God’s Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formed for God’s Family

See how very much our heavenly Father loves us,

for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!

1 John 3:1

 

You were formed for God’s family.

“God is the one who made all things, and all things are for his glory.

He wanted to have many children share his glory...” (Hebrews 2:10).

 

God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it.

This is one of God’s purposes for your life, which he planned before you were born.

The entire Bible is the story of God building a family

who will love him, honor him, and reign with him forever.

 

“His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family

by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.

And this gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5).

 

Because God is love, he treasures relationships.

His very nature is relational and he identifies himself in family terms:

Father, Son, and Spirit.

The Trinity is God’s relationship to himself.

It’s the perfect pattern for relational harmony and we should study its implications.

 

God already exists in loving relationship to himself so he’s never been lonely.

He didn’t need a family – he desired one, so he devised a plan to create us,

bring us into his family, and share with us all he has.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Inheritance: Grace, Patience, Wisdom, and Power

God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children.

It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

1 Peter 1:4

 

The New Testament gives great emphasis to our rich “inheritance.”

As children in God’s family we get to share in the family fortune,

that everything God has belongs to us (Galatians 4:7).

The apostle Paul adds,

“I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people”

(Ephesians 1:18 NLT).

 

What benefits do we inherit?

As children in God’s family we are given

“the riches ... of his grace ... kindness ... patience ... glory ... wisdom ... power ... and mercy”

(Ephesians 1:7; Romans 2:4; 9:23; 11:33; Ephesians 3:16; 2:4).

 

We also inherit eternal life and God puts his Spirit inside us now

as a guarantee of all that is to come.

What an inheritance!

You are far richer than you realize, which is why Paul could write with confidence:

“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus”

(Philippians 4:19).

 

Your eternal inheritance is priceless, pure, permanent, and protected;

no one can take it from you.

It can’t be destroyed by war, a poor economy, or disaster.

This inheritance, not retirement, is what you should be looking forward to;

retirement is a shortsighted goal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Future Seems Uncertain

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.

“They are plans … to give you a future and a hope …

You will find me when you seek me,

if you look for me in earnest.” Jeremiah 29:11, 13

 

No matter what the pollsters, pundits, and prognosticators claim,

no one can accurately predict all that is going to happen in the next year,

let alone the next few days or weeks.

Our best forecasts are just educated guesses.

 

Change is not only increasing in speed and intensity, but also in unpredictability.

How can anyone succeed when the future is so uncertain?

The Bible suggests three timeless principles for facing an uncertain future:

 

1. Set goals according to God’s direction.

It’s foolish to make plans without first consulting God.

He’s the only one who does know the future – and he’s eager to guide you through it.

The Bible says, “We may make our plans, but God has the last word”

(Proverbs 16:1 GNT).

In other words, planning without praying is presumption.

Start by praying, “God, what do you want me to do in 2009?”

 

2. Live one day at a time.

While you can plan for tomorrow, you can’t live it until it arrives.

Most people spend so much time regretting the past and worrying about the future,

they have no time to enjoy today!

John Lennon once wrote,

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Decide to make the most of each moment this year.

Jesus said,

“Don’t be anxious about tomorrow.

God will take care of your tomorrow too.

Live one day at a time”

(Matthew 6:34 LB).

 

3. Don’t procrastinate.

Do it now! “Don’t boast about what you’re going to do tomorrow,

for you don’t know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

 

Procrastinating is a subtle trap. It wastes today by postponing things until tomorrow.

You promise yourself that you’ll do it “one of these days.”

But “one of these days” is usually “none of these days.”

What did you plan to get done last year that you didn’t do?

When do you intend to start working on it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fellowship: God’s Family Lasts Forever

Since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.

Galatians 4:7 (NLT)

 

Your spiritual family is even more important

than your physical family because it will last forever.

Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile,

often broken by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably, by death.

 

The apostle Paul says, “When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan,

I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God

– some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth”

(Ephesians 3:14-15 LB).

 

On the other hand, our spiritual family – our relationship to other believers – will continue throughout eternity.

It is a much stronger union, a more permanent bond, than blood relationships.

 

The Bible teaches, “To all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God.

They did not become his children in any human way – by any human parents or human desire.

They were born of God” (John 1:12-13 NCV).

 

The moment you were spiritually born into God’s family, you were given some astounding birthday gifts:

the family name, the family likeness, family privileges, family intimate access, and the family inheritance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living in Light of Eternity

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

 

Healthy families have family pride;

members are not ashamed to be recognized as a part of the family.

Sadly, I’ve met many believers who’ve never publicly identified themselves

as Jesus commanded – by being baptized.

Baptism is not some optional ritual to be delayed or postponed.

It signifies your inclusion in God’s family. It publicly announces to the world,

“I am not ashamed to be a part of God’s family.”

 

Jesus commanded this beautiful act for all in his family:

“Go and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

(Matthew 28:19 NIV).

 

For years I wondered why Jesus’ Great Commission gives the same prominence to baptism

as it does to the great tasks of evangelism and edification.

Why is baptism so important?

Because it symbolizes the second purpose of your life:

incorporation into the fellowship of God’s eternal family.

 

Your baptism declares your faith, shares Christ’s burial and resurrection,

symbolizes your death to your old life, and announces your new life in Christ.

It is also a celebration of your inclusion in God’s family.

 

Your baptism is a physical picture of a spiritual truth.

It represents what happened the moment God brought you into his family:

“Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free.

But we have all been baptized into Christ’s body by one Spirit,

and we have all received the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT).

 

Baptism doesn’t make you a member of God’s family;

only faith in Christ does that;

baptism shows you are part of God’s family.

Like a wedding ring,

it is a visible reminder of an inward commitment made in your heart.

 

It is an act of initiation, not something you put off until you are spiritually mature.

The only biblical condition is that you believe.

The Bible says,

“Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family.

That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters”

(Hebrews 2:11 CEV).

 

Let that amazing truth sink in!

 

Because Jesus makes you holy, God is proud of you.

Being included in God’s family is the highest honor, the greatest privilege you and I will ever receive.

Nothing else comes close. Why not pause right now and thank God that he included you?

 

“Praise God for the privilege of being in Christ’s family and being called by his wonderful name!”

(1 Peter 4:16).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worship: Offering Yourself to God

So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you:

Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God,

dedicated to his service and pleasing to him.

This is the true worship that you should offer.

Romans 12:1-2 (TEV)

Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about.

This act of personal surrender is called many things:

consecration, making Jesus Lord, taking up your cross, dying to self, yielding to the Spirit.

 

What matters is that you do it, not what you call it.

God wants your life, all of it – 95 percent is not enough.

 

Our total surrender to God is blocked by several things, including:

· Our ignorance of God – not knowing what he’s really like;

· Our sinful nature – the desire to be God ourselves; and

· Our misunderstanding of surrender and the trust that it requires.

 

Can We Trust God?

Trust is an essential ingredient to surrender.

We won’t surrender to God unless we trust him,

but we can’t trust him until we know him better.

Fear keeps us from surrendering, but love casts out all fear.

The more you realize how much God loves you, the easier surrender becomes.

 

How do I know God loves me?

He gives us many evidences:

· God says he loves you (Psalm 145:9);

· You’re never out of his sight (Psalm 139:3);

· He cares about every detail of your life (Matthew 10:30);

· He gave you the capacity to enjoy all kinds of pleasure (1 Timothy 6:17b);

· He has good plans for your life (Jeremiah 29:11);

· He forgives you (Psalm 86:5);

· He’s patient with you (Psalm 145:8);

· He sacrificed his Son for you (Romans 5:8).

 

God loves you infinitely more than you can imagine.

“Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship”

(Romans 12:1 HCSB).

If you want to know how much you matter to God,

look at Christ with his arms outstretched on the cross saying,

“I love you this much!I’d rather die than live without you.”

 

God is not a cruel slave driver or a bully who uses brute force to coerce us into submission.

He doesn’t try to break our will, but woos us to himself, so that we might offer it freely to him.

God is a lover and a liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage.

 

When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus,

we discover that he is not a tyrant but a savior;

not a boss, but a brother; not a dictator, but a friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Rick Warren _Purpose Driven Life