Who's Your Daddy?

You hear that expression many times in sports and many other "he man" type venues.  I heard it a few weeks ago from one of my son in laws when playing Call of Duty and I got "schooled" by them.  I have said it as a kind of fun way of "taunting" others in jest, but what does it mean on a much higher plane?  It basically means, "who owns your heart."  In Webster's it denotes a very casual way of saying the word "father" and in its casual sense also lends its way to being able to address someone of higher standing in your life in a very "insiders" way.  Saying daddy is not designed to take away from the position of the one who is addressed, but it is a way of saying that you are much closer to them and your respect is from getting to know them better. In Romans 8:15 Paul addressed the church at Rome by dealing with what happens when you have free access to our Heavenly Father.  It probably blew them away to know that they didn't have to go through a man or an organization to get to God.  If they believed and received Christ, the door was open.  Before Christ they would have replied to the question, "Who's Your Daddy?' by saying, "the priest."  I call that secondary faith and that kind of faith, at its best, is weak.  Christ gave everything so we could have the same access to the Father He has.  In other words, when Christ was raised from the dead, we also receive the power to live a life of victory that transcends anything the world can offer.   So when asked we can say "God is my daddy!"

Here is a great scripture from Romans to emphasize the point of intimacy with God. 

  Romans 8:9 But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about.

You see, you have to know Him to call Him daddy.  Some people may be confused when asked the question "who's your daddy?"  If you are one of them, you need to double check and make sure you know Him by receiving Him as Lord and Savior.  If you have done that and still lack that close friendship with God, then you are still held by the chains of your former life and you are not "free" as God intended.  Resurrection living is a whole other level in the Christian Faith and many of our well intended "church folk" live more out of secondary faith or tradition than truth and the end result is fear, lack of trust, and stagnation.  If you want to truly come alive in Christ you must trust God to show you how to live and one thing will be guaranteed.....yes, I said guaranteed!!!  You will come to God for answers and strength, and power, and His Word will draw you closer to Him and in turn closer to other believers.  There, I said it!!  The end result will be the church revived and growing with like-minded people who are in tune with God.

Romans 8:15 says, "This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.  It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"

So the next time you are put in the path of a dead, boring, Christian, you might want to ask them "Who's your daddy?"  If they can't answer, then it's time to share the truth with them and allow God to free them from the world's bondage.  If they aren't a believer, then you need to share some awesome news with them about someone you are close to....your daddy!

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren