Bible League: Living His Word Yet to all who did receive him, 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.What does it mean to be a child of God? A child of God is a member of God's family, with all the advantages and privileges membership entails. Although the Bible makes it clear in many places that every human being that has ever existed is a creation of God, not everyone is a child of God. Simply coming into existence in the natural way is not sufficient to become a child of God. Rather, one must be born a second time; one must be "born again" (John 3:3). In the words of our verses for today, in order to become a child of God one must be "born of God." What does it mean to be born of God? The reference is not to natural birth, but to spiritual birth. In order to be born of God there must be a change of spiritual motivation and direction in a person's life. Apart from this change, people are children of the devil (John 8:44), rather than children of God. The second birth occurs when the Holy Spirit of God enters a person's life and changes the spiritual motivation and direction of that person (John 3:5-8). Instead of following and imitating the devil, they begin to follow and imitate God (Ephesians 5:1). How does one become a child of God? According to our verses for today, one must receive Jesus, one must believe in His name. God's plan for reconciling the children of the devil unto Himself and making them His own children required the virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:17-19). When we receive Jesus, when we believe in who He is and what He accomplished for us, we receive in turn the right to become God's children. What are the advantages of being a child of God? There are too many to mention all of them. In summary, however, one receives the right to abundant and eternal life in God's family. One receives the right to talk to God and relate to God as a good and loving father for all eternity. If you have received Jesus, then you are someone very special. You are a child of God. You have been included in His family. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading2 Chronicles 20, 21, 22 2 Chronicles 20 -- Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon; His Prayer and Return to Jerusalem NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 21 -- Jehoshaphat's Death; Jehoram's Wicked Reign in Judah; Edom Rebels NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 22 -- Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah, Reigns Wickedly; Athaliah and Joash NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading John 16:1-15 John 16 -- Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit, Foretells His Death and Resurrection NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.Insight Jesus made it clear that having the wrong treasures leads to our hearts being in the wrong place. What we treasure the most controls us, whether we admit it or not. Challenge If possessions or money become too important to us, we must re-establish control or get rid of items. Jesus calls for a decision that allows us to live contentedly with whatever we have because we have chosen eternal values over temporary, earthly treasures. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Job 40:4 Behold, I am vile.One cheering word, poor lost sinner, for thee! You think you must not come to God because you are vile. Now, there is not a saint living on earth but has been made to feel that he is vile. If Job, and Isaiah, and Paul were all obliged to say "I am vile," oh, poor sinner, wilt thou be ashamed to join in the same confession? If divine grace does not eradicate all sin from the believer, how dost thou hope to do it thyself? and if God loves his people while they are yet vile, dost thou think thy vileness will prevent his loving thee? Believe on Jesus, thou outcast of the world's society! Jesus calls thee, and such as thou art. "Not the righteous, not the righteous; Sinners, Jesus came to call." Even now say, "Thou hast died for sinners; I am a sinner, Lord Jesus, sprinkle thy blood on me;" if thou wilt confess thy sin thou shalt find pardon. If, now, with all thy heart, thou wilt say, "I am vile, wash me," thou shalt be washed now. If the Holy Spirit shall enable thee from thy heart to cry "Just as I am, without one plea But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidd'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come!" thou shalt rise from reading this morning's portion with all thy sins pardoned; and though thou didst wake this morning with every sin that man hath ever committed on thy head, thou shalt rest tonight accepted in the Beloved; though once degraded with the rags of sin, thou shalt be adorned with a robe of righteousness, and appear white as the angels are. For "now," mark it, "Now is the accepted time." If thou "believest on him who justifieth the ungodly thou art saved." Oh! may the Holy Spirit give thee saving faith in him who receives the vilest. Daily Light on the Daily Path Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.Deuteronomy 7:7,8 "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, • but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us. Colossians 1:21,22 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, • yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." John 10:17 "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. Hebrews 1:2,3 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. • And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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