Allan Dreyer, former Trinity church member and legendary Rock House Alumni writes: We have all probably heard the phrase, “We are all God’s children.” It is a nice sentiment, but it is actually not true. While we are all created by God and created in His image, we are His creation, and He does love us all, but we are not all sons of God. This doesn’t mean that we all cannot become God’s children.
In fact, God desires for us all to come to Him and call Him our Father, even call him Dad or Daddy. Because of His love for us and desire to be called upon as our Father, He allows us to seek Him and ask Him to adopt us. He wants us to love Him freely. He has given us the opportunity to decide what our treasure is. He is a loving God, and unlike common thought, He is not controlling, even though He is sovereign and in control of all things.
God created us for a purpose! He created us to have a relationship with Him and to work with and for Him. However, all at some point, and you may still be at that point, do not want to acknowledge His presence, His gifts, and His calling. In a sense we want to be our own parent, and our own god. In fact, we all become so lost in ourselves and the fleeting joys and happiness of this world, that we can’t see the love, grace, and mercy afforded to us by a loving God.
God humbled Himself and took on the form of man to walk with us and experience everything “human.” He loved us so much and desires such a relationship with us that He came in the form of Jesus and died to save us from our lostness. The beauty is that He didn’t stop there. He defeated death and rose from the dead and lives today. He did this so that we can have a full resurrected life ourselves. Once we acknowledge His gift and accept our own incompetence and ask Him to be our father/savior; He adopts us and makes us a child of God.
Many of us have a twisted view of God – a god of rules and condemnation. In reality, He is a good loving God, that desires our best (not wealth as the world today sees, but fulfillment and purpose). Unfortunately, many Christians have a small and distorted view of God, and appear to be bullies to those not in the family of God. Our role is to be merciful, gracious, and loving to our neighbors. We forget that it is the kindness of God that brings people to repentance. We forget that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to give life. Jesus said “they will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35b ESV).
We all need to humble ourselves, acknowledge our selfishness, and seek God earnestly with our whole heart. Ask God to adopt you through the work of Jesus. God doesn’t want and never wants you to be religious. He wants you to be relational and have communion as well as community with Him. You will find that as you seek Him and have fellowship with God that you will have joy and fullness.
A word to those who have already allowed God to work in their life and accepted Jesus as savior. Seek Him with your whole heart, show radical love and forgiveness to everyone, and be merciful. Love the person as a beautiful creation of God and don’t focus on what the person is doing that is wrong.
Rob Wood, Deacon