How Do You Become Part of God’s Family?

Prayer – Abba Father, bless my family, friends, and neighbors who love and adore You, as I do. I’m so glad to be part of the Family of God—to be Your daughter. Open my eyes and heart to be acceptable in all that I think, say and do that I would graciously serve You and others in Your family. May our sinful nature be destroyed—and our lives be dictated by Your love.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Romans 8:12-17

 

Meditate. Consider God’s glory.

 

Brothers and Sisters! It great to be part of a large family—and God’s Family is so enormous that it stretches across thousands of years and countless generations! Can you even imagine from Abraham to us today? Well, actually the family timeline may extend to us from Adam, who walked with God during the cool of the evening in the Garden of Eden…and Enoch who lived in such close fellowship with God that God took him from the earth (Genesis 5:22-24). They both had close relationships with God. That was long before Abraham. Think about close friends with whom you’ve enjoyed fellowship—they are like family. That’s how I imagine it was for those who were known as “friends” of God, like David, during the Old Testament times. Now we can have a close relationship with the Lord and we are even promised, as Paul wrote to the Romans, that God has adopted us as His own children when we believe in Jesus as our Savior and are filled with the Holy Spirit. If you are not a child of God—why not? It is a choice that you can make today. Repent, believe, and become God’s child—even as an adult.

 

Are you willing to share in God’s glory and His suffering? Paul says that is part of the deal. When you are a member of any family you share in the times of joy and sorrow. That’s part of life. Do you want to isolate yourself to the point that you feel nothing? Do you only want happiness? To be part of God’s Family you just have to turn to Him, talk to Him, and allow Him to be part of your life. Experience life to the fullest—forever.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:11

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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