Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child;
Galatians 4
We were meant for intimacy.
At the apex of Galatians, where Paul is fighting to define the essence of Christianity amidst attempts from Jewish leaders to define it by Jewish customs, he presents an alternate definition of the normal Christian life.
The normal Christian life is not doing customs, but rather the power in the Holy Spirit being poured into our hearts to connect with the Father. He is combatting outward activites and instead exalting inward realities.
This Spirit that God gives us, Paul writes, is meant to do something very specific–He is meant to help us cry out “Abba Father!” What’s interesting is that abba is the colloquial term for father, i.e. the intimate term. It is equivalent to calling God “Daddy God”.
Which leads me to this conclusion–the Holy Spirit is here to guide us to intimacy with our Daddy God.
He is meant to do the inward work and bring the light which ignites our hearts to make that declaration. It’s not a whisper either-it is a shout: “Abba!”
In the face of increasing religious activity and ecclesial organization, let us remember that the Spirit is not just utilitarian, enabling us to do God’s work. That’s all great and all, but the Father longs first for connection. He longs for children to talk to him not like a boss first, but like their daddy.
To not just serve him, but to hug him. To not just speak endless prayers to him, hoping he hears, but to be still, and to hear the whispers of the Father. To not just work and labor, but to be enjoyed, liked, and loved.
Holy Spirit, stir up our spirits, and lead us to this intimate love today. Away from religiousness and towards intimate love.