“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:7)
Whenever Drew would go to a birthday party or some other public event, the last thing his dad would say before Drew walked out the door would be, “Remember who you belong to, son.”
Of course, Drew knew good and well to whom he belonged – he belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Smith, his parents. But that wasn’t all Drew’s dad meant by his comment. Drew was supposed to think about his relationship with his parents, and how he should act because of the relationship. Drew was more than just a friend or a worker for his parents. He was their son. As their son, Drew could expect love from his parents, and he knew that his parents expected certain actions and attitudes from him.
If you are trusting Christ as your Savior, God has a Father-son (or Father-daughter) kind of relationship with you. You belong to Him in a special way. He has created you, so you belong to Him as an invention would belong to its inventor: A creature belongs to its Creator. But if you are a new creature in Christ, you also “belong” to God in the sense of being a part of His household. He provides for you better than any human father ever could. He loves you more than any human father ever could. Since God is your Father, He has a right to expect you to respond a certain way to Him and to do certain things for Him.
So how should you act toward God, if you belong to Him? You should do what your Father commands, and you should do it from a willing, loving heart. You should do things that make God’s name look good. You should love Him just as He loves you (very much!); and, most of all, you should thank Him for making you His child. He sent His own Son to die for your sins so that you could have a relationship with Him. Since God has made you His child, you should act like the son or daughter that you really are.
If God has made you His child, you should act like you are His child.
My Response:
» Can I think of ways to make God’s name look good today?
» Have I been thanking God for making me His child?