 Ephesians 1:5 says, And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. Before God made the world, he knew that we would sin and need rescuing. Yet he still made us—even though he knew he would need to sacrifice his Son Jesus to adopt us.
John 1:12 says, But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. All we have to do to become a child of God is to believe in him and accept him. Romans 8:14-17 says, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. There's a lot to unpack in these three verses but in summary:
Regardless of your earthly family, you are a child of God!
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 In Matthew 25 Jesus was telling the parable of the sheep and the goats. The sheep represent those who follow Jesus and the goats represent everyone else. Matthew 25:35-40 says:
When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.” Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?” The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” Basically he is saying that every time you helped or served someone else it was as if you helped God himself. You may not be able to visit someone in hospital or in jail but there are other things that you can do to help others. You can give some of your clothes to charity (check with your parents first), buy some groceries to contribute to hampers for the poor (even if it's just a pack of biscuits), write someone a get well card. Challenge: think of some ways that you can help and serve others this week, especially those in need.  You may feel as though you are one hot mess, but the Bible says that when God looks at you, he sees you as faultless and without sin. That is because the blood of Jesus has cleansed your sin and taken it away. Ephesians 1:4 says, In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. Other translations of the Bible say 'blameless' or 'innocent.' John the Baptist referred to Jesus as 'the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world!' in John 1:29.
Your life is like a pre-paid phone plan and sin is the data, calls and texts you make each month. When Jesus died and rose again it's like he spent a million dollars on your pre-paid plan. He died to forgive your sins even before you committed them.  Jesus is coming again one day but we don't know when. In Matthew 24:42 Jesus said, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. He explained that if a householder knew what time the thief was coming, he wouldn't let him break in. Don't get caught sleeping (metaphorically speaking). Satan will try to steal you hope, trust, peace and joy. Keep watch so that he doesn't carry out his wicked schemes.
I believe that we keep watch by reading our Bibles, talking to God in prayer, praising him (even when it's hard), meeting together with other Christians, loving others and serving God. That's how we make sure we're ready when he comes. Are you ready?  We often base our identity on what the world says important, such as looks, grades, athletic ability... We should actually base our identity on who God says we are. The following verses tell us that we are loved. And not the kind of love that you have for ice cream, but the 'I love you so much I'm willing to die for you' kind of love.
Ephesians 2:6 God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. Romans 5:8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us. Romans 8:38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Ephesians 3:18 I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. You can't do anything that will make God love you more, and you can't do anything that will make him love you less. You are loved. Full stop. |
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