JOHN SHIRK – This week, our words of Encouragement direct our attention to who we are as a new creation in Christ.
Today’s Word of Encouragement is Child.
Galatians 4:6 and 7 says, “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child, and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
When we put our trust in Jesus to forgive our sins and lead our lives, we become His child. God’s children receive the rights to inherit the kingdom of God. We become a member of God’s family. We regard God as our Heavenly Father in an endearing way. We trust Him as a loving Father who works all things together for our good. We cry out to Him in our moments of pain. We praise Him for His glory and grace. We acknowledge His authority over us, and seek to live a life that reflects His goodness.
Find encouragement in following Jesus as a child of God in the Year of Endurance.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is “Abba.”
This is a term that refers to God as our Father. It expresses a close, intimate relationship, where we can approach God with a childlike trust. Sometimes, Abba is equated with the term “Daddy”, which is an affectionate way to refer to our Father.
This is the kind of relationship that Jesus had with His Heavenly Father. In the Garden, just before going to the cross. Jesus prayed in Mark 14:36. “Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
The Holy Spirit also prompts us toward an intimate relationship with God. Romans 8:14 and 15 says this, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 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.”
Find encouragement in knowing God as “Abba, Father” in the Year of Endurance.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit to assure us that we belong to God.
Romans 8:14 tells us that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 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”. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
The ministry of the Holy Spirit casts out our fear with God’s perfect love. He reminds us of our identity as a child of God. One of His roles in the believer’s life is to assure us of our salvation in Christ.
To those standing firm in Christ, the Apostle Paul wrote in Second Corinthians 1:22 that God set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Focusing on our identity as a child of God gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
