Dear Heavenly Father

“To know God as our father – our almighty, loving father – is the highest, richest, and most rewarding aspect of our relationship with him.

- J.I. Packer

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.

- The Apostle Paul, Galatians 4:6-7

I admit it, I am one of the fortunate ones. I grew up with a loving father who exemplified my Father in Heaven. My earthly father’s example is worthy of following and points me toward the love, grace, mercy and kindness of my Heavenly Father.

I realize this is not the case for everyone. For many, the idea of a Father in Heaven who loves and cares for them is a foreign concept, as it was never modeled to them as a child. My heart hurts for those who have experienced this, and I pray they will be willing to give our Father in Heaven an opportunity to prove He is more loving, more faithful and more kind than they could ever imagine.

To think that we can have the type of relationship with our Heavenly Father that allows us to call Him “Abba,” which can be translated as “daddy” or “papa,” is beyond reason to me. Rather than a distant, impersonal relationship, it becomes an intimate, personal one. Someone once said, “Any man can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a dad.”  My father on earth has earned the right to be called “dad,” and even more so my Father in Heaven. While I hold the highest respect for Him as the Almighty Heavenly Father, Creator, Judge and Ruler over all that is, to me He is also “Abba,” “Daddy” and even “Pops” - for that is the type if loving, intimate relationship I enjoy with Him.

I invite you to elevate our Father in Heaven to the place He deserves, as Ruler over all Creation, but I also invite you to draw Him close to the place He desires, in a close, intimate relationship with you as your dad.

Pastor Ken

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