JUST WHO ARE WE? And just
what are we doing? Have you ever thought
about how closely these two questions relate to each other? Everything we do in our lives comes out of
our heart belief of who WE think we are!
Today I got to thinking about how so often as children of God we act
like we are nothing more than beggars.
That must make God really sad.
He’s our Father, you know. And
most parents love to provide for
their children – all of their needs, and at least some of their wants (so as not to spoil them too much, right?). I’ve
thought of how often we go about our day doing nothing more than begging God for what He has already given to
us! If we listened to ourselves, we
would be shocked to hear how we sounded!
We beg and we plead and we sound so desperate you would wonder if we
even knew God! Don’t get me wrong … God loves to hear us ask. But it’s all in how we ask. Are we just
asking? Or are we asking AND
believing? There’s a huge
difference! A life-changing
difference. Then there are those who act
as if we should not even ask God for anything – ever. Period.
Even I just made the statement that so many of us sometimes spend most
of our energies begging God for what He
has already given us. So how do we
make sense of what could feel very conflicted?
Well, some time ago I heard someone explain it this way, and it sure
made sense! As earthly parents, we
provide meals for our children and make sure that they have all they need. We plan to eat three times a day (more or
less – depending on your family’s schedule and habits). But how many times, even though our children
KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that their mom or dad is making them breakfast
or lunch or dinner … will run into the house yelling, “Can I have some lunch
now? I’m hungry!” We hear that all the time! Do they really think we are going to say,
“no”? We may tell them they need to wait
just a bit, but we would never withhold from them what we have already promised
them (spoken or unspoken): that their
parents will always provide their
meals for them! And yet they ask …
expecting … believing, that they are going to receive the food they need. The hungry child is not wondering if the
parent is going to withhold the meal and so they have to beg. They are asking, because they are making a
request to receive. The child fully
believes he or she will soon be enjoying what has been promised. They are not worried because there is no
reason to worry. (For children in
countries with famine and lack of food – that’s a whole different story for
another time.) So let’s take a closer
look at us, and who we perceive ourselves to be. Because the answer to that tells all when it
comes to how we ask of our Father in heaven!
God wants for us to know who we
are. In the book of Romans, the apostle
Paul uses these words and phrases in chapter 8:
“… those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God.” “Abba, Father.”
“… we are God’s children.” And now listen to verse 17: “Now if
we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if
indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His
glory.” Did you catch that? Can you grasp that you are heirs of God? That makes you royalty! That means you have an inheritance in
everything that is your Father’s. That
makes us sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords! Wow … that’s a far stretch from being
beggars! Go ahead … and open your Bible
to Galatians 3:26 – 4:1-7 – that portion will explain more about us being heirs
and about receiving the full rights of sons.
So, dear people, can you see who you are and what is yours because of
who you are in God? Now flip the pages
back to the 103rd Psalm which is really a praise hymn instructing
our soul to praise the Lord with everything that is within us. It instructs us to not forget – but to
celebrate receiving His many personal benefits to us. Yes, ALL His benefits: “He forgives ALL our sins”, (so do we have to
scream and beg – or just ask and believe?).
“He heals ALL our diseases”, (so do
we have to accept them in fear and doubt – or just trust and receive?). “He redeems OUR life from the pit”, (so do we
have to torture ourselves by thinking that we’ll always remain there, or do we
take the first step and take His hand and believe that He will lead us
out?). “He crowns us with love and
compassion”, (so why do we say no one loves us or cares? What are we believing?). “He satisfies OUR desires with good things”
so that our youth is renewed – and He even compares our vigor and strength to
the majestic, soaring eagle, (so why do we say that God never brings anything
good into our lives?). You see, dear ones, often it is not Satan
defeating us – we are speaking defeat into our very own lives by NOT believing
that we are God’s children and by NOT receiving every “good and perfect gift
that is from Above” (James 1:17). In
these days that we are living in, it is imperative that as God’s
children we understand whose we are and live freely and fully in every gift
that He has already given us! All we
have to do is reach out our hands and accept what He is handing to us in His
nail-scarred, outstretched hands! Be
blessed, children of God! Let’s honor
this loving Father of ours by embracing the fact that we are HIS!
REMEMBER . .
.
“Instead of
worrying, pray.
Let petitions
and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
Before you
know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good,
will come and
settle you down.”
Philippians
4:6-7
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
