ABBA FATHER

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of
his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6).

Devotion 1 of  14

INTRODUCTION

    Implicit reliance on the Father is the consistent initial result of the new birth. God receives no one who does not rely upon Him, and He rejects no one who does. It simply is not possible to "come" to the Father without relying upon Him -- i.e., without trusting Him. That is the peculiar prerogative of faith. It relies upon the Living God.

      The difficulty is that we are in an estranged world, surrounded by alienating influences, and pursued by a fierce adversary. Under such conditions, how can we be constant in this matter of reliance? How can we maintain trust, or be strong in faith, giving glory to God (Rom 4:20).

    The Holy Spirit is heaven's Administrator in these matters. He has been given to us to facilitate our reliance upon the Lord. You have every reason to be confident! He is the One who convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He persuades us that not believing on Christ actually alienates us from God. He convinces us that Jesus Christ is really the Righteous ONE, because He alone has ascended to the Father. He persuades us that Satan has been judged, and is not worthy of our allegiance (John 16:8-11).

      All of this leads us to trust in God. As it is written, "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory" (Eph 1:13-14). We trust Him to remit our sins. We trust Him to hear our prayers. We trust Him to give us peace, joy, strength, and daily grace. That is how everyone comes into Christ, and there are no exceptions.

      Once we are in Christ, the Holy Spirit continues to help our infirmities, interceding for us (Rom 8:26), strengthening us with might in the inner man, so Christ can dwell in our hearts by faith (Eph 3:17).  He brings joy to us, produces fruit in us (Rom 14:17; Gal 5:22-23), and causes us to "abound in hope" (Rom 15:13).

      In all of this, the Holy Spirit is helping us to maintain our affiliation with God through Jesus Christ. That affiliation is the spiritual hub around which spiritual life, in all of its aspects, revolves.

    The status of the sons of God is not generally appreciated--at least not to the degree available to us. One of the penalties of a legalistic religion is that those embracing it are robbed of an awareness of their position in Christ. A highly regimented religion may appear to be wise, but its benefits are very few, if any at all.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask for grace to trust You more fully, and with a dominating sense of expectancy.

-- Tomorrow: THE PROMINENCE OF THE FATHER --