“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…” Romans 8: 16, 17(a)
These verses stopped me in my tracks recently.
It reveals an aspect of “family” that I had never really grasped before. Even as I mulled over the verses, trying to digest the height, depth, width, and length of this unimaginable love, my mind boggled. The love of the Father for us—you, me, and the countless millions on this planet—cannot be explained by mere words.
It struck me anew that this Holy God chose us to join His family. I mean, that thought is marvellous in itself. When I think of my family, I can easily identify folks whom I’d prefer not to be my kith and kin. I wish I didn’t have to meet them at family gatherings and put up with obnoxious jokes and snide remarks; I definitely wouldn’t say I loved them.
Yet, God, did just that.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (emphasis mine)
He chose us—the unlovable, unworthy, unrepentant ones—to join His family!
What does family mean to you? To me it implies security and comfort, a place where I can be myself without feeling judged, where the members in the close knit group have known each other since being in diapers, so there are loads of fun “Do-you-remembers” that never grow old. Family is home. Family gives me the sense of assurance that I belong and am loved. And also, it means I am part of something greater than myself – I have been bequeathed a legacy—my grandmother’s love of writing, for instance—and that implies that I have something to pass on to generations after me. So many threads go into the tapestry of a family. Nothing is unrelated.
So, when Yahweh invites us into His family, all those aspects are magnified a hundredfold. We belong to something greater than ourselves, we are no longer alone, and we have a home. It just amazes me, that God chose us to not only be His children but also put us on the same level as Jesus. He clearly says we are joint heirs with Christ. Not just poor relations. We didn’t just scrape through past the pearly gates. He is allowing us to walk the red carpet! What love! What grace!
It humbles me to think that when He lavishes me with such love, my general response is apathy, indifference, or worse, laziness. What pride and foolishness!
While God invites us to join His family, we can still refuse to enter. He never compels us. The choice is ours. Are we willing to be a part of something greater than our narrow, independent willfulness? The Father is always waiting with open arms; it’s up to us to decide if we truly want to belong there.
In Matthew 12: 49 and 50, Jesus said these amazing words, “He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’”
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