Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

We Call God Our “Abba! Father!” {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

When my son was a toddler, we went through an awkward phase when he used the word “dada” to refer to all men. I’d watch him look around the store and spot a random stranger, and I’d brace myself for what would come next. “Dada!” would fly enthusiastically from his mouth as Mr. Random Stranger looked around in confusion.

My son didn’t yet understand that the word we use to refer to his daddy was a precious name for an even-more-precious relationship. Now that he’s a teenager, he knows that the love of his father is unique. He calls him “Dad” because of the relationship they share. And we see in Galatians 4 that God has given us, His adopted children, the unique privilege of calling Him our Father:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the 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!’” (Galatians 4:4-6)

In these verses, we see the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bringing us into this special relationship and giving us the privilege of calling God our Father. We are adopted children because God sent forth His Son to redeem us. Just a few verses earlier, Paul tells the Galatians that “in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (3:26). Our adoption as sons is a free gift of God’s grace given to us on the basis of faith in Christ.

God also sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Romans 8:15 tells us that we cry “Abba, Father!” because of the Spirit of adoption given to us. Because God the Father has sent both His Son and His Spirit, we can cry out to God with confidence and know that He hears the pleas of His children.

No matter what you face this week, we have the privilege of calling God our “Abba! Father!”

Share

God’s Free Gift of Adoption {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

 

We have the same conversation almost every night at bedtime. I tell my daughter I love her. She says, “I love you more.” And I reply, “That’s not possible. I love you more, and I loved you first.”

I win the Who-Loves-Whom-The-Most battle because I loved my daughter before she even had an awareness that I existed. I know her 9-year-old mind can’t begin to fathom the depth of my love for her. It reminds me of God’s love—a love so deep, so wide, so infinite, so indescribable, beyond the comprehension of His children.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)

God’s Word describes many ways that His free gift of grace changes our lives. As we are united to Christ by faith, we receive all that He earned on our behalf: redemption, forgiveness, eternal life, and more. One of my favorites of all the benefits we receive from Christ is our adoption as sons and daughters of God.

Because of the lavish love of the Father, He united us to His Son, Jesus Christ, and made us His children. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines adoption as “an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.” That’s amazing news! God brings us into His family and treats us as His children.

If our adoption is an act of God’s free grace, we can’t earn it, and we can’t lose it. He doesn’t love us as His daughters and sons because we’re loveable, because we’re good children, or because we bring something valuable to the relationship. Adoption is one-sided—a Father welcoming a child and giving the child all the privileges and rights that come with being part of the family.

No matter what you face this week, you’ve been adopted by God’s free grace.

Share

Nothing Can Separate You {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

 

A few weeks ago, I asked my daughter what she learned at Bible study as we made our way through the dark parking lot to our car. Her answer surprised me: “We learned how God kept parting all the water for the Israelites.”

If you spent much time in Sunday school as a kid, you probably saw the parting of the Red Sea on a felt board at some point. As the Egyptian army with their horses and chariots came barreling after them, the recently-freed Israelites huddled on the shore of the sea, waiting to see what God would do.

Forty years later, those who had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground had died in the wilderness. The next generation stood on the banks of the Jordan River as it rushed past them at floodstage. On the other side lay the long-awaited Promised Land. Once again, God proved that nothing can separate His children from His unfailing love, His perfect plans, and His gracious salvation. (Check out Joshua 3 to read more.)

The God who won’t let anything stand in the way of showing His love to His children is still the same today:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

In these verses, Paul gives us a comprehensive list of all the circumstances and powers that can’t separate us from God’s love. And in case he missed anything, he adds these powerful words: “nor anything else in all creation.” That pretty much covers it, wouldn’t you say?

Do you ever feel like a roaring river or a foreboding sea is keeping you from what God has promised? The hard circumstances we face can separate us from comfort, from happiness, from friends – maybe even separate us by death from someone we love and miss. But no matter how hard things get, our suffering will never be able to separate us from God’s love for us in Christ.

No matter what you face this week, nothing in all creation can separate you from God’s love in Christ Jesus.

Share

God’s Verdict is Secure {No Matter What Monday}

by Leave a Comment

 

They are the words every child swears they will never say to their kids, and they are the words most parents have said to their child: “Because I said so.”

When a parent says, “Because I said so,” those words are meant to end the argument. Why? Because the parent has the authority. The parent’s words have power. They ultimately win out over the protests and questions of the child. When spoken in love, these words remind children that their parents care for them, and the children can trust their parents to do what’s best for them.

God also says, “Because I said so.” If you are in Christ, you are forgiven and secure—because God said so. God has justified you because of Christ’s death and resurrection, and no one can argue with His decision.

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:33-34)

Paul just finished reminding us in the previous verses that God is for us and has provided His Son as a sacrifice to redeem us. Now he has us in a courtroom. Charges are being brought by an accuser. A judge will decide whether to condemn or acquit.

Your accuser brings a charge against you to the Judge’s bench. Maybe there’s a crowd forming, each person walking down the courtroom aisle with a charge in their hand, as you sit at the defendant’s table. But when your accusers get closer, they see someone sitting next to the judge. Jesus is there, showing His nail-pierced hands and feet.

God has already declared you righteous because of Jesus’s righteousness. The charges evaporate in your accuser’s hand. Not even Satan himself can bring a charge against you. You’ve been declared righteous—you’ve been justified—and when God said, “Because I said so,” no one gets to argue further.

Christ Jesus died for you. He was raised for you. He sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for you as your advocate. You’re not sinless, and there will be consequences for your choices. But there won’t be condemnation. Your verdict is secure, because the sentence for your sin has already been served by your Savior.

No matter what you face this week, God’s verdict is secure.

Share