JOHN 1:10-13 It’s All in the Family 1:13 BORN OF GOD. Jesus taught his disciples to start their prayers with “Our Father “ (Mathew 6:9). What a wonderful place to begin! To pray to the true and living God is not to address a vague and distant deity but to speak as a child to one’s Father. But wait – how can any mere human presume to be called a child of God? There are some sentimental – and blasphemous – views of God that try to reduce him a bit, to make him more like us and make us all his children. But the God that John speaks of is the Holy One of Israel, whom no one can see and live (see John 1:18; Exodus 33:20), and who lives in unapproachable light (see 1 Timothy 6:16). A miracle must take place, a gracious gift must be given to our humanity, for any of us to speak to God as Father. The miracle and the gift are spoken of in these stunning words: “ Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God – Children born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” ( John 1:12-13). We may become God’s children, not by natural birth, but by new birth; or to use one of Paul’s concepts, by the miracle of adoption. This is God’s gift to us in Christ, to be received by faith – not achieved by human effort but received by simply trusting in his promise that all who believe will receive the gift and miracle. How should we then pray? Start with the most sublime of all relationships. Say “Father.” Or if you have never asked God to become your Father through faith in Christ, start there. Ask him; trust him; receive the gift and miracle of new birth. Then say, “Father.” Say it over again, and let it sink into depths of your soul and thrill you with its possibilities, St. Teresa of Avila said she found it difficult when she prayed to get past the word “Father.” It was to her like a beautiful land that she wanted to live in forever. She will live there forever, you know, and so will we. P R A Y “Our Father, who art in heaven – In whom we live, and move, and have our being; grant that I and all Christians may live worthy of this glorious relation, and that we may not sin, knowing that we are accounted as yours. We are yours by adoption; make us yours by choice of our will. ”
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 08:30:10 +0000
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