The Final Goal: Lost and Found
Read: Luke 15:1-7 “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” – Luke 15:6 When the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen in 1966, there followed nearly a week of anxiety and frustration as the authorities frantically searched for it. But then amazingly the World Cup trophy was found by a dog called Pickles! [...]
ODJ: our Father
Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy (v.9).
READ: Matthew 6:9-13
Bilquis Sheikh, a Pakistani, wrote about her conversion to Christianity in the book I Dared to Call Him Father. The title caught my attention.
Dared to call Him Father? We usually take it for granted that we can address God as “Father.” We hardly realize what a great privilege it is anymore! Jesus introduce something completely revolutionary when He told us to call God, “Our Father in heaven” (v.9). Considering how dangerous it was for Jesus to call God “My Father” (John 5:17-18), perhaps Bilquis Sheikh was right. We can’t take it for granted that we may call God “Abba, Father.”
While on earth, Jesus spoke with God with evident familiarity and intimacy, calling God “Father” more than 200 times. Jesus never called God by any other name until—while on the cross, bearing the sins of the world and forsaken by His Father—He cried out in anguish: “My God, my God” (Matthew 27:46). But once His act of ultimate sacrifice was nearing completion, Jesus reverted to calling God “Father.” His final, triumphant words were: “Father, I entrust My spirit into Your hands!” (Luke 23:46).
Because of the cross, we now have the privilege and the right to call God “Abba, Father,” for we “are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26; see also John 1:12). God is our Father, for He has adopted us (Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:4-5). We dare to call Him “Father” because we have received “the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4-7 NIV) through the gift of the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of sonship” (Romans 8:14-17 NIV). A nonbeliever will never be able to call God “Abba, Father.”
Our Father in heaven (v.9) is a name of endearment. God is our “Abba Father” who deeply loves us His children. —K.T. Sim
What did it cost Jesus to allow you to call God “Abba, Father”? Pray to your “Father in heaven” and praise Him for the intimate relationship you can enjoy with Him.
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Loading ...Hidden In My Savior
Written By: Milana Bubanova, 17, Czech Repulic Isaac Tan, 20, Singapore Rachel, 21, Singapore Hidden In My Savior Your holy throne is set high above, Mere mortal man cannot approach. Your glorious stature shines divine That sinful eyes are rendered blind. Yet Your loving grace is clearly shown To lowly beings like my own. For [...]
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July 11, 2010
READ: James 1:19-27
Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. —James 1:22
Just after we moved to a house in a new neighborhood, we invited my sister-in-law and her husband over for Sunday dinner. As we were greeting Sue and Ted at the door, an odd noise directed their eyes toward the kitchen. As I followed their gaze, I froze in horror. An errant hose of our old portable dishwasher was whipping about like the trunk of an angry elephant, spewing water everywhere!
Sue went into action mode. Dropping her purse, she was in the kitchen before me, shutting off the water and calling for towels and a mop. We spent the first 15 minutes of their visit on our knees mopping the floor.
Sue is a doer—and the world is a better place because of the doers of the world. These are the people who are always ready to pitch in, to be involved, and even to lead if necessary.
Many of the doers of the world are also doers of the Word. These are the followers of Jesus who have taken the challenge of James to heart: “Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only” (1:22).
Are you doing all that you know God wants you to do? As you read God’s Word, put what you’ve learned into practice. First hear—then do. God’s blessing comes as a result of our obedience (v.25). —Cindy Hess Kasper
The value of the Bible does not consist merely in knowing it, but in obeying it.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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