6)
Not as though the word of
God hath taken none effect. For they are not all
7)
Neither, because they are
the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac
shall thy seed be called.
8)
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
|
I |
n
our celebration of holidays (Mother's Day included), many things simply become
"traditional." For example, this day on which we honor mothers has
become a celebration "by rote," whether the sentiments are sincere,
or not. Still, this day can cause pain in those who have no one to honor them.
As saints of God, we know that it is the Lord who determines who we are in Him
and who we are, are "the children of God."
Man
believes in the "brotherhood of
The
life aligned with Jesus is only successful if the alignee
chooses to accept Him in all of His fullness. What Man has yet to fully
comprehend is that the rejection of the sacrifices of God means the full
rejection of Him. While it is true that Jesus died for the sins of the World,
it is not automatic that the sacrifice is appropriated to oneself. It is not by
following through with His commands that we truly show that we belong to His
"family."
Many
wonder why it is that the propitiation of sin of the one sacrifice of Jesus
cannot be automatically applied to every man. It is simple, really and we are
told in the Bible that though sin was accounted to al by the sin of one (Adam),
the same is not true of the sacrifice. It is incumbent upon every man to accept
the Savior for himself.
Even
after salvation, it is not automatic that people come to the gnosco (that is, experiential knowledge) of God. We must
apply ourselves to acquiring that knowledge and after this,
we become responsible for leading others to the knowledge of the kingdom.
Like
it or not, without us, people will go without what they need. Therefore, it is
not an option for us to be short on patience.
In
order to be successful "...children of God," we must understand who
is to be "in charge" after salvation. It was decreed by Him centuries
ago that the eldest of the "twins" (Jacob and Esau, who represented
the Spirit and the fleshly natures) would serve the younger. Indeed, according
to the Law of the Birthright, this was unheard of. Representing, as they did,
the first, "fleshly" birth and the second, "spiritual"
birth, we are to glean the lesson that we need not be bound by that over which
we had no control. You see, our "birth order" was set for every Man
by the transgression of Adam and Eve. Only through salvation are we freed from
this law, which basically, consigns us to death.
What
we are going to have to come to terms with is that in that we are saved, we
have been born of the same channel of birth as Jesus. Our birth through the Spirit
assures us placement into His "family" and a "share" in His
character. Therefore, He has every right to expect us to demonstrate that
character in our everyday lives. "Being translated," this means that
we cannot act like a "child" of the "bastard" world. After
all, who appreciates a child that lives so far from the example of his parents
that he cannot be recognized as belonging to them?
The
identification of one as being one of "the children of God," should,
in itself, eliminate all of our complaining. If the bestowal of that
"gift" is not enough, what will be? Our deliverance from ourselves
will come in understanding that the "time" that we now have is not
really ours and therefore, cannot be used for ourselves. For as surely as we
"tie up" our time, the Lord will open a door for something to be done
for Him. There can never be a time in the life of the saint of God when his
plans cannot be changed.
Many who we accept as children of God and many who count themselves as belonging to Him need to perform a "self-check." With society and the church becoming more-and-more permissive, how can one really distinguish who is a "bastard" and who an actual "heir?" Consider this: the children of God, accept life in God. So, where does this leave you?