Being in God’s Family
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:1-2
We are in God’s family and we have the perfect Father who loves us and is always with us. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and receive the Holy Spirit, we are in God’s family and receive forgiveness of sins, guidance by the Holy Spirit, life to the full, protection of our souls, and an eternal home in Heaven. The Lord loves us more than we can imagine and wants to guide us through a life filled with love, peace, and joy. Most of all, he wants us to be with him forever in Heaven.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). Those in God’s family receive every spiritual blessing through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This means the blessings are always with us, feeding our souls more and more as we become more Christ-like.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We are filled with God’s love and as we serve the Lord reflecting his love to the world, more love fills our hearts. The more love that fills our hearts the closer we are to the Lord. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God (John 4:7).
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). Those in God’s family are set free from slavery to the world. We are his servants, meaning we do not share the throne with God but pray and trust him completely. He guides us through life with his love and divine power, molding us to the likeness of his Son. As we become like Christ, we have more freedom with less fear; life becomes more fulfilling the longer we walk with the Lord.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment (1 John 4:8). As the Lord’s love increases in our hearts, fear diminishes because love comes from God and fear comes from Satan. As God’s love increases in our hearts, Satan’s fear has to decrease in our hearts. When fear decreases life becomes peaceful and joyful and more fulfilling in Christ.
Today realize you are in God’s family and that he is with you, loves you perfectly, and will guide you and protect your soul for eternity. Reflect his peace and joy as a member of His family and convey this to others.
Let’s Pray: Lord thank you for filling me with the Holy Spirit, forgiving my sins, and bringing me into your family. Guide me to reflect your love and forgiveness to others today. In Jesus name, Amen