Vol. 3, No. 13 – April 8, 2018
Because you are sons [and daughters], God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” Galatians 4:6
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: you have a heavenly Father who knows all and can supply all your needs.
“Abba Father” is not simply the cry of one who is enslaved by the world; it is not the beggar looking for a handout, or 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.
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 5:18f)
- “Abba Father” is the cry of 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 (1 Peter 3:15)
- “Abba Father” is the cry of the believer that expresses praise to Him for the changed life of one who comes to Christ (1 Peter 3:18)
- “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 (2 Peter 3:9)
Paul’s exhortation is that we should be willing to live as a slave, beggar, a neighbor, or friend. But we should also live as what we are, a son or daughter. A son or daughter inherits all that the Father has to give; what Jesus already has inherited. What He has belongs to us; because 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 in 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?
One would do well to examine their life as we continue to live out in this new year. It 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?
