All in Child of God
Do we pray to God as if He were a benevolent stranger, an official, a judge, or maybe even a powerful acquaintance? Do we come before Him as though we were confessing our problems to a psychiatrist, visiting a banker for a loan, or sitting in a doctor’s office? Well, He is all of these and yet none of them; He acts in each of these capacities by simply being “Abba! Father!”. We should pray to Him as our Loving Father.
Is there a place for Jesus in our heart? Have we called a feast today, killed the fatted Lamb, and made our own bed available to the Dove of Peace, or have we assigned Him a spiritual stable within our own soul’s Bed and Breakfast? Is Jesus the Lord of our heart, and life, or have we marginalized Him, and only call out to Him when it is convenient for us to do so... like at Christmas? Are we the innkeeper that found no room for Mary and Joseph, or would we yield the master bedroom to them... to the Christ Child?
Are you a child that was conceived out of wedlock, perhaps while your parents were engaged... or betrothed? Have you thus carried a burden through life regarding this socially unacceptable occurrence, and felt less than other children who were born “legitimately”? Well, perhaps you should consider yourself fortunate because Jesus faced this same stigma throughout His life, and was looked on in the same manner.
Do you understand how precious you are to God? As you go about the process of worshipping Him, and building your faith in Him, do you realize that He is working to bring you to Himself with even greater vigor? We readily accept that Jesus is the Son of God, but can we actually admit to ourselves that God could love the fallen men and women we are? Can we accept that the blood of Christ was freely offered, and has completely cleansed us? Can we receive the gift of grace without question?
How much of ourselves have we given to God in love? Do we conform to His will in all things, or only as much as we think it will take to please Him? Jesus was the most amazing and incredible man to have ever lived, and yet He subjected Himself in His entirety to God... He leads us in understanding the true nature of God’s expectation of us. He demonstrates what it means to be a loving Child of God.
Are you like a child before God, or are you walking in your own independent self-righteousness? Do you say “I believe” and yet act like you are in control of your life? Maybe you had trusted God with your life once, but have since taken those reins back from Him, and slowly, over time, found you were walking apart from Him. Do you see where you are? Are you uncertain how, and if, you can come home? Well you can.