OzThoughts - Wednesday 19th August 2009.

OzThoughts - Wednesday 19th August 2009.


Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
13children born not of natural descent,[3] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1: 12,13. New International Version).

Or as The Message has it:

But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.
13These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten. (John 1:12,13. The Message).

There is a wonder in all this. In the Old Testament times, the Children of Israel knew they were the chosen of God and they looked forward to His promise. They traced their special relationship back to their forefathers, who had entered into a Covenant with God. They knew God as the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. They came to understand that this was the God who spoke to Moses and through Moses enabled them to be freed from slavery and move through the wilderness towards the land he had promised them.

So the story of the Old Testament continues of a struggle by God’s people to stay faithful to Him and to reap the benefits of this special relationship when it was going well and punishment when it went bad.

The writer to the Hebrews understands the new way of God. It is good to read the whole book to understand the new and living way better. However, the Hebrews begins:

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1: 1-3 NIV).

That’s the wonder of it all. God has given us his Son Jesus and through Jesus we are children of God. What a wonderful relationship that is.

PRAYER:
Thank you again, Father God for Jesus! I thank you for our wonderful new relationship through Him. It seems I am a Prince in your Household. Father, thanks again for all the good things you give to me. Help me to share all this with others, through Jesus. Amen.

MEDITATION:

[Listen: Piano (Anne Walker) : http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_245.mp3

My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in his hands;
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, he has riches untold.

Chorus
I'm the child of a King;
I'm the child of a King;
With Jesus my Saviour,
I'm the child of a King!

My Father's own Son, the Saviour of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them,
But now he is reigning for ever on high
And will give me a home in Heaven by and by.

I once was an outcast, a stranger on earth.
A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But I've been adopted, my name's written down
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

A tent or a cottage, why should I care'?
They're building a palace for me over there;
Though exiled from home, yet still I may sing:
All glory to God, I'm the child of a King.
Author: Harriet Eugenia Peck Buell (1834-1910)
The Salvation Army Song Book: Song Number: 354

1 John 3 (The Message)

1What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it--we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.
2But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him--and in seeing him, become like him.
3All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.
4All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God's order.
5Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program.
6No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got him all backwards.
7So, my dear children, don't let anyone divert you from the truth. It's the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah.
8Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil's ways.
9People conceived and brought into life by God don't make a practice of sin. How could they? God's seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It's not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin.
10Here's how you tell the difference between God's children and the Devil's children: The one who won't practice righteous ways isn't from God, nor is the one who won't love brother or sister. A simple test.

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