Abba, Father
Romans 8:15 (NLT) 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
The picture of an earthly father and his children was intended by God to give us a picture of how God, as our Heavenly Father, feels about us. Unfortunately, many of us have had earthly fathers who were poor examples of what God created fathers to be. There are some people who don’t even want to consider comparing their earthly father to God as their Heavenly Father.
But today, you need to know, that you have a Heavenly Father who is the perfect Father. He is the perfect, all-loving, never-leaving Abba Father who loves you enough to save you from your sin and to be at work in all things for your good. If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior today, then God promises you, in his Word, that you have been fully and permanently adopted, and you can now call him Abba Father.
Abba is the most intimate word we have for a father. We could translate the intimacy of this word as “daddy.” It’s the same word Jesus used when he cried out to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Understanding who your Abba Father is and understanding his incredible plan for you will absolutely and radically change your life.
But, we are talking about a relationship with God that can only occur by you truly receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior. The Bible makes it clear that believing in and receiving Jesus as your Savior is what gives you the right to call God “Abba, Father.”
John 1:12 (ESV) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Galatians 3:26 (NLT) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Only those who have genuinely put their faith and trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord can rightly address God as Abba, Father.
And because he is our creator and because he is omniscient, God knows us intimately and perfectly, and he knows us uniquely and individually. Psalm 139:1-17 describes the intimate knowledge God has of every detail and every day of our lives. Psalm 139:16 says, You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. So, how well does God know you? Better than we can even comprehend. He knows every detail about you (good and bad), and yet Psalm 139:17 (NLT) says, How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
These thoughts, Jeremiah 29:11 says, they are not thoughts of judgment but thoughts of good, to give you a future and a hope. Guys, we can trust our lives into the hands of our Heavenly Abba Father (we really can). And if we will trust him in faith and truly look to him as our Father, we will actually be changed into his image. That's what 2 Corinthians 3:18 says.
But for you to trust him, you have to know him as your Heavenly Abba Father. There are so many promises in the Bible to you as his son or daughter that there are books written just listing his promises to you. Your Abba Father promises to care for you, protect you, and provide for you. He promises to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. He promises to make you victorious through every circumstance you face on this earth.
Because of all of God’s promises to you, Hebrews 13:6 says, So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” In fact, there are 365 commands in the Bible for us to fear not. God is with you. He is your Abba Father – you can trust him!
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior today, you have received the spirit of adoption whereby you can cry out Abba, Father. You can trust your Heavenly Father to always do what is eternally best for you. And you can trust him to be at work for your good in every circumstance and situation. Entrust all of your life to your Heavenly Father. He has promised to take good care of you, and he will.
Journal: Please, take a few minutes to meditate on these truths. If you have our Alone With God journal, please take the time to go through the steps of Meditate, Apply, and Respond in your Journal. If you don't have our Alone With God Journal, you can get one at wordbymail.com
After you've meditated on this truth, ask yourself, "How does this truth APPLY to my life today, personally and specifically?" And write that in your journal if you can. Then RESPOND to God. In some way; in your heart, in your actions, in your choices and decisions, decide how the Holy Spirit is calling you to respond, and write that in your Alone With God Journal if you can.
Prayer: Abba, Father, Please plant this truth deep in our hearts. Help us to know that you are our Heavenly Father; that we can trust you, that you are trustworthy, and that you are faithful. Heavenly Father, your thoughts toward us are good, and they are innumerable. Your plan for us is good. God, you are at work for our good. In your loving arms, Lord, we are safe. In your loving care, we are secure. Abba Father, please cause us to rest in you. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
The picture of an earthly father and his children was intended by God to give us a picture of how God, as our Heavenly Father, feels about us. Unfortunately, many of us have had earthly fathers who were poor examples of what God created fathers to be. There are some people who don’t even want to consider comparing their earthly father to God as their Heavenly Father.
But today, you need to know, that you have a Heavenly Father who is the perfect Father. He is the perfect, all-loving, never-leaving Abba Father who loves you enough to save you from your sin and to be at work in all things for your good. If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior today, then God promises you, in his Word, that you have been fully and permanently adopted, and you can now call him Abba Father.
Abba is the most intimate word we have for a father. We could translate the intimacy of this word as “daddy.” It’s the same word Jesus used when he cried out to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Understanding who your Abba Father is and understanding his incredible plan for you will absolutely and radically change your life.
But, we are talking about a relationship with God that can only occur by you truly receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior. The Bible makes it clear that believing in and receiving Jesus as your Savior is what gives you the right to call God “Abba, Father.”
John 1:12 (ESV) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Galatians 3:26 (NLT) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Only those who have genuinely put their faith and trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord can rightly address God as Abba, Father.
And because he is our creator and because he is omniscient, God knows us intimately and perfectly, and he knows us uniquely and individually. Psalm 139:1-17 describes the intimate knowledge God has of every detail and every day of our lives. Psalm 139:16 says, You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. So, how well does God know you? Better than we can even comprehend. He knows every detail about you (good and bad), and yet Psalm 139:17 (NLT) says, How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
These thoughts, Jeremiah 29:11 says, they are not thoughts of judgment but thoughts of good, to give you a future and a hope. Guys, we can trust our lives into the hands of our Heavenly Abba Father (we really can). And if we will trust him in faith and truly look to him as our Father, we will actually be changed into his image. That's what 2 Corinthians 3:18 says.
But for you to trust him, you have to know him as your Heavenly Abba Father. There are so many promises in the Bible to you as his son or daughter that there are books written just listing his promises to you. Your Abba Father promises to care for you, protect you, and provide for you. He promises to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. He promises to make you victorious through every circumstance you face on this earth.
Because of all of God’s promises to you, Hebrews 13:6 says, So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” In fact, there are 365 commands in the Bible for us to fear not. God is with you. He is your Abba Father – you can trust him!
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior today, you have received the spirit of adoption whereby you can cry out Abba, Father. You can trust your Heavenly Father to always do what is eternally best for you. And you can trust him to be at work for your good in every circumstance and situation. Entrust all of your life to your Heavenly Father. He has promised to take good care of you, and he will.
Journal: Please, take a few minutes to meditate on these truths. If you have our Alone With God journal, please take the time to go through the steps of Meditate, Apply, and Respond in your Journal. If you don't have our Alone With God Journal, you can get one at wordbymail.com
After you've meditated on this truth, ask yourself, "How does this truth APPLY to my life today, personally and specifically?" And write that in your journal if you can. Then RESPOND to God. In some way; in your heart, in your actions, in your choices and decisions, decide how the Holy Spirit is calling you to respond, and write that in your Alone With God Journal if you can.
Prayer: Abba, Father, Please plant this truth deep in our hearts. Help us to know that you are our Heavenly Father; that we can trust you, that you are trustworthy, and that you are faithful. Heavenly Father, your thoughts toward us are good, and they are innumerable. Your plan for us is good. God, you are at work for our good. In your loving arms, Lord, we are safe. In your loving care, we are secure. Abba Father, please cause us to rest in you. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
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