The Father's Menu
Apostle Dr. Richard Udoh
Monday, September 9, 2024
OUR FATHER!
“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.””
Romans 8:15
Main Text: Mark 14:36
Although God was referred to as our Father in the Old Testament, Jesus' frequent use of this title brought a whole new understanding of our relationship with God. Jesus referred to God as His Father, and He spoke of God as being our Father as well. This infuriated the religious Jews of Jesus' day who considered it blasphemy to call God their Father, because they understood that to mean they were equal with God.
We are instructed to call God our Father, revealing the kind, gentle, loving nature of our God. The term 'Abba' is an affectionate term that a young child calls his father, which corresponds to our term 'daddy.' It is a term used to express intimacy and affectionate fondness. It removes the idea of God as a strict judge and carries the image of Him as a loving Father who cares, understands, and is our best friend. 'Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God' (1 Jn. 3:1).
We are sons of God by adoption. Jesus was the Son of God by nature. As Jesus said to the Jews, ye are of your Father the devil (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:3). However, Jesus purchased us and made us adopted sons of God. We are not just heirs, we are joint-heirs with Christ. To think that we share equally with the one who has inherited everything God is, and has, is beyond comprehension.
Prayer:
Thank You, Abba Father, for Your Love and Faithfulness. Please guide me and direct me and give me the grace to listen, obey and follow you duly. Amen
Further Reading:
Philippians 2:5-6 “Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility], who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it];”
Mark 14:36 ““Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Read through the Bible in 1 year: Isaiah 33:10-36:22 Galatians 5:13-26 Psalm 64:1-10 Proverbs 23:23
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Ezra 5-6 & Ps 77
