Vol. 2, No. 25 – 6-18-2017
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” Galatians 4:6
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A school teacher, Hanin, in the first century B.C. continually had students come crying to him, “Abba, Abba, give us rain.” It was a season of horrendous drought.
Hanin prayed, “Lord of the universe, do it for the sake of these children who cannot know between an Abba who can give rain and an abba who cannot give rain.
Paul reminds the Galatian Christians that they have a heavenly Father, who as Lord of all, can supply every need. Take some time to contemplate as you read; you have a heavenly Father who knows all and can supply all your needs. Dr. Larry Lightner
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Abba Father is not simply from the cry of one who is enslaved by the world; it is not from only the beggar looking for a handout, or only just the one who lives the life of a victim. It is the cry of every person who has the reality of the Father in their heart. We who have Him in our heart think, speak, and live for Christ in our heart. It is because of His presence in our soul, prompting our thinking.
We need the Father in our heart. If we would put something else in our heart-place, that is what would control our thoughts, speech, and actions of life.
- Abba Father is the cry that expresses our ministry of reconciliation that God gives us (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
- Abba Father is the cry of our seeking wisdom as we minister to our non-believing neighbor (James 1:5).
- Abba Father is the cry of seeking the Holy Spirit to relieve our friend from the shackles that bind them from receiving Christ (John 20:31).
- Abba Father is the cry of the believer that expresses praise to Him for the changed life of one who comes to Christ (2 Peter 3:9).
- Abba Father is the cry of humility one has when God chooses to use them for His ministry to all that He desires to come to Him; desiring that no one perish (1 Peter 3:15).
- Abba Father is our cry for God to operate in our lives as we are called upon to lead (1 Timothy 1:12-15).
Paul’s exhortation is that we should not live as a slave, beggar, that neighbor, or friend; but that we should live as what we are, a son. A son inherits all that the Father has to give; what Jesus already has inherited. What the Father has belongs to us; what Christ received He gives to us.
It is pictured in the prodigal son, who returned to his father. His father killed the fatted calf, threw a celebration, brought an exquisite robe and a ring, and brought shoes that were fit for his feet. Lovingly and graciously, the father ministered to the needs of his son. Would the Almighty do less for those who come to Him?
Paul touches our lives to contemplate our inner selves. Where is our devotion? Where is our dependency; do we have humility or arrogance? When we live among non-believers, do they see our Abba Father in our lives? Often the lives of others reflect our lives, because we are the model. We, in effect, are the leaders of many. Those we influence become following leaders. What kind of leader do we want to develop?
When I surrendered to be God’s servant, for however He purposed, I committed to give away what He gifted me so that others might experience the reality of the Father’s gifts. My prayer is, my fellow reader, that you might consider doing the same.
We would do well to examine our life as we enter each new day. Our daily life, wherever it is found, always reflects who we are on the inside. The inside determines what we are on the outside. God expects that we live inside/out. How are we doing?
