ABBA FATHER

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
 
Galatians 4:1-7
 
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL LINK
 
Our Daily Bread - 03/29/06
 
Both a son and a slave have a relationship with the father but that relationship is very different. The son has a familiarity which the slave can never have. The slave may be trusted, even loved but can you envision a playful wrestling match on the floor in front of the TV … the shouts from the stands at the referee who made a bad call … the broad, proud smile on graduation day? There may be situations where a slave and a master became very close but it doesn’t compare to the relationship between a child and his Daddy.
 
That is the picture the Apostle Paul was creating when he wrote, “…the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” Do you feel so close to God that your spirit cries out to your Daddy? God desires to have that closeness with you. That is why “God sent his Son ... that we might receive the full rights as sons.”
 
“Abba Father” – Daddy God.