Called Out

The alarm clock rang, I pulled myself out of bed in the dark, flipped on the light, and opened my Bible to John 1. Here's what was awaiting me there this morning . . .

A few verses really stood out to me. Especially v. 12-13, v. 14, v. 17, and v. 46. Great stuff there!

But again, the theme that stood out to me is that of identity.

Who am I? Who are you?

According to v. 12-13, anyone who receives and welcomes Christ, anyone who believes in His name, is the child of God. In other words, if we put our trust in Jesus, if we rely on Him in our lives, if we adhere to His ways, God has given us the right (the privilege, the authority, the power) to be called a child of God.

So, who are you?

I think I too often lose sight of this identity in my own life. I am the son of God, the carrier of the family name and family traits.

I know that may not mean a whole lot in our culture, but we don't have to go back far into our history to find a time when ancestry meant a TON to people. In fact, your ancestry often defined who you were. And even today, we often carry our family names (aka - last names) with us our whole lives. And, as a carrier of the family name, you also carry the family reputation and way of life.

Do you think there are expectations if you're a Kennedy or a Bush? How about a Hilton (ask Paris) or a Simpson (ask Ashley)? Do you think Michael Jordan's kids had abnormal pressure as athletes? (You bet.)

Our family, our heritage, often helps to define who we are. So, here John writes these profound, yet simple, words: "he gave the right to become children of God".

Phenomenal.

Whose are you?

That's a question I need to wrestle with every day. And every day, I need to be reminded that I am the son of God.

Emphasize the "am".

It's not that some day you will be or could be or might reach the level of the son of God. It's who you are today. Plain and simple.

I get distracted by thinking about what others might say or think or do. I get distracted by my own messed up ideas of what I need to do or accomplish to be successful, loved, and accepted. I get distracted by my own pride and sense of self-sufficiency.

Bottom line: I get distracted. But, even in all of that, I am the son of God.

What distracts you from believing that you're the child of God?