Lent 2013

Tuesday, Second Week of Lent

You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.  And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father ~ the one in heaven.  Matthew 23:8-9

Who are we?  Are we what we do?  Are we what others say about us?  Are we the power we have?  It often seems that way in Western society.  But the Spirit of Jesus given to us reveals our true spiritual identities.  The Spirit reveals that we belong not to a world of success, fame or power but to God.  The world enslaves us with fear; the Spirit frees us from that slavery and restores us to the true relationship.  That is what Paul means when he says, "All who are guided b the Spirit of God are sons (and daughters) of God, for what you received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you received the spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, "Abba, Father!"  (Romans 8:15).  Who are we?  We are God's beloved sons and daughters!

Calling God "Abba, Father" is a cry of the heart, a prayer from deep inside of us.  It has nothing to do with naming God but everything to do with claiming God as the source of who we are.

Thought for today:  What keeps you from freely and wholeheartedly responding to God as your loving Father?