The Witness of the Father's Love
Greetings, 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 will ponder our lives as we seek to understand the meaning of bearing witness to the
Father's love.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Witness of the Father's Love
". . . For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one
that is of the truth heareth my voice." John, Chapter 18, Verse 37.
At the end of a long hard day, prior to going to sleep to recuperate depleted energies, two figures
silently and wearily make their way to their retreat for prayer. After sitting quietly for a few
moments, they began to pray.
The first figure fell on his knees, assuming a spirit of humility. He begins his prayer with
thanksgiving. He gives thanks for having received protection throughout the day. He gives thanks
for the health that he has enjoyed throughout the day. Next, he gave thanks for his family, including
his wife and children. Then, he gives thanks for all of his friends. He gives thanks for his successes
during the day, as he had made a lot of money. He made a mental note to give back a part of the
money to the Lord. Next, he gave thanks for his home and the neighborhood that he lived in. He
lived in a beautiful home and resided in a lovely neighborhood. Then, he gave thanks for his
automobiles, for without his cars how could he get around? He made a note to give someone a ride
the next time he passed someone walking.
Having completed the thanksgiving, he began the worship part of his prayer. He began by singing
a song:"Christ the Giver of Life." After the song, he started his routine of praising God's holy name.
This consisted in calling His name over and over again with adoration,and saying how good God is.
Then he sat quietly for a few moments meditating on the goodness of God.
Then he began praying in earnest: First he prayed that God would protect and keep him through the
night. Then he asked God to protect and keep his family, then his neighbors. Next he asked God's
blessings on the sick and the afflicted. He prayed that God would continue to smile on his business
and his state of health. He prayed for protection of his home and his cars. Lastly he prayed for the
forgiveness of his sins. He then arose from his knees, ended his prayer, and then went to bed. He
awakened the next morning full of life and refreshed, ready for the challenges of the day.
The second figure sat quietly on the edge of his bed. His knees were afflicted with arthritis, and were
very painful to walk on, much less to kneel upon. As he sat, he reflected over the day's activities,
thinking about his successes and his failures. He then began to pray: "Father please teach me how
to love, for it is the inability to love divinely that makes me impatient with my brothers and sisters.
Father without your divine love, I cannot carry out my duties in the right spirit, the spirit of divine
love. Without your loving power, irritations and resentments overcome me when I am frustrated. It
is the inadequate flow of love through me that causes me to become angry when I am mistreated or
treated unfairly. Once more I pray Father that you teach me to love divinely, for it is the absence of
this love that causes me to default in carrying out my responsibilities, or to carry them out
halfheartedly. It is the absence of love that blinds my eyes and deafens my ears to the sight and the
cries of those in need, those who are asking for help in the only way they know how."
"Father please teach me to be divinely patient, for it is the absence of patience that allows me to
escape from your divine control, causing me to say and do things that I later regret. It is the absence
of patience that makes it so difficult for me to endure those who are immature and those who have
not found the way. It is the absence of patience that causes the disappearance of your spirit of truth
before they have gotten a chance to see what you look like. Father, I pray that you give me patience
so that I can endure my own immaturity. My growth is according to your divine will, and I cannot
speed up that growth. It is the absence of divine patience that causes me to act prematurely."
"Father, please teach me to be merciful, for it is the absence of mercy that allows me day in and day
out to ignore someone who desperately needs help. It is the absence of mercy that allows me to
deceive myself into thinking that I am doing your divine will when I do these things. I pray, Father,
that you will teach me true mercy, for often I have shown false mercy, and rather than truly help a
struggling soul, I have caused that soul to stumble even deeper into darkness. It is not that I do these
things willfully, Father, but I am weak and often unwise. Often times, I am not strong enough to give
the kind of help that is truly needed. Sometimes in my weakness and my ignorance and insufficient
insight, I give what is asked for rather than what is truly needed. Experience has taught me that the
two are seldom the same."
"I pray, Father, that your divine goodness will saturate my soul and mind. I pray, Father, that I can
be your witness. As you witness to my soul, may I also witness to some other soul. I realize that you
are spiritual, Father, and that in order to witness, I must be like your Son, Jesus. Make me like your,
Son, Jesus, Father so that I may display the things I am trying to say. Then Father, it will be obvious
to all who behold me that I truly know you." A picture is worth a thousand words.
"I pray Father that you will give me the power of faith to continue on with this awesome struggle to
do and become your divine will. I pray Father that you will constantly remind me that to do your
divine will is to imitate your divine character as revealed in your Son, Jesus, until I have become just
like you."
"I thank you Father for loving me and being so patient with me as I fail time and again. I thank you
Father for your loving mercy and forgiveness when I stumble into darkness. I thank you Father for
eternal life and the privilege of being your mortal son, and one day I hope to become your immortal
son so that I can spend all eternity basking in your truth and being just like you. And thank you so
much Father for your Son, Jesus, without whom none of this would be possible."
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of being a witness of the Father's
love. 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!
The Witness of the Father's Love
