Bible Study for Christian Women and Pastors Wives- I Am His Child

Bible Study for Christian Women and Pastors Wives - I Am His Child
     Last Friday, which was the Fourth of July, we and a lot of other folks went over to "the hill" at Brookside Park to watch the city firework show across the street at the Jackson City Park. Folks brought their lawn chairs and blankets. While friends may have linked families together and the teen couples paired off, most folks stayed in family group clusters. 
     One little girl tangled herself up in a fold-up chair. I was the closest to her and started untangling her. Instantly, her mother was there and finished the job. I was no longer needed. You see, I was not part of her family.
    Most everyone resembled physically those that sat in each little group. You would call it "a family resemblance."
    The week prior, I saw a young lady I had not seen for several months. It startled me how much she had her daddy's eyes and her mother's mouth and chin. She did nothing to cause that resemblance. She resembled her parents because she was their child.
    We, as adopted children of God, have a family resemblance promise in 1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."
    Let's jump back to verse 1 of that chapter: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."
     The Heavenly Father loves me so much that I can be called His child? Yes. However, the warning of not being loved by the world is also there, even those that share your family tree physically..
     John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name." Notice, The Father is the One giving the power, not the child. It's just our job to believe.
     I love to pray Ephesians 3:14-21 over myself and others. I just want to share one portion it - "14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named..." It is clear from these verses that I am part of the family of God and if you have believed on Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are, too! We are His child by adoption!    Some of you reading this were adopted into a physical family. Perhaps you lived in foster care or a group home and had no "real" family. You can thank God that you are part of His family!
     Some who were adopted may wonder if they were (are) loved as much as a physically-born-into-the-family-child. I simply cannot answer your wondering. But I can give you this: God, Your Heavenly Father, loves you, yes YOU, as much as He does Jesus Christ. And, I didn't make that up, either! Jesus said it in John 17:23 "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me." That's how much God loves His children, individually.
     Let's close with part of Psalms 68:6 " God setteth the solitary in families..." The truth is, you may not even like your family and they may not like you, whether you're physically adopted or not They may ignore you. They may exclude you. Maybe they don't even want you to sit with them at the park. But what they cannot do and what you cannot do is change your physical DNA. You will show up as family in testing. And as adopted children of The Most High God, we all share the same spiritual DNA!
   God invites you and me to be His child. He likes you and He likes me. He never ignores us, never. He includes you and He includes me. Yes, I am His child! His words, not mine!

Prayer for today: "Abba Daddy, I just want to hang out with You all day long. I want others to see my resemblance to You. And, Lord, thanks for including me and loving me as much as You love Jesus Christ,Your only begotten Son (John 3:16). I love You, Lord! In Jesus' Name, amen!"

Be blessed in The Name above every name, Jesus! I know I am!
Linda L. Culbreth