The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in 1 John 5:2,
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…”
What grips my heart this morning is that we become children of God when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith. Not just disciples or followers or students or “devotees”. Nothing new here but to considerate it afresh never ceases to amaze me.
Having had three daughters I know what it is to have children. I will never forget the moment I first picked up and held my first daughter, Amy. Feelings of love, protection, delight, a sense of caring and concern for a little life that was entirely dependant on her mother and me… a lot of love there. When Becky and Beth were born I had the same feelings as I picked each of them up for the first time (and the many times after that). These are moments that a parent just never forgets.
What does our heavenly Father feel as he brings us into his family? Does he feel these same emotions? My perspective is that the feelings we have as parents, the love we have for our children comes from God as we are made in his image. Shattered and tattered as we have become in our sinful condition these are still the vestiges that remain within us as we are created in God’s image. I suspect us parents feel these things we do for our children because they mirror what our loving heavenly Father feels for us. And this is why he calls us his children.
I sense John’s astonishment as he considers this same thing in his mind as he writes, “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!” 1 John 3:1. From what I glean in the pages of Scripture God’s emotions are stirred the same way as ours are when we embrace our children.
It was his love for us that he made it possible for us to be born into his family. In 1 John 4:10 we read, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” As his children we bring delight to him, “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:11. “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.” Particularly interesting to me is a comment in Proverbs 3:12, “The Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” And as we face death we are told, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalms 116:15.
As I say, I stand amazed and astonished that our Creator God holds us in his hearts just as we hold our children in our own hearts. This is why he calls us his children. How wonderful and what grace this is that we should be called the children of God and to have such a place in his heart!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!
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