God Speaking

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household”

(Ephesians 2: 19)

We had an interesting question in our recent Bible study recently that asked:

Where did you come from and where were you born?

It was fascinating the replies from the 9 of us who were meeting together. Our country of birth ranged from Australia, England, South Africa, Barbados, Portugal and Canada. It was a wonderful way our group reflected Paul’s words in Ephesians reminding them and us that God’s family has no barriers of skin colour race, citizenship. We all belonged to one big family. We all were intrigued as to how each one of us had become Christians and how God had gathered us together, so we all felt the warmth of belonging to a family, when we met to pray together and read his word.

When Paul is writing to the believers in Rome, he reminds them of the joys of belonging to God’s family and the fact that once we do, we belong to each other personally;

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and all these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12: 4 – 5)

Belonging to somebody gives one a sense of love and acceptance, a feeling of safety, a sense of having somebody to lean on, a feeling of comfort during tough times, a sense of peace.

But just like all families, discord can erupt especially when in God’s family many different personalities come together. Paul once again has wise words for all of us and so important as we are showing to the world what it is like to belong to God’s household.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3: 12 – 13)

One of my favourite songs we sing at church, has these lovely words as the chorus

I am a child of God.

Every time I sing those words. I feel a wonderful sense of affirmation that I am part of the family. I belong to God’s family, I am accepted just as I am, I have a loving Father who cares for me and protects me, and I have a huge family of believers who are my brothers and sisters. Learning to live in this family is a growing experience and as Paul points out we need to be clothed  in humility and patience and most of all forgiveness, so the world observes how differently the family of God behaves, because of the bond that holds them together is their love for the Jesus Christ.