GodReflection: Power Words

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15

Everyone born on earth has a father. Only the blessed have relationship with a father. It is the bond not the blood.

I am among the blessed who can claim relationship with an earthly father. Our relationship was consistent and constant. This year marks the ninth anniversary of my dad’s death. I constantly think of him. Although gone from earth our relationship remains. He continues to walk with me because I remember his love and his teaching. He will always be my dad.

The most common language in Judea during the life of Jesus was Aramaic. Three times our Bibles cite the Aramaic word “abba” which translates father. It was the only word in the Aramaic vocabulary for father. It is the word Jesus must have called Joseph, assuming Jesus spoke Aramaic. It is also the word he used to address God.

Depending on the context, the residents of Judea used the more generic form speaking of “the father” or the more intimate designation of “my father.”

Here is what I think:

God preserved the Gospels as a personal communication to me.

A back-story follows along side of each of the four Gospels. It is the account of the intimate relationship of God and His son Jesus.

I see the scene of God rejoicing through the angels at the birth of His son. The Gospels tell us that Jesus grew in favor with God as he grew in stature. We see God’s stamp of approval at the Jordan River baptism.

Throughout the ministry of Jesus, he tells everyone who will listen about the qualities of his father. The Father and Son visit and converse together in places of solitude. Father God works powerfully through His son.

Jesus ministers to the needs of others through the eyes of the Father. He paints the picture of a Father who loves sparrows, flowers, and the children of His creation. People become sons of the Father by trusting Jesus.

Jesus came to earth so that God could be my father. It took death burial, and resurrection for Jesus to repair the Father-creation relationship Adam broke with God. The resurrection affirms I can now have relationship with God.

Jesus passed his relationship to me.

Paul an apostle provides an insight for the member of the church on Galatia. He writes to them, Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

Is it too much of a leap to believe that through the Spirit, God can live within my very heart and soul? Shouldn’t that be near enough to build an intimate relationship? Why is it so hard to envision walking and talking with Father God?

As Jesus prepared for his return to the Father, he said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Jesus confers upon me the relationship he enjoys as a son.

The Father of relationship becomes a word of power as I walk toward eternity.

I am a son of God. My Father owns the entire universe. The greater miracle than His creation of the universe is that He loves me. I am a son of Creator God.

He wants relationship with me. Relationship with Father God is a constant reminder that pulls me toward Him.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on Father as a Power Word.

Gary@GodReflection.org