beautiful, and good. But Your manifestation through others can only
be partial and to the extent and duration that they will permit it. When it appears that the light of love
has gone out of some, the truth is that they no longer desire to manifest You. When a brother or sister
has an untrue purpose which results in pain, sorrow, and disappointment, they are to be pitied, for
they have chosen selfish ambition rather than You. They have chosen darkness rather than light.
You are love, Father, and to find you I must search for love--not for the person who manifests this
love but for the love itself. I must search for this love however it appears and in those who allow it
to flow through them. I must recognize that those who allow love to flow through them transiently
are not aware of the power of love, and are not aware that love is the greatest reality of all reality.
It is the essence of the heavenly Father as revealed in His Son, Jesus. No one finds the Father except
through the Son.
In my search, I must encourage others to allow this love to flow through them without restraint, no
matter what the circumstances, regardless of personal ambition, and irrespective of others' reactions.
And I must offer this same encouragement not so much with words as by allowing this love to flow
through me continually without restraint, no matter what the circumstances, regardless of personal
ambition, and irrespective of others' reactions. I must cease to identify you with any one person
except the spirit of your Son, Jesus, who is the personal revelation of your love.
In my search, I must cease to confuse my brother or sister who allows love to be manifested through
him or her with You, Father, who is the source of love. Not until I attain spiritual perfection may I
actually stand in the presence of, and personally view, your glorious being of love. But this love that
flows like a river downstream is the exact pathway back to Him. All we need to do, brothers and
sisters, is ride this stream of love to its supreme destination.
And though it may be many ages before I can actually stand in His Presence, I can enjoy the spirit
of His presence in my heart now. And now that I have found Him spiritually, I can thoroughly enjoy
Him through the love that I behold in my sisters and brothers in the form of kindness shown, a smile
that is given, patience exhibited, mercy extended, or forgiveness that is manifested to anyone.
And whenever I want more than is forthcoming from my brothers and sisters, I can allow Him to
flow through me to my heart's content until I am filled with the fullness of Him, showing more
kindness, more love, more patience, and more forgiveness. And as I continue to pursue this love each
day, I am a day closer to finding His magnificent being on Paradise. And what a glorious day that
will be!
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning searching for the heavenly
Father. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your
day. Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
Searching for the Heavenly Father
