I Am a Child of God - John 1:11-13

 

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 

John 1:11-13

I have a right to be a child of God. What?

I am so blessed to be a believer today. What grace He has given me to be able to open my eyes wide enough to see Him!

Even many of His own people did not.

Still, some did.

Oh, and like me, He gave them the right...

...to be children of God.

That is a phrase needs some of my attention. It says that He gave them the right. The right. What is a right? In the United States of America we talk about rights. We have a bill of rights. The people who wrote the constitution declared that Americans have these rights, meaning, they can't be legally taken away from you.

I am a child of God by right. Not because I was born on one side of a border but by the declaration of God. He gave it to me.

Now, after He has been so kind, so giving, so sacrificial to give me what is literally the most awesome gift in the universe, it would be stupid of me to act like a child of Adam, ruled by my flesh. Right?

For Those Who Believe

It's for those who believe on His name.

What does it mean to believe on the name of Jesus? When I believe on His name, when I say it, it is a confession of what he has done and who He is.

He died for me. My sins are nailed to the cross. This is a summary of what He did. He is Lord. This is who He is. I must obey Him.

And when I fail to obey him, I must repent. Then, I get to continue walking with him, freely accepting His love and forgiveness. And delighting in Him.

That's a child of God.

It's by His will that I am His. He gave me the right.

It's not unlike a couple who go to an adoption agency and decide to adopt a child. They will choose the boy or girl, and bring him or her up as their own. That child will carry the name of the adoptive parents. And they must obey those parents.

I am a child of God. Now. Today.

Lord, help me to live as an obedient, loving, powerfully humble child of yours. Today. May I believe what you say. Teach me how to set my mind on the Spirit. May I know the power of prayer. May I encourage others and point to You, the one true God. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.