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Children of God

1 John 3:1 "See how great a love that the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are."

We are in the thick of the holiday preparations and celebrations at the Read household and I get a chance to experience everything with a fresh set of eyes thanks to my kids. They are toted around with their eyes "all aglow" as they see for the first time a lit Christmas tree, a waving Santa, a holiday train display, and more. This truly is a wonderful season to be a kid, with all the stories and tales candy and lights...it's just plain fun!

And so this has me thinking about what it means to be a child of God. If we are called God's children (mentioned 11 times in the NT) then what does it look like to act as God's child?

I asked the staff at Parkside  what attributes we share with kids as God's children and got answers like:
-children are dependent on their parents for everything at first
-children are created
-they love to receive gifts (and we love to give them things that make them smile)
-children start out completely innocent 
-there is a sense of awe when children see something for the first time.
-children will believe anything without question (Santa, Easter Bunny)
-children live with abandon--they don't care who sees what they do or how they do it

So what would it look like then, if we lived our lives truly as God's children?
-are we dependent on God for everything?
-do we remember that it is He who created us?
-are we appreciative of God's gifts that He showers on us and open them with enthusiasm, or do we take them for granted?
-how long do we maintain the innocence we were created with?
-do we choose to see God's creation with a sense of awe as if seeing it for the first time?
-do we model a level of belief children have, one without any doubt at all?
-do we live with abandon--unashamed of who sees or who cares?

The longer people are in the church the more they think that Bible knowledge is a sign of intimacy with God. How many children do you know would rather read an encyclopedia than play in the backyard with their daddy?

As we flow through the last few days of the holiday season, be on the lookout in your own life as to how you could be a better child of God.

Maybe you could start by singing your favorite childhood worship song out loud for anyone and everyone to hear, the same way Isaiah breaks into song unpredictably :)
Merry Christmas!

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