"Who's Your Daddy?"

"Who's your daddy?"

A term of derision. One that denotes absolute domination of one individual over another.

"Slam. Dunk. Game! Who's your daddy?" I own you.

Funny how Paul chose his words in Romans 8:15:

"For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!"

"Abba" is the "daddy" of Paul's time.

It's not a derisive term, but one of endearment.

In contrast with the world, it exclaims the joy of being released from the bondage of sin into the freedom of being adopted by our heavenly Father.

Once we were enslaved, now we are free! Thank you Abba Father! Thank you Daddy!

Yes, we can express those types of endearing emotions to our Father.

I love seeing the closeness lived out between God and His children. It warms my heart.

Conversely my heart grows sad, and a type of spiritual nausea (if that makes sense) overtakes me when I see the chasm grow between many people and God.

I call it the great rejection. The great division. The Chasm. Separation.

I understand ignorantly skipping through life without any affiliation with God.

I don't understand knowing that there is One Who longs and waits for the Prodigal to return, only to suffer disappointment at seeing the object of His affection continuously reject His offerings at reconciliation.

I don't understand knowingly choosing another god over Abba Father.

I say I don't understand, but it's just a coping mechanism.

I really do understand. And that just compounds the sadness.

I do understand but I really wish I didn't sometimes.

It's tough to watch. I see it played out in the eyes of their loved ones who long for them to make the right choice.

Their sadness becomes my sadness.

Is this what Paul meant when he said, "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

I also am able to comprehend Jesus as being the "Rock of Offense" a bit better as well.

I have found that people are either going to lean on the Rock, or trip over Him and skin their nose.

I really would like to get in some people's faces and cry out "C'mon, really now, who's your Daddy? You know you know better, so why the runaround?"

But then I become a small stone of offense, and I would rather have Jesus do His work than me do my botched impression. Even it it means watching some unpleasant bloodletting.

So, the best I can do today, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, is to simply ask you to answer this in your soul and spirit:

Who is your Daddy today?

Can you lift your eyes up to Him at this moment and say "Abba! Father!? Daddy!" Can you sense the warmth, the love that just flows from Him to you?

Do you know that you know that you know that you know?

If so I say YAY! In my strongest display of Spirit filled emotion I say YAAAAY!!!! for you!

And for those who have chosen another, far lesser god, I say there is a great hope for you (if your reading this). I want you to know that in my imperfect and flawed self, I will not abandon hope for you.

How much more will Abba Father continue to wait patiently for you to return?

I love each and every one of you today!

Run it all past Jesus first!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin