Today's Devotional

December 16, 2002

Subject:  You're Just Daddy To Me

Galatians 4:6 - "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." 

I got a call from my 3-year old daughter at work last week.  She had never heard me answer the phone while at work.  My response was the standard response that I give at work when answering the phone:  "Lieutenant Colonel Charleston."  There was silence on the other end, so I repeated, "Lieutenant Colonel Charleston."  Still there was nothing, so I said, "hello?"  Finally Caisa burst forth, "Daddy, that's you!" as if I was trying to play a trick on her or something.  The next few minutes I tried to explain to her who Lieutenant Colonel Charleston was.  In the end, she simply seemed to fall back on the fact that I was just Daddy to her.  When I pondered the thought, I realized how significant that is.  I could be a general, or for that matter, the president of the United States, but to Caisa, I'm daddy.  That should make all fathers realize the importance of their roles as dad.

More than that, it should make us all realize that God views His role in our lives that way.  He is the God who created everything that has been made, but to us, He's "Father."  He's the God who parted the waters for Moses and the children of Israel and is called the great miracle worker, but to us, He's dad.  He's the Master of the Universe 24 hours a day, but He's always home "parenting us."  He makes every effort to be that personal to us.

Is your relationship with God one where He is that personal?  Is it a relationship where you can see Him executing vengeance and wrath on those who oppose Him, but in the meantime, you're still being cradled in His nurturing and loving arms?  While others question why your Father would do this or that, do you simply rest in the fact that He is your dad and He cares for you?

The most dramatic point is that the term "Abba" is only used three times in the New Testament and one of those times is Jesus speaking to God The Father.  Can you fathom what it means that we are able to refer to God in the same sense as Christ Jesus?  We have the ability to be as intimate with Him as His Only Begotten Son.  My only thought is that if He is Abba to us both, I'm definitely the bad child in the family.

Carlen