We are preparing to move into a new year; are you ready?  Our Father wants us to know this will be a new year of:

 

• Enduring some physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges, more than we ever had before.
• Saying goodbye to old things and old people who have hidden us in darkness rather than freeing us to live in the Light.
• Forgiving people and ourselves who caused the pain of yesterday to make room for new joys of today.
• Laying aside every weight that hinders us from walking with our Lord.
• Purging out old stuff in the closets of our souls and life.
• Forgetting those things which are behind and moving forward into the NEW.

No Matter What Comes Your Way, Our Father, Papa, Daddy, HAS YOU!

I wrote a blog in April 2019 which introduced us to our ABBA. Here is an excerpt from the blog.

I don’t know about you but I longed for my father to love me, to cherish me, adore me, and think that I was one of the greatest joys of his life.  As a child, I longed to be held and carried securely in his loving arms. I longed for him to impart his wisdom, guidance, and share his experiences about life and the world around us. I also longed for a father who when I failed, messed up, or made foolish decisions would not reject me or think less of me but with compassion bring me to his breast, hold me, then with love correct me. I longed for that kind of father! How about you?

 

Today, I want to introduce you to my Father, ABBA (translated in English as Papa, Daddy), who has filled all of the longings of my heart and soul. But first, I want to share with you how Jesus on one occasion introduced us to Him in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 15 versus 11-32 in the parable of the Prodigal Son. 

The word prodigal means spending resources freely and recklessly, to be wasteful, and extravagant.

I know you may have read the story many times but bear with me for just a moment as I share some of my discoveries of our ABBA through this parable. For me, the parable should be called, “The Compassionate Father.” Read verses 11-17 regarding the son’s experiences living lavishly in sin, hungry, and losing everything.  And then when he was left with nothing, living with pigs, he thought of what it was like living at home with his father. (Taken from the Amplified Bible)

 

¹⁷ But when he [finally] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough food, while I am dying here of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] treat me like one of your hired men.”

 

In other words, the son was saying, my father is a great provider, even to the least of those in our household, the slaves. I feel so ashamed, I am not worthy to be called his son. Have you ever messed up with our Father so badly that instead of running into His arms to say I am sorry, you hid from him? I have many times! I hid from Him in movies, books, shopping, and activities. But I wouldn’t pray or talk to Him about what I had done because I was afraid He wouldn’t want me anymore. The greatest fear we face with our Father is feeling He would reject us and not love us anymore. Why? Because from history with human beings when we messed up, they rejected us or had nothing to do with us, right? But let’s take a look at what our Father did when He saw his son coming down the road.

 

 THE COMPASSIONATE FATHER 

 Verses 20-21: While his son was a long way off:

1. He Saw Him – The father must have been waiting, watching, and anticipating the day his son would return home. And finally, the day arrived.
2. He Was Moved with Compassion for Him – Love poured out, not judgment, not rejection, but overwhelming love and gratitude. Our Father rejoices over one soul who finds his way back home into the Kingdom. He rejoices with compassion when one of His children turn to Him whenever they sin, mess up, get lost, or feel rejected.
3. He Ran To Him – In Bible days, men of prestigious statue never ran. But this father sure did. With arms opened wide, while he was still a far off, he ran to him. The son was not running, he was ashamed, but his father was ecstatic!
4. He Embraced Him – The son had been living in the pig’s pen so he wreaked with odor, his clothes were filthy, and hair matted with sweat and grime.
5. He Kissed Him – The son was repenting to his father, but the father wasn’t listening. The father was overjoyed that his son was finally home.

 

Verse 22: Then he clothed him:

There was no shower to clean him up, there was no washing his hair or making the son worthy again…he was his son; he was born worthy! When we gave our heart to our Father and Lord Jesus Christ and were born-again, we were made completely righteous, worthy, acceptable forever, placed in the Kingdom of God and seated at the right hand of God.

 

Romans 5: 8 – But God clearly shows and proves His love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners (filthy, stinking, wretched, depraved), Christ died for us. (Amplified Bible)

 

Romans 8:15 – For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing Sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!” (Amplified Bible)

 

Galatians 4:6 – And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” (Amplified Bible)

We have a Father, we call Him ABBA, Daddy, and Papa! We belong to Him; He cares deeply for us. No matter how good we act or how bad… we BELONG to HIM! He lives within us to carry us through every challenge we will face today and everyday… rest in Him ABBA, HAS US!