Living in the Father's Love (Part 1)

“Oh! Daddy, my Daddy!”

Those words come from the English novel The Railway Children by author Edith Nesbit. Set in Edwardian England, the novel tells the story of a man who has been wrongly accused and detained for spying and how his wife and three children grieve their separation from him. After seeking out the assistance of an elderly gentleman who waves to the children everyday from the window of his commuter train, the eldest daughter, Roberta, is holding out against all hope that she might one day be reunited with her father.

In the emotionally charged closing scene on the railway platform in their village, Roberta waits for the passengers of the morning train to disembark. Through the cloud of steam created as the engine departs the platform, she sees the figure of a tall well-dressed man… Her father has returned. As she cries, “Oh! Daddy, my Daddy!” she tearfully runs to him into his outstretched arms. Their reunion is sweet, not least because we hear the heartfelt cry of a deserted daughter anticipating her father’s loving embrace once again. (I’m choking up as I recall the scene in the 1970's movie!)

Paul the apostle wrote to the church in Galatia, reminding them of the good news of the gospel he had brought to them, that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying “Abba, Father” [lit. Daddy, my Daddy!]. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Gal. 4:4-7).

Paul is reminding us of our adopted status through Jesus. We are sons and daughters, able to call out “Abba, Father!” to God because Jesus has made a way for us to come running into the Father’s arms. As disciples of Jesus, our identity is wrapped up in being able to make that declaration “Daddy, my Daddy!” We have a Father who is the creator of all things. Paul, writing to the churches in Asia Minor, reminded the Gentile believers, “Through [Christ] we both [Jews and Gentiles] have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18).

One of my professors at Fuller Seminary, Dr. Bobby Clinton, wrote that “effective ministry flows out of being.” In other words, what we do will always flow from who we are. As followers of Jesus, we will be most fruitful when we step into our identity as sons and daughters, because we will never have to work for our identity—we will only ever work from our identity.
 

Today, the Father is waiting to lovingly embrace His kids who have been separated from Him for whatever reason. His arms are outstretched, and as soon as He catches the first sight of you returning to Him, He will run to you to smother you with His love and affection. He is the extravagant Father of Luke 15, waiting to give you the family ring and a fine coat to affirm your identity as His child.

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