We cry out, “Abba! Father!”

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For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. -Romans 8:15-17 NLT

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Jesus Christ changed mankind's view of God when he gave us a prayer to pray that began with the words "Our Father". Before that time people were all about lineage and ancestry. A few of the gospels even begin with the ancestral lineage of the Son of God. Jews embraced Abraham as not only their father in the flesh but a spiritual parent as well. So this idea of a Father God was an alien one at best. People could relate to a God they feared but not so much a father.

I think that this perception of God as our loving father has the power to change everything. Unlike earthly fathers our heavenly father embraces and loves us unconditionally. Unlike many fathers, God never leaves us and is always there, through prayer, when we need him. The Greek word Abba denotes a sense of intimacy and closeness - it is sometimes translated papa or daddy. It is an appropriate word for one of God's children and fellow heirs with Jesus Christ.

Abba! Father! Dispel any pain we have concerning our earthly fathers. Open our hearts to your father heart.

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