From: Beverly French [frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us]
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 6:48 AM
To: Heritage
Subject: Blessings

"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." Romans 8:14

This is one of our Scriptures of last week.  Today let's see what Scripture tells us of the family of God.  It was God's love and desire bestowed on us to make us His children.

This is a spiritual relationship:
Obedience secures the benefits of it:
"For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."  Matthew 12:50

All barriers broken down:
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household." Ephesians 2:19

Called brethren by Christ:
"For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren." Hebrews 2:11

Believers given the right to be the children of God:
"But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." John 1:12

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.  Galatians 3:26-27, 29

"That you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world."  Philippians 2:15

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are..."  1 John 3:1

This was God plan from the beginning:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born of many brethren." Romans 8:29

Children, therefore heirs!:
"And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..." Romans 8:17

"Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God."  Galatians 4:7

God made sure His promise as we see in Hebrews 6:17-18, "Because God  wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged."

This being so, let us standfast in the words of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:10-12, "That you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."

Oh, the amazing grace of our Father through the precious redeeming work of Christ on our behalf!  It is so beyond our comprehension that it will take eternity to know the fullness of the blessings bestowed on us, His children.

All praise, honor and glory to the Almighty Omnipotent God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!