Children of God

~~~ 1 John 2:29–3:6 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:29-34 ~~~

Beloved, we are God’s children now...

Whenever I reflect on what it means to be a child of God

I get this image of many children gathering around Jesus.

I see children coming to him as I have seen children flocking

 to see Santa Claus in the mall.

Being a child of God brings joy to my soul.

It brings me comfort to know that God is taking care of me...

he always has and he always will.

To those who accepted him

he gave power to become the children of God.

He gave power to become the children of God...

Somehow the words power and children do not fit together.

One might say that children have very little if any power.

One might say that children are helpless,

that they rely on adults for all of their basic needs.

Do you want to be a child of God?

Are you resistant to even the idea of becoming a child once again?

Being a child of someone means

 you share in the history of the family.

You are one of the heirs. You will inherit a part of the estate.

With God we, as his children, become heirs 

to the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus even says that unless you become like little children

 you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Becoming a child of God gives us 

an even greater appreciation of our history...

a deeper connection to what has gone before our own time.

Children of God are close to his heart.

Children of God are greatly loved.

Let God love you as only he can.

Blessed to be claimed as a child of God.

~~~Peace~~~

What You Become

~~~ 1 John 2:29-3:6 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:29-34 ~~~

Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

Recently some friends of ours adopted a baby.
They spent a great deal of time, effort, and money
 to make this adoption a reality.
When they had successfully completed every criteria
and were approved to just be considered they were so happy.

Now they had to wait until a birth mother
would choose them to adopt her child.
They continued to prepare their home and their hearts
 to receive a child...a child of their own...
a child that they would welcome into their open arms...
a child that they would instantly love as their own flesh and blood.

Finally the long awaited phone call came one morning.
They had been chosen by a birth mother;
she wanted to meet them in person.
They were beside themselves with excitement
tempered a bit with anxiety.
What if she did not like them after seeing them?
What if she did not like the color of their hair?
What if she did not like the sound of their voices?
So many questions swirled about in their heads.

I am sharing this story because God has adopted us to be his own.
He wanted a way to make us his for all of eternity.
We could never be like God not even if we desperately tried.
But God had a plan, as he always does.
He sent his son, Jesus, to be one of us...now we are kin.

He came as a child in order to make us his children.

He is the light and we are the children of the light.
Our friends did get a child, a son, and they do indeed
 love him as their own.

You know that he was revealed to take away sins,

and in him there is no sin. 

For in the light the darkness of sin cannot prevail.

Jesus came to save us from the darkness of sin.

We continue during this season of Joy
to praise God for all he has done for us.

Psalm 98 sings of how generous and loving God has been to us.

For three days we hear the echos of this joyful psalm.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

John saw Jesus. John baptized Jesus.
John was given the grace to recognize Jesus
as truly the only one could take away our sins.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

In God's divine plan we were adopted by a baby's birth
and then saved by him as an adult.

Only God could have devised such an awesome plan.
Let us forever sing Our God is an Awesome God.
We are adopted, saved, and
eternally Blessed.

What Shall We Become?

~~~ 1 John 2:29-3:61 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:29-34 ~~~

 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

'...we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed...'

 

We are indeed God's children now...

even as an adult we remain a child in the eyes of God.

We often foolishly pride ourselves on how 'adult' we are...

Young teens long for the day when they are considered 'adults'.

As you age in years you become a 'senior'

Much later in those senior years people treat you like a child again.

You once again need help to care for yourself.

The day comes when you do not jump into the car,

 behind the wheel a take a little trip to the store.

 

To God none of this is of any importance...

to God as long as we are alive we are like a child to him.

He is always there

to care for us...

to protect us...

to welcome us home when we get lost...

 

...what we shall be has not yet been revealed...'

 

What shall we be when we really 'grow up' in the Lord?

What shall we be when we 'have come of age'?

Being a human adult encompasses many physical changes,

 as you know.

What we shall become with God

requires tremendous 'spiritual' soul changes.

The body will no longer be...

we will no longer just be children.

 

It is true that unless we become like little children

we shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But nothing says that when you get to heaven

you will remain in a child like state.

 

Today we hear just the opposite to be true...

The truth is we do not know...

for it has not yet been revealed to us.

We are not ready.

We would not understand.

Just as there as many things a parent does not explain to their child

because they would not understand.

God cannot reveal many things to us while

we are in our 'child like' existence.

 

 

“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him..."

 

The Holy Spirit will be with us as we enter into our

true adulthood.

We will not be fully matured until we are with God.

Maturity comes when we are reunited with our creator God.

 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

We all have the opportunity to experience this saving power of God

first hand in many ways.

 

 

 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

Someday we shall experience what we shall become.

I am patiently waiting for that day...

in the mean time God has more work for me to accomplish.

For in our 'childhood' we can and should be

models of God's love.

'Come Up Here'

~~~ Revelation 11: 4-12 ~~~ Psalm 144 ~~~ Luke 20: 27-40 ~~~

Even though we may endure severe trials and tribulations
if we keep the faith and believe
we will come into the presence of the Lord.
As believers in the promise of everlasting life
we will be raised up on the last day.

It is by the breath of life from God that we will stand up on our feet.
It is then that we hope to hear the sweet voice of God say...
"Come up here."

 

 "...But after the three and a half days,
a breath of life from God entered them.
When they stood on their feet, great fear fell on those who saw them.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here."
So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on."

Come up here seems so easy, but until he speaks
 those words to us we cannot enter heaven.
Hearing those words from God in heaven will be sweeter than music.
 

"...those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead...
...They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise."

Once you have heard the words of invitation you can no longer die.
You will join in with the children of God.
You will be counted in with the other children of God.

 

 

 

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

"...is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive."

 

We live and move and have our being through him.

He gives us life, sustains our life, and

will bring us into everlasting life with him.

Saints of God, Pray for us

Feast of All Saints

~~~ Revelation 7:2-4, 7-14 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ 1 John 3:1-3 ~~~ Matthew 5:1-12a ~~~

 

 

Today we remember and honor all those

who have gone before us in the presence of the Lord.

All those men and women who have been canonized by the church.

All those who are in heaven and not officially named

as a saint of the church.

 

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

 

Today we honor all of those who lived a life

in testimony of what they believed.

All those fought the good fight.

All those who perseverance in the face of difficulties.

All of those who inspire us to live our lives in a better manner.

 

The saints sought the face of God until the end of their earthly life.

They loved the Lord with their whole heart, mind, body, and soul.

Young or old, rich or poor, man or woman, white, brown, black, or yellow

they loved God. They believed the words he promised of eternal life.

 

They are God's children now standing before his throne...

singing his praises of glory.

They have been made pure with the holy ones.

 

 

We cannot yet know what God has in store for us,

as his believers.

But I join the saints in believing that what the Lord has prepared

for us will be beyond comprehension.

The most glorious and luminous scene I can imagine

surely pales incomparison to the glory

surrounding our Lord and Father.

 

Heaven is populated with those who fully lived

the Beatitudes...

 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."

 

Today we join all the Saints in heaven rejoicing with

gladness at the goodness of the Lord.

Jesus came to show us the way to heaven.

He secured our entrance into heaven with each drop of his blood.

 

Someday we too will seek entrance into his glorious presence.

Saints of God, pray for us.

The Shepherd's Love

~~~Acts 4: 8-12 ~~~Psalm 118 ~~~1John 3: 1-2 ~~~John 10: 11-18

Peter is emphasizing that no matter how things appear to be; the truth is that all is accomplished in the name of Jesus Christ. Furthermore there is no salvation through anyone else on earth.

Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders...now the cornerstone. Every building has a cornerstone. It is an important part of the structure; corners are required to be strong. It is typically the first stone set for the entire building. The cornerstone is often inscribed with the date of construction, the names of the architects, and other significant people’s names.

Since the Word became flesh and died on the cross for our salvation he claims us for his own.

~~~Acts 4: 8-12 ~~~Psalm 118 ~~~1John 3: 1-2 ~~~John 10: 11-18

Peter is emphasizing that no matter how things appear to be; the truth is that all is accomplished in the name of Jesus Christ. Furthermore there is no salvation through anyone else on earth.

Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders...now the cornerstone. Every building has a cornerstone. It is an important part of the structure; corners are required to be strong. It is typically the first stone set for the entire building. The cornerstone is often inscribed with the date of construction, the names of the architects, and other significant people’s names.

 Since the Word became flesh and died on the cross for our salvation he claims us for his own. We belong to him...he paid the ransom for us. No one pays ransom unless love pre-exists. Now we may be called children of God.

When the time comes we shall see him as he is...try to ponder that for a few moments. We can only ask the question...What is God as he is?

Even the image of God as the Good Shepherd probably does not do him justice. A shepherd cares for his sheep in every possible way. There is not one thing that the shepherd will not do for his sheep. He leads them, protects them, they know his voice; he knows each one of them by name.

There is no wolf that will get past this Good Shepherd.