Tag: child of God

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Psalms Devotionals 2

God’s humility

Cross

You have given me the shield of your salvation;
your right hand upholds me,
and your humility exalts me. (Psalm 18:35)

It’s probably because Christmas is fast approaching that those words resonate with me.

“Your humility exalts me.”

Though by the world’s standards, I’m insignificant, God humbled himself, became a man, and took the form of a servant.

He then went to the cross paying the price for my sin. (Philippians 2:7)

And because of what Christ did there, insignificant little me has now become a child of God.

That’s awesome to ponder.

The Lord lives—blessed be my rock!
The God of my salvation is exalted. (Psalm 18:46)

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Psalms Devotionals 2

Keeping perspective

Sunset over lake

I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously. (Psalm 13:6)

Those words caught my eye this morning.

It’s so easy for me to get caught up in my problems of the day and wonder where God is.

But I want to always remember how generously he has treated me.

While I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me.

When I was going my own way, not seeking him, he sought me out.

If he treated me so generously then, why would I ever think he’d abandon me now that I’m his child?

So that’s what I want to think on more today: just how generous my Father has been to me.

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Ephesians Devotionals

Because we are…

Child of God

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children… (Ephesians 5:1)

Father, those words just totally jumped off the page.

We desire to be like you, not because of fear.

Not because we feel we have to somehow earn your approval or your love.

But as people already rooted and grounded in your love.

We are already your beloved children. (1)

We are already saints. (3)

We are already light in you. (8)

We don’t have to strive to become these things.

We already are.

And as such, we joyfully seek to bring a smile to your face each day.

Help us to always remember who we are in you.

We love you because you first loved us.

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Acts Devotionals

Grace giver?

Grace giver

It’s very interesting to me that for how hard Paul fought for the idea of salvation by grace for the Gentiles, when it came to his personal relationships, he failed to show grace to Mark.

Mark had failed Paul and Barnabas by abandoning them on their previous missionary journey.

Why Mark left is unclear, but whatever the reason, Paul was unwilling to give him a second chance.

It made me think: how often am I like Paul, failing to show grace to those who disappoint me, with those who fail to “measure up” to my standards? I can think of too many times.

I want to be a grace giver…especially in my personal relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Are you a grace giver?

Perhaps the thing we all need to remember about our brothers and sisters in Christ when they disappoint us is this:

God knows their heart. And despite their weaknesses and failings, the Holy Spirit bears witness to them just he does with us, telling them, ‘You are God’s child.’

He makes no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:8-9)

So though they fail us, let’s show them the same grace God has poured out on them…and us.

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Deuteronomy Devotionals

To be like you

Worship

Father, you are not hardhearted or tightfisted toward me. (Deuteronomy 15:7)

Nor do you have a stingy heart toward me. (10)

Instead you open your hand willingly, giving generously to me. (11, 14)

More, 2000 years ago on a cross, you proclaimed the release of debts and forgave all my sins. (Deuteronomy 15:2; Colossians 2:13-14)

So Father, let me be like you to those around me. Open-handed, generous, forgiving people for any wrong they have done to me.

I’ve got so far to go. But I want to be like you.

Help me to be like you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Deuteronomy Devotionals

Because we are God’s children

God's children

You are sons of the Lord your God…you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God.

The Lord has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:1-2)

Those are amazing words to reflect on. They were spoken to Israel, but they are now also spoken to us. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The question is, how do we respond?

We are to be holy as God is holy.

For the Jews, that meant, among other things, rejecting pagan religious rituals (1, 21) and following a special diet (3-21).

Perhaps that diet was God’s way of daily reminding them they were not to merely live on physical food, but on every word he spoke. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

We are no longer bound by that diet (Mark 7:14-19), but it is still God’s desire that we be holy. To imitate him.

That means watching not what goes into our mouths, but what’s in our hearts. (Mark 7:20-23)

But what is our motivation for being holy? To impress God? To prove we’re worthy of his acceptance?

No, we are already accepted. We are already his children, his treasured possession.

Why then?

Because we want to be like our Daddy.

Is that your heart?

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John Devotionals

That everything I do would be pleasing to you

Man and woman praying

There were many words that hit my heart this morning. Perhaps none more so than verse 29 when Jesus said, “I always do what pleases the Father.”

I wish I could say that.

But there were other words too.

If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)

Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (34-36)

…my teaching makes no progress among you. (37, NET)

The one who is from God listens to God’s words. (47)

I honor my Father and you dishonor me. (49)

And so my prayer for the day.

Lord Jesus, I want to be like you. I wish I could say with you that all I do pleases the Father. But that is not so. There are many things I do that are displeasing to him.

Forgive me. Help me to never dishonor the Father or you by my words or my actions.

Instead, let there always be room in my heart for your Word. Let it progress in my heart. Help me to understand it better. Not only that, help me to obey it better.

Help me to be like Abraham, listening to the truth of your Word, believing and accepting the truth, and following the truth.

Jesus, thank you for your grace. Because of you, I am no longer a slave to sin. By your blood shed on the cross, you have set me free. Thank you for making me a child of God.

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Galatians Devotionals

Life as a child of God

standing at the cross

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:19-20)

I love these verses.

Once, I was under God’s law who as my guardian taught me what was right, but could not empower to actually do right. Instead, the law could only condemn me when I failed. (Galatians 3:24)

But the same law that condemned me also pointed me to Jesus. Through the law, I saw my need for Jesus. And once the law led me to Jesus’ cross, I died to the law.

I’m no longer living under the law’s condemnation because Jesus has already paid the price for my sins and failures on the cross.

And with his death, the old me that was hostile and distrustful of God died too.

Now Jesus is living his life in me.

Not a life that’s constantly fearful because I’m never living up to God’s expectations.

But a life grounded in the truth that Jesus loves me and gave himself for me.

Not a life straining to earn God’s acceptance and love by keeping the rules.

But a life that is at rest knowing that he already fully accepts me as his child.

Who says to me as I wake each day, “You are my beloved child. I am well pleased with you.”

So now my greatest desire is to please my Daddy and to live for him each day.

That’s the life of a child of God.

Is that your life?

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Matthew Devotionals

A prayer from a child of God

When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water.

The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)

Father, how is it that by your grace, you open up heaven to me, give me your Spirit, and say, “You are my beloved child. In you I am well pleased?”

How is it? That’s incredible to me!

So Father, let me bear the fruit of repentance. You know the sins that I still struggle with.

Father, don’t let me be like the Pharisees and Sadducees, merely pretending to be righteous. Let me truly bear the fruit of righteousness in my life

Jesus, you said I am already clean because of the Word you have spoken and I have believed. Now let your words abide in me.

Pruning me. Shaping me. Transforming me. Changing the way I think and act. Convicting me of sin.

Yet reminding me of your forgiveness and love. Encouraging me to take the next step forward with you, becoming more like you.

You are the vine. I am the branch. Teach me what it means to abide in you. Without you I can do nothing. But with you, I will bear much fruit. And I do want to bear fruit for you. (John 15:3-7)

Holy Spirit, as you filled and led Jesus throughout his earthly life, fill and lead me, moment to moment, day to day.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Galatians Devotionals

Losing our sense of blessedness

Galatians

Where then is that sense of blessing you had? (Galatians 4:15, NASB)

Father, let me never lose the sense of blessing that comes from being your child.

Let me never fear losing my salvation because of my sins, failures, and weaknesses. Let me never feel like I need to somehow earn your approval.

I am no longer a slave, fearing punishment from a tyrant god.

I’m the child of a loving Father.

Abba, Father. I come to you today with full confidence in your love toward me.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Galatians Devotionals

A child of God

Galatians

So often, we live under a cloud of doubt as to whether God truly accepts us as his children. We doubt because we see all our sins and our failures and wonder how in the world God could possibly accept us.

But Paul asks an important question in verses 2.

Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? (Galatians 3:2)

Put another way, “Why did God accept you in the first place? Why did he send his Spirit to dwell in you? Was it because you had somehow managed to perfectly keep all his laws for a year? A week? A day? An hour?

“No. It was because you put your faith in Jesus.”

And don’t think for a moment that God accepts us as his children only on a trial basis.

Many companies may hire people that way.

But God does not adopt his children that way.

So remember who you are, Child of God.

for through faith you are all sons (and daughters) of God in Christ Jesus. (26)