God’s Children through Faith - Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.  For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3.23-29

Greetings, Friends~

Here it is again:  ‘For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.’  Really?  Are you a child of God?  Consider this simple exercise, emphasizing a different word each time--

>ARE you a child of God? The verb is present tense…maybe you were a child of God, but not so much now. . . maybe you ARE in the sense that you have some faith in God, but you don’t feel it so much now because you aren’t    walking closely to Him.

>Are YOU a child of God? –you, as an individual, as opposed to your family, or your named religion

>Are you a CHILD of God? –with childlike innocence? –with childlike honesty? –with childlike trust?

>Are you a child OF GOD? –meaning, do you give God His rightful place of being as

 your Father, realizing too, that you are part OF a larger family of God?

Today, I am looking down at a green hospital band on my left wrist.  Dylan, (my 14-year-old son), had an emergency appendectomy the night before last.  The green band identifies me as Dylan’s mother, and because of that gives me certain privileges and rights of access—it symbolizes my ‘rights’ of relationship with Dylan.  Hang with me here. . .

Over the course of the last couple days, I have realized again how much I love Dylan, mostly because he is my child.  When he awakened from the anesthetic, he said, “I’m so-o scared.”  Immediately, my love for him swelled and I said, “I am right here, and I won’t leave you.”  The Holy Spirit nudged me and said, “That’s how I feel about My children.  My heart swells with love for you.  I am YOUR Father, and I won’t leave you.”

For hours after that, I stood by Dylan's bed, often caressing his forehead, tending to his needs. . . it was all so simple again.  (All of the angst of parenting a teen-aged boy fell away)

Listen to me—that is the kind of love our Father offers us. . . I know that I do not live my life daily, interacting with Him, with that in mind.  Since I am an adult, in order to experience the love of my Father in simple faith, I must open myself to Him and endeavor to trust just as a small child grasps the hand of her dad, and looks up at him. . . Just as I ministered to Dylan, my Lord wants to minister to me, to you.  I love Zephaniah 3.17 – “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

The experience of the last several days has reminded me again that I am not in control. . . I took Dylan to the doctor on Monday because of an infected toenail from his fins, and I asked her to check his mysterious pain on his lower right abdomen, and you know the rest of the story.  No, I could not control those goings-on or how they in turn affected my plans and appointments, etc.  BUT, I could control how I responded.  I am again looking at the green band on my left wrist, and thanking God that I am His child.  ‘You?  Are you a child of God?  Put your faith in Him. . . He is a Father like no other.

Peace and grace to you,

Christine