“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 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; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
Galatians 4:4-7 (NIV)
Throughout
the Bible it is evident that God wants relationship with His people. To clarify further—God desires intimate relationship with us. The Bible describes God’s relationship with
His people in several intimate ways—Father and son/daughter, Husband and wife,
Bridegroom and bride, Friend. The Bible
says that for true believers God is our Heavenly Father. However, not everyone is a child of God, a
thought many people like to comfort themselves with. This is what God’s Word has to say about who is a child of God:
We
must receive and believe Jesus Christ whom
God sent to be Savior from sin:
“The
true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was
made through him, the world did not recognize him. He
came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:9-13 (NIV)
We become children of God by being baptized into Christ through faith in Christ:
“For you are all sons of God through faith in
Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus. And if you are
Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29
(NKJV)
Those
who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God:
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God
are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you
slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your
adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,
‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s
children. Now if we are children, then
we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we
share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:14-17 (NIV)
Children of God should be
imitators of God and walk in love:
“Therefore be
imitators of God as dear children. And
walk in love, as Christ
also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God
for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Ephesians
5:1-2 (NKJV)
Children of God should
pray to the Father:
“One
day Jesus was praying in a certain place.
When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to
pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name”’” Luke 11:1-2 (NIV)
Children of God are being sanctified, purified:
“See what great love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
And that
is what we are! . . . Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he
is pure.”
1 John 3:1a-b, 2-3 (NIV)
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. . . For we are the
temple of the living God. As God has
said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and
they will be my people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive
you.’ And, ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.’” 2
Corinthians 6:14a, 16b-18 (NIV)
If you have received and
believe Jesus Christ as Savior, God
is your Father.
Now think about your pain. If you are a parent, do you care if your child is in pain? Mothers, when you think of all the sacrifices
you made for your children, does it hurt if they don’t want relationship with
you and instead turn to other things?
Does it hurt if they get themselves enslaved instead of living their
life to the full after all you did to afford them that? Are you enslaved to food, diets, body image,
exercise and/or the scale? Remember what
it cost Jesus Christ for you to have relationship with God, to be able to heal,
and to live an abundant life of freedom from slavery to sin.
Do you know that your heavenly
Father cares about your pain?
For those of you who may have
a difficult time knowing God as “Father” (for whatever reason--abusive or
absent earthly father, etc.), consider knowing the Father through Jesus:
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen
him.’ Philip said, ‘Lord, show us
the Father and that will be enough for us.’
Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know
me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father,
and that the Father is in me? The words
I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who
is doing his work. Believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the
evidence of the works themselves.’” John 14:6-11 (NIV)
Not only are believers children of God, we
are His adopted children. This means Chosen!
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the
creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us
in the One he loves. In him we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the
riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.”
Ephesians
1:3-8 (NIV)
The riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us—there’s that word
again. We are lavishly loved, and we are
adopted children--no longer a slave, but God’s child:
“But when the set time
had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to
sonship. 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; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Galatians 4:4-7 (NIV)
Dear Father, Bless your
children. Reveal Your Love to them and
Heal their pain. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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