"Father is the term that best describes God's relationships - who He is in relationship to others. God relates to His Son, Jesus, and to us, His adopted children, as Father. Father implies family interaction. It implies causality and dependency, for a father is the source of life. It implies love and intimacy. It implies certain roles and responsibilities. Father is the pacesetter. He is the initiator, visionary, boundary-setter, source, and final authority in the home. A good father is committed to his family. He loves, protects, and provides. he lovingly guides, corrects, and teaches his children. [...]
Father is the name that sets Christianity apart from all the other religions of the world. Other religions invite us to worship their gods, allahs, creators, or metaphysical forces, but Christianity invites us to believe in a Son and to enter into an intimate family relationship with a loving Father. Jesus, the Son of God, came so that we could meet His Father, be adopted into the family of God, and relate to the almighty God of the universe in an intimate, personal, concrete way as sons and daughters. 'As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people.' ... 'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters'' (2 Cor. 6:16, 18). [...]
When Jesus was on earth, His whole message was : "Come meet My Dad!" "Look at Me, " He said, "and see what My Father is like." "See how I imitate Him!"..."Through Me, He can be your Father too!" [...]
It is this Spirit-the Spirit of Sonship, the Spirit of Adoption, and the Spirit of the Father--who lives in my heart and in yours. And it is this Spirit who calls and drives us to intimacy with the Father, causing us to cry out: "Abba!" Abba is an informal Aramaic term for Father, indicating tenderness, intimacy, affection, and dependency. It is the cry of a child calling out for "Daddy".
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" -Gal. 4:6, NKJV
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father," The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
The word 'cry' in the the Romans text indicates a spontaneous expression of intensity, full of emotional depth and longing. It is used in its present tense. Literally, "Your spirit is even now crying out Abba!" It speaks of the unrestrained heart-cry of those controlled by the Spirit of God. Under the influence of the Spirit, our whole being--heart, mind, soul, and strength--cries out with intense longing to connect with the Father. It is a strong, intense, desperate, felt need that calls us and drives us to the Father's heart."
"Do you wonder why you feel no peace in your heart? Do you wonder why you feel restless and unsettled? Do you wonder why you feel frustrated? Perhaps it is because the Holy Spirit in you is crying "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" But you are busy, occupied with other things. Or you are too afraid to look into the Father's eyes and let Him love you. [...]
Do you know that the Father knows your name? He says, "I will go before you and make the crooked places straight...I will give you the...hidden riches of secret places...I have even called you by your name" (Isa. 45:2-4).
Do you know that He deeps track of the most minute details of your life--including the number of cells in your body and the number of hairs on your head? "The very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt. 10:30)
Do you know that the Father collects your tears in His bottle? "You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?" (Ps. 56:8)
Do you know that he has inscribed you on the palm of his Hand? "See I have inscribed you on the palm of my hands; your walls are continually before Me." (Isa 49:16)
Do you know that His heart is stirred and aroused with compassion when He thinks of you? "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him" (Ps. 103:13)
Do you know that He has His cord of love tethered to your heart and is gently drawing you closer? " When Israel was a child, I loved him. And out of Egypt I called my son...I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them" (Hos. 11:3-4)
The Father appreciates your obedience. He appreciates your disciplines of prayer and fasting and being in the Word. He appreciates your service. But more than all these things and at the center of the Gospel is this: The Father wants your heart. He does not want rote obedience, conformity, service, sacrifice, and ceaseless ministry from you. If He does not have your heart, these things mean nothing to Him. Living in a love relationship with God is the key to enjoying and delighting in Him and experiencing His delight in you. If you truly understand this and take it to heart, it will revolutionize your life and will allow you to begin to experience the joy and victory that Christ has already won for you.
Understanding Christianity as a love relationship revolutionizes that way we live. It changes the way we view repentance and confession. We repent and confess because we have hurt the one we love, not merely because we have broken the rules. It changes the way we view witnessing. We witness because we want people to get to know our wonderful Brother and Father, not to convert them to a church or religion. It changes our perspective on Christian disciplines. We read the Bible, pray, memorize, meditate, and fast not because it is required of us, but because of our longing to connect with the lover and redeemer of our souls. We are motivated by love and longing, not duty and obligation...We delight in our Father and revel in being His child. [...]
In the last verse of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi looked forward to a time when the hearts of the fathers would turn to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Even now, our heavenly Father's heart is turned toward you. Will you turn your heart toward Him?"
-- Mary A Kassian
Thank you Lord, for bringing me to this. Thank you for showing me these simple truths. Please show me how to incline my childish heart toward you, Father. Your name is Holy, above all other names. How great is your faithfulness? I could never begin to describe your steadfast, surpassing love. Consume me Lord, flood me with the truth of who you are.
"Do you wonder why you feel no peace in your heart? Do you wonder why you feel restless and unsettled? Do you wonder why you feel frustrated? Perhaps it is because the Holy Spirit in you is crying "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" But you are busy, occupied with other things. Or you are too afraid to look into the Father's eyes and let Him love you. [...]
Do you know that the Father knows your name? He says, "I will go before you and make the crooked places straight...I will give you the...hidden riches of secret places...I have even called you by your name" (Isa. 45:2-4).
Do you know that He deeps track of the most minute details of your life--including the number of cells in your body and the number of hairs on your head? "The very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt. 10:30)
Do you know that the Father collects your tears in His bottle? "You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?" (Ps. 56:8)
Do you know that he has inscribed you on the palm of his Hand? "See I have inscribed you on the palm of my hands; your walls are continually before Me." (Isa 49:16)
Do you know that His heart is stirred and aroused with compassion when He thinks of you? "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him" (Ps. 103:13)
Do you know that He has His cord of love tethered to your heart and is gently drawing you closer? " When Israel was a child, I loved him. And out of Egypt I called my son...I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them" (Hos. 11:3-4)
The Father appreciates your obedience. He appreciates your disciplines of prayer and fasting and being in the Word. He appreciates your service. But more than all these things and at the center of the Gospel is this: The Father wants your heart. He does not want rote obedience, conformity, service, sacrifice, and ceaseless ministry from you. If He does not have your heart, these things mean nothing to Him. Living in a love relationship with God is the key to enjoying and delighting in Him and experiencing His delight in you. If you truly understand this and take it to heart, it will revolutionize your life and will allow you to begin to experience the joy and victory that Christ has already won for you.
Understanding Christianity as a love relationship revolutionizes that way we live. It changes the way we view repentance and confession. We repent and confess because we have hurt the one we love, not merely because we have broken the rules. It changes the way we view witnessing. We witness because we want people to get to know our wonderful Brother and Father, not to convert them to a church or religion. It changes our perspective on Christian disciplines. We read the Bible, pray, memorize, meditate, and fast not because it is required of us, but because of our longing to connect with the lover and redeemer of our souls. We are motivated by love and longing, not duty and obligation...We delight in our Father and revel in being His child. [...]
In the last verse of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi looked forward to a time when the hearts of the fathers would turn to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Even now, our heavenly Father's heart is turned toward you. Will you turn your heart toward Him?"
-- Mary A Kassian
Thank you Lord, for bringing me to this. Thank you for showing me these simple truths. Please show me how to incline my childish heart toward you, Father. Your name is Holy, above all other names. How great is your faithfulness? I could never begin to describe your steadfast, surpassing love. Consume me Lord, flood me with the truth of who you are.
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