Family Portrait

Have you ever had a family portrait taken? It can be a wonderful experience!

Last month we took some vacation time and visited one of our daughters and her family. Of course we took lots of pictures and videos of our grandchildren. But, while there, our daughter surprised us with an appointment at a professional photography studio.

The studio was an amazing place with a variety of costumes to wear if you wanted to change your look. The photographers were very good and took some great pictures of our family.

I had only one regret: All our family members weren’t there to be photographed together.

Now I know that’s not a big thing, but it’s been many years since we had the whole family together. And as a parent, it would be a great joy to see everyone at a reunion. Oh, to have a picture of that!

What if God took a family portrait? Would you be in it?

“Now hold on just a minute! Isn’t everyone a child of God? Why wouldn’t everyone be in it?”

Good question. People have wondered about that for a long time.

In Jesus’ day, many religious people mistakenly thought they were part of God’s family. Why? Because of their family ties back to Abraham, a man of great faith.

Jesus, however, pointed out that just being a descendant of a godly person did not automatically make them part of God’s family. He said that, even though they were religious, their lack of faith and their evil hearts showed they were actually children of the devil.

The only way to become a child of God, according to the Bible, is to believe and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. “Yet to all who received him,” it says, “to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Jesus said that he was the sinless Son of God who came to lay down his life to redeem us from sin. He paid the price for all of our failures and rebellion against God. That’s why he died on the cross of Calvary.

So if you will come to God and say, “Father, please accept me as your child. Not on the basis of what I have done but on the basis of what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross” -- if you will do that, you will become part of God’s forever family.

Maybe you’ve wondered where you stand with God. When you’re honest with yourself, you know that you’re not always a nice person. Perhaps you think that by trying to be a better person or by following Jesus’ example God will accept you and overlook your faults.

But the Bible tells us that God’s forgiveness and love do not come to us by trying harder. It’s not trying but trusting that brings us into God’s family.

If you would like to explore what Jesus taught a little more, pick up a Bible and begin reading the New Testament book, the Gospel of John. Ask God to show you his truth and he will.

Find a church that teaches the Bible alone as God’s truth for life. Look for one where you are accepted and can struggle honestly with life.

There’s a special joy that comes in seeking God and finding the truth about him. Jesus said, “Blessed [or ‘happy’] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

The day is coming, the Bible says, when God will gather his entire family together in Heaven. That’s a family reunion you don’t want to miss!

Will God have a family portrait taken? I don’t know. But if he does, I hope you’re in it!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!