"See how great a love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."  (1 John 3:1)

And so we are. Read that again. The Apostle John knew his place, didn't he?

Friends, do you know that you are a child of the Most High God? Do you really know that? Our Father is not content to leave us as orphans. We might feel sometimes that we have no place, but it is God's desire that we know him and call him "Abba" (my Father).

Many people say they believe in God, and maybe they do. But it is only through Jesus, the Son, that we get to call him "my Father." Scripture tells us that when we have a relationship with Jesus we are adopted into the family; we get to call Jesus' Father our Father. God loves each of us as much as he loves Jesus.

In the garden before his arrest, Jesus called his father, "Abba." Twice in the letters of St. Paul we read that the Spirit of Christ is Himself the one who cries in us, "Abba! Father!" (Rm. 8:15 and Gal. 4:6)

In this Romans 8:15 passage, Paul is pointing out the true adoption we have because of Christ.

How is that? Under Jewish law, the servants of the household were not allowed to call the head of the household "Abba." That was a term reserved for the children, both adopted and natural. Paul reminds us here that because of Jesus our relationship with God has changed! We are no longer servants in the household; we are now His children, and with that comes the joy and privilege of having access to Him and calling Him, "Abba."

I believe that when we truly GET that, our lives change; and we can say along with John, "See how great a love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."

Blessings to you this week, brothers and sisters!

Greg

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Monday, January 30:  Welcome to Part 2 of our DVD series by Beth Moore on Daniel. Remember to bring your Bibles and notebooks! This is stuff you will want to take good notes on. Come and hear the fascinating account of Daniel's life and how it is so relevant to us today as we live and walk in "modern-day Babylon." Hear the Old Testament with new ears and insight.

Class starts at 7:15 PM.

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Saturday, February 4: The Screwtape Letters at Mesa Arts Center, 8:00 PM. Author and theologian C.S. Lewis' brilliant novel reveals spiritual warfare from a demon's point of view. This stage version brings his novel to life; entertaining and definitely insightful, you'll see yourself in more ways than you know. Group rate TICKETS: $33.00. We can carpool as a group from the Park & Ride, southwest corner of I-17 and Bell. Watch the enews next week for exact times.

Call Elly at 623-297-1110 if you are still interested and she will let you know how you might still be able to get a ticket, even though it might not be with the group. BTW, It's a good idea to pick up the book and read it beforehand -  a little background will help you as you watch the performance.


Healing From Loss: Restoring Your Life
A new grief recovery workshop is beginning in February. If you know of someone who can benefit from this 12-week, intensive workshop, be sure to tell them about it. Classes will be every Tuesday night. We already have several participants, and space is limited. Call Greg if you want more information or if you wish to sign up: 602-622-1488.