Abba Father

Daily Reading: Malachi 1-2

Scripture Focus: A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? (Malachi 1:6)

Devotional Thought: Have you ever seen a young child disrespect a parent? It is painful to watch. Parents don’t always make decisions that are popular with their children. Their commands are not always easy to follow. However, most parents work hard to love their kids, provide a healthy environment for them, give them proper instruction and life-skills, and teach them right from wrong. That is why it is so painful when a child openly (or secretly) rejects their parents.

The old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt”, can happen in families too. Children mistake the love and kindness of their parents as a license to disobey or disrespect their parents.

This was the mistake of the people of Israel, according to the prophet Malachi. The God of Israel was none other than YAHWEH, the Creator of heaven and earth who rescued them from Egypt. This was the covenant-keeping God who established the throne of David and who rescued them countless times from oppression and their own stupidity. God was their Father and Master, but they were not treating God like a father or master. They were bringing tainted goods to the Temple for sacrifice. They wanted a relationship with God, but apparently had no interest in obeying or treating God as their Father or Master. Rightly so, God asks, “Where is the honor and respect I deserve?”

Are we guilty of this? God deserves our love and respect. Let’s not let our familiarity with God causes us to lose sight of the greatness of God and the respect, honor, and obedience that God deserves here.

Joe Young

Prayer: Father, you bid me to call you "Abba" - Daddy. Help me, in the midst of this familiarity, to honor you with my thoughts, my words, and my actions. In the name of your Son Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Psalm of the Day: 1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. (Psalms 123:1-4)