You--a child of God!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

You are a child of God. It is because of His love that you have life. It was God who decided whether you would be male or female; He determined the color of your skin, your hair, your eyes. He chose the time and place of your birth. Your conception was no accident. Your birth was not a mistake. God has supreme power over life and death; you were conceived because God wanted you to live.

Some people don’t appreciate God’s gift of life. A woman who gets pregnant through assault might have a hard time seeing her baby as a gift—yet that little one is proof that God can bring something wonderful out of any tragedy. Others might curse God because they were born with a birth defect or were raised by people who were unloving—but this is not God’s fault, it is the result of sin. Sin damages everything it touches. Sin keeps us from fully enjoying the gifts that God gives us.

Sin makes us ungrateful and mean-spirited. Sin causes us to act selfishly. Sin makes us use and abuse others, destroying every relationship. Sin alienates us from God, making us outcasts and runaways. God our Father is a loving God, but He brooks no disobedience. This is why Jesus chose to suffer on the cross and die; He endured the Father’s punishment in our place, sparing us from the hell our sins deserve. Jesus took on the role of the eldest child who shields His brothers and sisters from harm. He did this because He loves us and wants us back in the Father’s good graces.

Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are reborn. He gives us a fresh start at life, unburdened by guilt over past mistakes. Sin made us filthy little beggars living alone on the streets; the love of Jesus forgives us, cleans us up, and brings us into God’s large and loving family. Through Christ, God offers us adoption as His sons and daughters.

You are a child of God. God is your Father because He gave you life at the moment of conception. Sadly, sin stole you away from Him. But through Jesus, God offers a new start at life—Paul writes, When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ (Colossians 2:13). God has given you birth and rebirth—you are doubly precious to Him!