“Thank you God.”  As many times as I have heard people make that statement it never bothered me.  This week, for some reason it jumped out at me.  I began to think about how Christians address the God of the universe, and how non-Christians refer to Him. 

Webster defines God as the supreme or ultimate reality: such as the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped (as in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism) as creator and ruler of the universe.  So, is it safe to say that most people believe in God, that is to say the creator of the universe?  Much can be said about the Christians viewpoint and that is where I am going with this thought.

When we enter into the new life that is in Christ Jesus, our relationship to God changes.  Once we become part of the family of God, he becomes our father.  Yes He is still God but so much more now that he has redeemed us from the curse of the law and cleansed us with the blood of Jesus.

     1 Corinthians 8:6 says to us, “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things   came and for whom we live;”.

     Ephesians 4:6 says to us, “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

    1 Thessalonians 3:11 says to us, “Now may God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.”

     Romans 8:15 makes it clear, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Abba is an Aramaic term for father.  It was a common term that expressed affection and confidence and trust. Abba signifies the close, intimate relationship of a father and his child, as well as the childlike trust that a young child puts in his “daddy.”

I began to make this comparison.  In the natural, when referring to our parents we do not call them by their name (however some do).  In some families that I know if you called a parent by their first name, that called for a “who do you think you are” or even a smack in the mouth.  It was a sign of respect to address your parents as mother or father; mama or daddy; mom or dad; God forbid if you called them Mr. so in so or Mrs. so in so (child what is wrong with you?). 

So, how must our heavenly father feel when we address him as God, and we never call Him father?  Where is the intimacy in that? He sent his only son into the world to make a way for us to become part of his family.  He desires to have a relationship with us, He desires that we act like family, He desires that we accept him as our father.   1 John 3:1 says to us, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”  We are his children, and we were born of Him; “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,” 1 John 5:1. 

He is my heavenly father, what say you?