Brought Near: Part 2

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." - Ephesians 2:13

''For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,'Abba, Father.'" - Romans 8:15

Tuesday we saw how mankind is sinful and how that sin separates us from God. We also saw how Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to die for our sins and rise again so that all those who repent and put their faith in Him to save them from their sins can have fellowship with God and live with Him in heaven forever.
Today we are going to look some of the great blessings and opportunities that we have as God's children.
As those who have put their faith in Christ, we were totally separated from fellowship with God before we came to know Jesus as our personal Savior. We could not experience the many blessings that are now ours. Now, as Romans 8:15 says, we have been adopted into the family of God and God is now our heavenly Father. He is a good, loving, and kind Father who will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Just as any good father would, our heavenly Father does not take sin lightly and has to discipline us and get the things out of our lives that are not pleasing to Him, but He does it all for our good (Heb. 12: 9-10). Remember how in Romans 8:15 the word Abba is used. Well, that is the same Aramaic word that Jesus used when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to God the Father. The word Abba has basically the same meaning as the English word daddy. It speaks of a especially close and intimate relationship with a father. God is now our "Abba," Father. He is always here for us. When we have turned away from Him and gotten into sin, He is always there to pick us back up and dust us off if we are truly repentant. He is always there for us in the storms and trials of life to help us and carry us through. When we face temptation of any sort, He is the One who stands by our side to give us strength and help us not to give in.
So remember next time you are struggling or you feel like nobody cares that you have been brought near to God by the blood of Jesus Christ and you have a heavenly Father who is just waiting for you to come and find your help in Him.