A Child of God

I remember the first time John 1:12-13 really dawned on me. It says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Several things hit me: 1) I had rights. All of my life, even as an adult, I had felt as though I did not really have a right to speak up or act without someone's permission. Needless to say, I was pretty weak and sick. When it dawned on me that I had become a child of God, I realized that I had the right to exist and fulfill all of those hopes and dreams stirring on the inside of me. I realized that they were not just a source of conflict, but a calling by God to fulfill purpose and destiny that He had place in me. 2) I realized that I had truly been born again, no longer limited by my human genes and experiences. I was "a new creation" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). I was not bound to repeat the things my family had done and taught because now I was part of a new family. I had taken on a new DNA.....the DNA of Christ. 3) All of a sudden the times Jesus spoke positively about being childlike made it alright to play, have a simple faith in Him without complicated explanations of unexplanable things, have my needs met, and not have to carry everyone else's problems. I didn't have to be tough because my Big Brother Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to do that. 4) Being "saved" meant more than avoiding hell and going to heaven by believing in Jesus. Believing in His name meant becoming like Him by being "born again." Believing was more than a mental exercise, it was a new existence.

WOW!! I'm so thankful to be born of God just like Jesus was. My life is different not by my strong, stubborn will and hard work, but by the new life I have in Him. It makes me have to ask the question, "Have you been born again, or are you just a believer?" Jesus' intent if for you to become a child of God with new rights, new spiritual "genes," new freedom to be childlike, and move toward your personal purpose and destiny by the power of His Spirit working in you.