1Johnn 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
We are all called children of God, we are assured of that throughout the Bible. Let us not confuse being children of God, with being perfect like the Son of God. AS we surface form the Christmas season, and embark on a new year, we should take time to really look at where we want to go this year. It is the time of the resolutions that will last all year…or maybe a month…or maybe a week…..or maybe they have already died. When we look at things we want to change about ourselves, and the world around us this year let us make it a point to resolve things that we see to be imperfections, not necessarily what the world tell us are imperfections. We would do well to remember this verse. We are children of God, and the world does not know us.
It is important to remember this verse because what the world sees and what we know to be true often tend to be different things. The world tells us that we are fat, and that it is the upmost important thing to get skinny so that we might be accepted. However God loves fat people, just as much as he loves skinny people. The world tells us that to be successful we must become rich, but here again God loves the rich, as much as the poor. The world tells us that being popular, and outgoing is important, yet we know that the meek shall inherit the earth. As we ponder the coming year we would do ourselves, and the Lord the most justice by resolving to change what the Lord tells us is important, and not worrying too much what the world sees.
You see the Lord does not care if you are fat or thin, yet he does hate the sin of lying. The Lord does not care if you are successful in the business world, but He cares deeply in the success of your relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. God is not too concerned with how outgoing you are, He Himself used a man with a stutter to free a nation. He does care how outgoing you allow the Holy Spirit to become in your life. You tell the world these truths, and you will be laughed at, but you see their expectations are not the same as yours, for they do not know you, and they did not know Christ when He came.
When Christ came to Earth it was expected that He would be a King in every sense of the word. It was expected that He would arrive in style, with His birth shouted from the rooftops, and His entrance into this world marked with a festival of epic proportions. Yet He entered this world in much of the opposite fashion, so the world could not see Him. Much in the same way this year, the world expects you, me, all of us to rally to the call of the same old lame resolutions…the perfect image, the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect life, they will expect you to resolve to be the perfect worldly person that they think you should be. As always we have a choice to make, will this be a year of conforming to the world, or to God? Will we strive to make this life better for now, or will we work to make our lives and the lives of those around us better for eternity?
My resolution this year is to make it through the Bible twice. Of course when I share my resolution with some folks they ask why…or my favorite…for what? That is ok though, they do not know me, the One who does, knows all too well why, and for what. As you kick off this year, what shall you resolve to do? Will it be to make simple changes that effects your life today and tomorrow, possibly the year? Will it be the ones the world expects? Or will you step out in faith, will you make it a year that your resolution can impact eternity? Many will not understand, and they will not expect it, but that will be ok, the world does not know us, because they did not know Him.
God Bless,
Brian Thetford
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