Identify Yourself as God’s Precious Child
by Abiding Love
1 John 3:1-2 — See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
An op-ed this week from New York has made headlines. In this opinion piece, a New Yorker doesn’t understand why his city loves to eat at Chik-Fil-A. The owner of Chik-Fil-A is a devout Christian. Christian values permeate his business. Maybe Chik-Fil-A is best known for being closed on Sundays so that people can rest from work and go to church. But this New York opinion writer states that the people of his city should boycott Chik-Fil-A. They shouldn’t eat there, because New York isn’t Christian. He wants to send a message that Christians and Christian businesses aren’t welcome in New York.
This attitude seems to be a trend. Starbucks also boldly went public with a recent statement saying that if you are not in support of gay marriage, then they do not want your business. They want you to stay away.
Instead of lamenting the decay of society, I would rather have you consider what such displays and words do to your psyche. Certainly Satan wants such hatred of the world toward Christianity to lead us to think less of ourselves, our faith, our God. Instead of boasting in Christ, Satan wants Christians to be ashamed of the gospel.
Most of all, instead of identifying ourselves according to God’s lavish grace, Satan and the world want us identifying ourselves as fools, outcasts, losers, yes even “in the wrong”.
That is why God draws our attention back to himself and his words and promises about us. We are “children of God”. That is what we are! Children adopted through the blood of Jesus. Children for whom our brother died to redeem us. Children who are heirs of eternal life. Children whose father’s watchful eye never sleeps. That is what we are!
Right now we know it by faith. The world, who doesn’t know our Father in heaven naturally does not recognize the great love that has been poured upon us or the great love that has been extended to them in Jesus Christ. They have rejected God, so it is no surprise they reject his children.
Our identity does not come from what the world says. It comes from what our Father says and from what our Savior has done. And one day, when Christ appears, we will know it all by sight. We will see Jesus as he truly is with our own eyes. We will see the glory that is ours as God’s children. One day.
Until then treasure Fatherly whispers in His words. “You are my child. Oh, how I love you. This is who you are.” By faith see what great love the Father has lavished on you and me. Identify yourself as His Child as you walk through this world. Never be ashamed of who you are in Christ.
Peace to you my brothers and sisters in Jesus’ name,
Pastor John Gensmer
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