If you believe in Jesus, you are a child of God. What does that actually mean? What are the benefits of having God as our Father?
God loves you
The Creator of heaven and earth, the Creator of the universe, loves you. How special is that? How many stars are there in the universe? Take a teaspoon of sand and try to count how many grains of sand are in it. Then think about how many grains of sand there are in the whole world.
Probably there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on earth. God is the Creator and King of that entire universe. In that great universe, He keeps an eye on you. He knows you. He sees you. He loves you. He is your Father.
If you ever doubt the love of your Father, think of the price He paid to become your Father. The only begotten Son of God gave His life so that you might become a child of God. The Father withdrew His love from His Son, who cried out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” so that we would always be loved by Him.
The Bible tells the story of Abraham who had to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). It is hard to believe that God asked him to let his only begotten son die. Because we know how deep parental love goes, we can hardly bear the story. Isaac was spared at the last moment.
But centuries later, God sent His own Son to die. Jesus was not spared at the last moment. He died. That’s how He earned eternal life for everyone who believes in Him. That’s how much God loves you.
God takes care of you
A father shows his love for the children by, among other things, making sure they get everything they need, as long as he can manage that. Yet fathers fall short in this. I have done my best for my children, but I know I have been far from perfect. Human fathers are far from blameless.
But the Lord God does not have those limitations. He takes care of you. He gives you life, air to breathe, food to eat, a house to live in, clothes to wear, people around you to love, luxuries to enjoy. What a good Father He is! The fact that He is so powerful, of course, raises the question: what if things do go wrong? When my work stops, when my body gets weaker, when relationships go wrong? Then there are a few certainties.
First of all: God loves you and has not forgotten you. Secondly: He does not lack the power to solve your problem. That means that He has another plan behind it. We can’t always see that. But it has always to do with the fact that the Lord God does not want us to be satisfied with what this earth has to offer. In any case, never doubt it: He takes care of you. He gives you what you need now, and He prepares you for an eternity that is more glorious than you can imagine now.
You belong to God
As a child of God, you are part of His family. If you are a child of God, you cry out “Abba, Father“. You communicate with Him. You pray to Him. You listen to His Word. You sing to Him. You come together with His family, the church. You belong to Him. When you call to Him, you may also expect Him to answer. He will guide you, through His Holy Spirit who has been poured out into your heart.
You are like God
You are like the Son of God, Jesus Christ. That doesn’t happen all at once. You are transformed in the course of your life. As we grow up in faith, we become more and more like the Lord Jesus. That too is part of being a child of God. The family resemblance becomes more and more visible in you.
Being a child of God gives you certainty
If your father and your mother have not lovingly accepted you as their child, this will affect the foundation of your life. It is very difficult to get over that. But you have a Father in heaven who will never forget you, who will never disappoint you, who will never let you down and who will never write you off. That is why you can go through life with joy. You are not dependent on the approval of your employer. You are not dependent on the approval of people around you. You are not dependent on the approval of the boys or the girls. You are not dependent on the approval of your sports trainer. You are not even dependent on the approval of your earthly parents.
The Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, loves you. He has accepted you. He loved you when you were a sinner. You don’t need to earn His approval. You only need to receive His love.
You are an heir
The word “heir” is used in the Bible in a special way. What is the use of being an heir to God? God doesn’t die anyway! No, but you don’t get the inheritance that God promises with God’s death, but with your own death. Then you gain heaven. And at the end of this world, you will reign with Christ on the new earth. That is your inheritance: an eternal glory. So being a child of God is not only important now, but also has great significance for eternity.
Being the child of God is the greatest blessing there is. Let that be your identity, through faith in Jesus Christ.