We Can Call Him Abba

“All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:14-17 (HOLMAN)

“When by faith we are united with Christ, we are then adopted into that family of whom Christ is the firstborn.”R.C. Spoul

 

  • Jesus is calling you to step away from the craziness of what your day may bring and spend some time with Him. Please grab your Bible, journal, and something fun to drink as we sit at the feet of Jesus and rest in Him.
  • Read Romans 8, and write Romans 8:14-17 in your Bible.

We Can Call Him Abba

I was born in the 70’s to a single mom. She refused to name my father on the birth certificate because she wanted him to choose me. He chose his freedom and “existing” family instead. I was a day old and abandoned by my father. Those feelings of abandonment and loneliness could have sent me on a wild chase, but God had different plans, and He and I embarked on a journey. David says in Psalms 68:6 that God puts the lonely in families. He literally set me in various families: my church, my university, and eventually, my own family of 10. In each of these families, God slowly revealed His truth about my true identity—His daughter!

As I read the Scriptures in Romans, some words touched me to the core. The first words were “God’s Spirit” (verse 14). Paul tells the church in Ephesus that they are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Sealed means that nothing can get out and nothing can get in; therefore, the Holy Spirit resides in us once we accept that we are sinners (Romans 3:23), believe that Jesus is God’s son (Acts 16:31), and confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9).

The second word was “adoption” (verse 15). Once a child is adopted, her parents can never abandon her. The same occurs when we are adopted by God. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Nothing we do can ever separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35). He will always be on our side. We are His. In fact, we can call Him Abba, an intimate term for Father. As a teenager, I loved the fact that I had a Daddy. I am His and He is mine. He would always love me because He is love (1 John 4:8). We are all daughters of the King. His desire is for us to have a relationship with Him (Micah 6:8). What an amazing feeling to be wanted by the God of the universe!

The third group of words that stood out to me was “coheirs with Jesus” (verse 17). This particular verse has two parts. We are coheirs of suffering and of being glorified with Him. Suffering is never easy, but Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:5 that we will share in His sufferings. Paul goes on to tell us that we will also have an overflowing amount of comfort. His Spirit will minister to us in amazing ways. The sound of an ocean can bring peace. The laughter of a child can wipe away a tear. A newborn snuggle can wash away the craziness. All of these are outward signs of His comfort. I am reminded that “greater is He that is in me than He that is in this world,” (1 John 4:4) and this applies also to my sufferings. The next part of this verse is our hope: we share in His glory. Eventually, this world will be wiped away, and there will be a new heaven and earth. We will receive our full inheritance of our salvation—freedom from sin. We will no longer fight the things of this world. We will be co-heirs with Christ because God loves us.

Regardless of your earthly father, the same truth applies to us all. We are no longer slaves, but children of the Most High God.

Blessings and Love,

Susan

Questions to Ponder

  • Do your feelings of abandonment or loneliness interfere with the reality of you being the daughter of the King?
  • What are some ways that God comforts while you are suffering?
  • Do you “feel” like you have to do good works for your relationship with God, or do you desire to have a genuine relationship with God?

Faith-Filled Ideas

Write out one verse in your journal that stood out during your time with God. Share that one verse with a friend by writing her either a note, a text, an email, or a Facebook post.

Susan Proctor
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