See how very much our heavenly Fatherloves us, for he allows us to be calledhis children, and we really are!1 John 3:1 (NLT)
God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it. This is God's second purpose for your life, which he planned before you were born.
God has always existed in loving relationship to himself, so he has never been lonely. He didn't need a family-he desired one, so he devised a plan to create us, bring us into his family, and share with us all he has. This gives God great pleasure.
When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become his children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family. The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future.
Every human being was created by God, but not everyone is a child of God. The only way to get into God's family is by being born again into it. You became part of the human family by your first birth, but you become a member of God's family by your second birth. God "has given us the privilege of being born again, so that we are now members of God's own family."
As children, of God we get to share in the family fortune. Here on earth we are given "the riches ... of his grace . . kindness ... patience ... glory ... wisdom ... power ... and mercy." But in eternity we will inherit even more.
The Bible says, "God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefined, beyond the reach of change and decay.' This means that your eternal inheritance is priceless, pure, permanent, and protected. No one can take it from you; it can't be destroyed by war, a poor economy, or a natural disaster. This eternal inheritance, not retirement, is what you should be looking forward to and working for. Paul says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." Retirement is a short-sighted goal. You should be living in light of eternity.
Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever.
Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive. Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong.
Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive.
"His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5 a (NLT)