Thought of the Day !!

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

                                    Romans 8:15-16 (ESV)

What does it mean to call our God “Abba, Father”?  This term of endearment was first used by Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane the night that he was arrested when praying to his Father.  It’s only seen two more times in scripture, both by Paul, once here and again in Galatians.

The word is an Aramaic word that would most closely be translated as “Daddy” or “Papa”. It was a common term that young children would use to address their fathers. It signifies the close, intimate relationship of a father to his child, as well as the childlike trust that a young child puts in his/her “daddy.”

           

Because we’re able to refer to God as our Abba, we are children of God and our lives are changed.  Before, we might have spoken to a foreign God.  Now we can have an intimate relationship with our papa.  As children we are redeemed from the curse of sin, meaning that though we will die once, it will not be an eternal death.  We will live life eternal.  This is the greatest gift a dad can give. 

Because we’re His children we are also disciplined from time to time.  Just as a loving daddy disciplines a small child when he/she does wrong, in hopes that it will keep them from making that mistake again, so does our Abba, Father.  The discipline that we receive often comes through our conscience.  We’re convicted of our sin by feelings of guilt.  This isn’t a self-loathing guilt.  It’s not a feeling of abandonment either.  It’s the Holy Spirit speaking to us trying to correct our path just as a daddy would do with his punishment of his child. 

Today you will definitely receive the gifts that your Abba in Heaven has for you.  It might even be the gift of discipline.  But give thanks for all He gives because each gift is something that will make you a better person.

In the love of Christ,

greg