“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” – Galatians 4:6

I don’t have positive memories of the relationship with my father.

He would leave home very early in the morning before we woke up and would return home totally drunk late in the night after we had gone to bed.

But whatever the time he returned home, he would ensure that our mother woke up to prepare the sauce he had brought for supper.

Eventually, our mum couldn’t bear it any more.

I think the last night I spent in the same house with my father was before I even started school.

The next time I saw him was when he was in the coffin – at his funeral.

By then I was in Senior Five. It was our dear mum who was my rock throughout my childhood and teenage years.

Against that background, I really struggled to connect with the idea of God being my Father when I became a Christian.

My mind could not relate with that notion in a positive way until many years later when God graciously gave me a profound revelation of His Fatherhood.

I guess my situation is not any different from that of many other people. 

According to research, more and more men are ‘absentee fathers’ and more children than ever before are being raised by single mothers.

That definitely has a tremendous effect on society’s appreciation of the positive traits of fatherhood.

Traits of a good father: Always there and present in the good and bad times, dependable, strong, provider, comforter, caring, a protector, a teacher and a guide through both words and example, and knowledgeable.

RESEARCH IN USA

Today’s meditation is from the Epistle to the Galatians, which Paul wrote to convince the gentile believers that they had been accepted as sons in the household of faith.

“We are His children; through Christ, He has given us the right to call God, ‘Abba, Father,” he argued.

In essence, the apostle was arguing that those who have believed in Christ do carry God’s DNA.

Whereas it’s a fundamental doctrine in Christianity, the fatherhood of God is completely rejected by some religions. How sad!

In Romans 8:15, Paul admonished: “For you received the Spirit of sonship by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father’”!

In the Bible, the expression ‘Abba Father’ appears more than 100 times in the Book of John alone! Clearly, it was our Lord Jesus’ most preferred description of God.   

A few years ago, researchers in the US went out to explore how school children thought were the traits of someone they could describe as ‘a good dad.’

These were the most common characteristics according to the kids: Always there and present in the good and bad times, dependable, strong, provider, comforter, caring, a protector, a teacher and a guide through both words and example, and knowledgeable.

As a good Father, God does exemplify all these traits perfectly.

Would you connect and appreciate God as your Father?

He’s inviting each one of us today to get closer to His heart so we can appropriate the full blessings of His Fatherhood!

Prayer:       

Almighty God; help me to know that You’re a Good, Good Father! It’s who You are! That You’re perfect in all your ways. That I’m loved by You. And it’s who I am! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!