A Child - No More, No Less

It’s bittersweet that this is the last Friday in July and the month’s posts which focussed on identity are over today. Over the past 8 posts (each Tuesday and Friday), we talked about being under the standard of heaven, being a saint, being in Christ, being a new creation, being covenant people, and being adopted.  We’ve covered many areas of identity but we’ve only gone ankle deep in understanding the full identity of who we are as Christians. We could go on (but we won’t).

If I have one wish for humanity, it would be to understand who we are in Christ. If we understood, the church would be unstoppable and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. If we understood who we are in Christ, lives would be re-formed and we would walk in power and authority. If we understood, then the promises of Deuteronomy 28 would be manifest. If we understood, then we could know that we stand in worship and watch the victory that the Lord will bring (2 Chronicles 20).

Every year on December 24, we celebrate a birthday in our home. No, it’s not Jesus’ birthday – personally that grates on me like the Server at Olive Garden grates cheese on the [all-you-can-eat] salad. We celebrate the spiritual birthday of my Boy. And every year, I share a few words about the last year (and the family endures the process, because you know how moms can be – they go on and on and can be sappy and sentimental). What I want to impart most to my Boy is that no matter what he does or doesn’t do, he is a son and there is nothing that will make the Father love him more, just like I couldn’t love him more.

And that’s what I want to say here. If the only thing you take away from this month’s posts, I hope it’s this: you are a son, or a daughter, and there is nothing you can do that would make the Father love you more than he already does.

1 John 3:1, How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!

Romans 8:16, The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now, if we are children, we are heirs

John 1:12, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Children may or may not grow up into maturity – they are still sons and daughters. Children may or may not participate in the family business - they are still sons and daughters. Children may or may not make bad decisions – they are still sons and daughter, wholly and dearly loved. Take a moment and absorb it. It’s a biggie, so I don’t want anyone to not hear the fabulously good news – we are children of God.

There are [too] many people who have not had a great childhood, not even a good childhood. If that describes you, hear this – you have a heavenly Father that loves you exactly as you wished your natural parents could have loved you. And as a son or daughter, you have access to everything that the Father has in his house. You want a snack? Rummage through the fridge. You need money for the movies? Ask your Father. You’re in trouble? Your Father will help. Everything the Father has, he gives you.

One of my favourite posts is from Father’s day – it’s worth reading again and then share with someone who needs to hear the message also.

The Father loves you because you are a son, you are a daughter - not because of what you do. That’s worth telling someone about. Why not start with telling us how you experience being a son or daughter of God?