'Children of God' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” vs. 2 1 John 3:2-3 John leaves room for mystery in our future. We don’t yet know what we one day will be, but what we do know is that right now, today, we are God’s beloved children. For most that will…
Daily Devotions
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” vs. 1a 1 John 3:1 We regularly hear that we are children of God, and for some that’s really old news. It’s old hat, something we take for granted. But for John, the epistle writer, it was spectacular, the supreme example of God’s abundant love. We can suspect that it meant so much to him because, in one…
Daily Devotions
Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” vss. 21-22 Matthew 18:21-22 When things get broken in our lives, and we begin to realize that we’ve made a mess of our relationships, the burden can become overwhelming. Our bumbling around and careless regard for truth causes real pain…
Daily Devotions
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” vss.15-16 Romans 8:12-18 When we, by the grace of God, begin to lead lives that bring us joy and that are a blessing to others, it’s not because we have somehow found the strength in ourselves to…
Daily Devotions
When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” vss. 15b-16 Romans 8:14-17 Paul was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit for the direction of his mission and for the reformation of his life. On his own, he was driven by old traditions and convictions and totally incapable of doing the things that he desired to do. His desires dominated the direction of each day. But the Holy…
Daily Devotions
And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’” vs. 10 Luke 3:7-14 When John launched into his tirade about snakes and stones, axes and fires, the crowd was pretty much terrified. They all pretty much took what he said personally and responded much like any of us would have. “What then should we do?” they wanted to know. Any number of situations can spark those words. “What do you want me to do,” we say to an angry…
Daily Devotions
If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.” vs. 9 1 John 5:9-10 It is clear from the gospels that the ministry of Jesus was set in motion by his experience of baptism at the hands of John the Baptist. As he came out of the water he heard the testimony of God regarding himself, “You are my Son, the Beloved. With you…
Daily Devotions
John 1:10-14 “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” vss. 12-13 John the Gospel writer seems to be saying here that people are not the children of God unless they have received Jesus, that only after believing in him do they truly receive the power to…
Daily Devotions
John 1:1-14 “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” vs. 14 There is a sense in which the word “Christmas” is misleading. For example, the word itself could give the impression that Christ was born on Christmas, and that just isn’t the case. John tells us clearly that the Christ brought all things into existence and has been around…
Daily Devotions
Romans 13:11-14 “Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.” vss. 11-12a It’s hard to believe, but Advent is almost over. Christmas is on the horizon, though it’s shape may be much different than in prior years. It’s interesting how quickly the days of December have passed–even…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 5:6-11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” vs. 11 Paul loved the people of Thessalonica and encouraged them to stand firm in faith and not be discouraged by Christ’s failure to return as they had hoped. They weren’t going to miss out on salvation no matter what happened. That assurance was theirs by grace and couldn’t be taken away. Having said that, he goes on to recommend encouragement as a…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 5:6-12 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” vs. 11 As we take time on this All Saints Day to remember all the people with whom we’ve been associated through the years who now rest from their labors, we’re bound to be overwhelmed with a sense of gratefulness and deep gratitude. All of us have been touched in powerful ways by family members, friends,…
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