“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” ~ Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis”

We all get our physical traits from the genes and DNA we receive from our parents. Our hair color, eye color, height, and even many of our personality traits come from the DNA we receive.

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:5, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.”

He says we are God’s “adopted” children, but we are more than adopted in the natural sense, we have God’s Spirit in us. I like to think of it like we have God’s spiritual DNA. With the Holy Spirit in us, we take on traits God desired for us replacing our wrong natural behaviors.

John 1:12-13 “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”

Paul writes more about being God’s children in Romans 8:9, “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you….8:11, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.”…8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Dear Lord, We are so blessed that you have given us your Spirit to live in us, and to be your children. Help us submit ourselves to your Spirit so that we may live as your obedient children. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.S

2 Timothy is a letter Paul wrote to Timothy while being imprisoned by the Roman Emperor Nero. He was quite sure he was not ever going to be free again, and was giving Timothy guidance on continuing his mission.

In 2 Timothy 4:3,4, he tells Timothy, “For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear. They won’t listen to what the Bible says, but will blithely follow their own misguided ideas.”

I think if you look around at events in our present day, Paul’s words could easily apply to modern times.

In verse 5 he tells Timothy what to do. “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”

This guidance applies to us as well as it did to Timothy. We need to stand steady and not be afraid of suffering for the Lord. For us, that suffering is not imprisonment or torture, it is likely to only be the “embarrassment” of believing in Biblical teaching, Christian values, and living them.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the words of Paul, encouraging us to hold to your values and beliefs. Help us stand steady, fearless in our faithful Christian lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Colossians 3:23-24 is a great passage to put our work into perspective. Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae. “Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters. Remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all the He owns. He is the one you are really working for.” TLB

So if God is the one we are really working for, God is the one who decides if we are promoted, and God decides how much we are paid. We need to put our faith and trust in God. The work we are doing today is what God called us to do. We need to work like we are working for Him; which we are.

Dear Lord, Thank you that we know that you control our destiny, not people on earth. Help us glorify you by our actions, and our work, and thank you for giving us all that we need and more. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have you ever had a conversation with the parent of a toddler while the toddler was playing on a park playscape? The parent’s eyes are always darting back toward the toddler, ready to run and protect the child from a fall, from some other danger, or from getting out of sight.

In ways, this is what is described in Psalm 33:18 which says, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”

God is watching and is aware of our situations; our successes and struggles, our hopes and our fears. We are not alone, He is always there and ready when we call.

Dear Lord, we thank you for the assurance of your presence. Help us use this confidence to be bold Christians sharing your love and good news. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is a power in what we say. It is like putting our signature on a contract. We can have a contract in front of us to purchase a car, or sell our house, or purchase a business, and that document may have been drafted in great detail with every contingency considered, but until we sign it, it has no power.

I think in some ways our beliefs are like this. We can think about what we believe, and know all the related scriptures, but when we say it out loud, we are putting the power in our belief.

Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 17:20, “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

When we say negative things like, “I can’t figure this out,” or “I always get this wrong,” “I am a terrible test taker,” “I am bad at math,” “I am always late,” we are putting power into these beliefs, and keeping ourselves in those holes.

Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” If we believe this, we should say things like, “Lord willing, I will get an A,” or “I will get accepted to that school,” “I will make the sale,” “my friend will accept my offer to come to church with me on Sunday.”

Saying what we believe, out loud, strengthens our faith and shows our commitment, which is one reason we say the creed every Sunday. “I believe in God the Father Almighty…..”

Dear Lord, our power comes from you. Help us believe that we can do all things through you, and say so with our words. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.