For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8: 15, NRSV.
Our gracious, loving, Father, we are so thankful for the opportunity to call You “Our Father.” To think that You would be willing to choose us as Your children is more than our minds can conceive; but we are so grateful! Please keep us close to Your side, we pray in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
Several countries around the world will be celebrating Father’s Day today. Again, I lament the fact, that we have taken our holidays, even these very personal holidays, and turned them into commercial events. Again, I recommend that we encourage our children to make every day, Father’s Day, by being respectful, kind, and attentive to their fathers. May we show them all the love while they can be blessed by it, before the time comes when no matter what we say or do, they will not be able to appreciate it.
Today we are going to talk about our Father, the Father of all humanity! Our Abba! To introduce our study I am going to share the story of a little girl who we will call Sally. One day Sally had a fight with one of her classmates. In an attempt to hurt her feelings, the little girl blurted out that Sally was adopted. Apparently Sally’s parents had not disclosed to her that she was adopted. They were waiting until she was older, before informing her. Her classmate, had overheard her parents commenting that Sally was adopted when she was only a few weeks old. Little Sally turned around and ran home, sobbing desperately. When she arrived at home her parents were astonished at how distraught their little girl was. When she was calm enough to talk, her parents listened as she told them how her little friend had shouted in the presence of all the other children that she was not the “real daughter” of her parents; that she was adopted. “Mommy, daddy, please tell me that that is not true. Please tell me that I am your “real little girl!” Mommy took little Sally on her lap, and after wiping away her tears, and holding her close to her heart, she admitted to Sally that it was true, and that she was adopted. She also told her how she and Sally’s dad had always wanted a little girl, but that they had not been able to have any children of their own. She told her how sad that news had made them, and how her doctor had encouraged them to adopt a child.
She told Sally how she and her husband had visited the orphanage, and as they were walking from crib to crib, they looked over and saw her in a crib in the corner, asleep. They were standing looking at little Sally when she finally opened her eyes, and lay there staring at them. Mom told her that at that moment, they knew that she was the little girl that God had created for them, and that they wanted her just as much as if they had brought her into this world. They immediately asked for the paperwork to begin the adoption process. They confessed that while they waited for the process to be completed, they would visit the orphanage every single day, until the day arrived when they were told that they could take her home. “That was the happiest day of our lives” mom said, with tears in her eyes. Mom cupped little Sally’s face in her hands, and looking her in the eyes, she said softly, “Sally, when moms and dads have a baby, they do not have a choice in deciding what child they are going to get. But when dad and I adopted you, we did have a choice; and from an orphanage full of children we chose you to be our own little girl! Other parents have to take who they get. We were able to choose who we wanted, and we chose you!”
Dear fathers you have a great role model. The Father of fathers! The Father par excellence! When you feel overwhelmed, or do not know what to do, just remember that you are special. You are a child of God. God knew that He could depend on you, so He chose you, out of a world full of men, to be a father! As a child of God, you can always call upon your Abba to counsel you when you do not know what to do – to, or for, your children. You can confess your sins when you feel that you have failed him as a parent. You can trust Him to see you through any difficulty that you face in raising the children that He has lent you. You are a heir to eternal life. That means that you have all of the help that heaven has to offer, at your command! Do not act like a servant, as if you were a victim of your circumstances; you are not! Call upon the LORD and He will be there to help you. When the going gets rough, just cry out, “Abba! Father!” in faith, and He will come to your rescue!
Have a very Happy and Blessed Father’s Day!