"Father Abraham"

 "They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." (John 8:39 KJV)

  "Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the alter? You see, his faith and actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone." (James 2:21-26 NLT)

 I can remember, back when I first got saved, about twelve of us brothers were gathered at the front of the church, as we form a circle and started to march in step, singing, "Father Abraham, had many sons; Many sons had father Abraham. I am one, and so are you. As we go marching on!" That was over 40 years ago, so I might have left out a word or two from the song. 

 This was a spontaneous reaction, as we were gathered together in prayer, and one of us began to hum to tune, causing the song to just pour out of us. It is really not a question of why we were motivated to do what we did, because the Holy Spirit was the conduit, and we totally knew it. The real question I might ask, is why it doesn't always feel that way, where you just don't care? 

 The moment that David stripped off his royal robe and danced before the LORD; it was a moment when nothing else mattered but that he should praise God with all of his heart! Those are special moments, as we feel the need to let go of all the pride and insecurity, surrender it all to God, and just enjoy being in His presence. 

 "Better is one day in his house, than thousands elsewhere!" That is what we realize and experience, as we just enjoy being one of His children! Is that action enough to count? Yes, more than you realize! It is that simple acknowledgement of joy and peace we have in Christ, that is able to show others what they are missing. 

 I don't care how long ago you were saved, but the thing we lacked prior to accepting Jesus into our hearts, was fellowship with God! We might not remember what it felt like, because that feeling has been taken and replaced with hope. The closest we come to the feeling we once knew, is when we fail to ask God for forgiveness, whenever we fall or mess up. 

 Even then, it is never the same as it once was, because of hope! You might not know this, but that parable of the Prodigal Son, it shows the unbreakable connection between the Father and the son. No matter what that son had done, he never stopped being the son! All it took was for him to draw towards his father, and hope was restored! Despair and misery had left him; he had someone to turn to, that he knew, without a doubt, would still call him son. 

 If you were to search through the lessons about this online, you would witness several of those, shall we say, judgmental teachers, that have placed this character in a bad light. Unfortunately for many that might buy into that; because pretty much all of us experience being an 'Abuser of Grace,' at one time on another. But nonetheless, we are never not His children...

"For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew in one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people." (Romans 2:28-29 NLT)