Last year we were blessed to have our four children and six grandchildren in town at the same time for a week. That may not sound like something worth celebrating to you but it was for us!
With one daughter’s family in the Midwest and another daughter’s family in Hawaii, it’s a rare treat for us to spend time together with them. But that’s family life in the 21ST Century!
It’s surprising to me how many families I’ve spoken to that now use video conferencing to keep in touch with their children and grandchildren. Technology can be a real blessing.
In ancient times, to live long enough to see one’s grandchildren was considered a great blessing. But with today’s longer life spans it’s something most modern parents will experience.
Someone once said, “Grandchildren are the reward you get for not strangling your teenagers when you felt like it!” And what a grand reward grandchildren are.
I have a friend who said that the two most wonderful sights in the world are the headlights of the car arriving with his grandchildren and the taillights of the car leaving with them a few days later! Individually they are a delight, but get them all together and they can wear you out!
Soon our family expects to welcome the special blessing of an eighth grandchild!
But there’s someone who will never have grandchildren, even though he has children: God. God never has and never will have grandchildren. He only has children.
Well, hold on just a minute! Someone might say, “My parents (or grandparents) were Christians and took me to church. Doesn’t that make me a Christian, a (grand) child of God?”
No, it does not. The Bible only speaks of “children of God,” not “grandchildren of God.”
The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him [Jesus Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of God a person must be “born again.” He described it as a spiritual birth, different from the physical birth we all experience. It comes by faith in Christ.
Later the Apostle Paul used the word “saved” to describe the change of heart Jesus talked about. He said, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The power to forgive your sin and change your heart, to give you eternal life and make you a child in God’s forever family is not in the words you say but in the God who hears them. He is able to do all that and more.
And, yes, it’s that simple to become a child of God. It’s not a matter of who your parents or grandparents were. It’s not a matter of which church or religion you’re a member. It’s not even a matter of who you are. It’s just a matter of WHOSE you are.
The Bible says that if your faith is in God, through his son, Jesus Christ, then you are his child. But you must individually tell God you want to be his child. That you want Jesus to be in charge of your life as Lord. You must ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior. It’s not automatic.
While I enjoy my children and grandchildren, God’s delight is in each of his children. The Bible says heaven celebrates every time someone is born into God’s family. Jesus said, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Just as we look forward to our new grandchild’s birth in the next few weeks, so God looks forward to your new birth into his family. Come to Christ and trust in him today.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
No comments:
Post a Comment