If you live in the greater Madison area, I would like to encourage you to join Steve Freitag or myself as we spend five weeks discussing the dynamics of spiritual freedom beginning the week of June 19. Details on my class here. Details on Steve’s class here (pdf).
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. — John 1:12-13
I would like to take several days and look at what it means to be a child of God.
Before I had children, I didn’t know much about being a dad. To be honest, my main thought about parenthood was this: If I ever have kids, I’m gonna teach ’em to behave.
I didn’t realize that my heart would melt the first time I picked up my daughter, that everything I promised myself about making those kids mind and behave would seem small and petty compared to the wonder of holding this precious little life in my hands.
I remember driving that fragile tiny baby home from the hospital in our yellow Omni. Never did I pay more attention to my driving. I felt like shouting out the window to the other drivers: "Keep your distance! Don’t you know there’s a little baby in this car?!" I got caught behind a slow moving truck on the way home. Normally, I would have driven right on by. But no, not now. I slowed way down. I was carrying precious cargo. Suddenly it occurred to me that I was responsible for so much more than I had ever imagined before.
When I was younger, I didn’t realize what was going on inside the heart of my Father in heaven. My faith was small and narrow. In my mind, God was mainly interested in turning down most of my prayer requests and making me behave. He sent His Spirit to convict me of sin. He sent me to church to hear lectures on how many different ways I had messed up. Every prayer should begin, I figured, with confession, because I was an incurable, rotten sinner.
I never knew that God held me in His hands, and that His eyes were shining, just like mine were, when I held my little baby girl.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. Dwight and his wife Kim provide prayer ministry for inner healing / transformation and coaching in prayer ministry. He is available to speak to your group or church. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.