For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
-Galatians 3:26
If we are God's children, we have won the battle. If we are God's children, we are believers in Jesus Christ and we have found ourselves on a path of righteousness. To be a child of God doesn't take much more than confessing your belief in Jesus Christ and accepting Him as Lord and Savior of your life.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
-1 John 3:10
It's so simple to be saved. It should be easy to love one another. Sin has been defeated by Christ by way of the cross! But yet why is it so hard to NOT sin?
God gave us the Ten Commandments and his children break these commandments routinely. Love thy neighbor, honour thy mother and father, and all the "thou shalt not" commandments seem nearly impossible to NOT break. Well, there has to be a reason why. And there has to be a way of understanding it.
The best way I feel to take a look at why we sin and why God offered up His Son to die for those sins is to take a look at our own children. Now, I am not a parent, yet. I am only 23-years-old but I've had the responsibilities of a parent from time to time. While each child is different, it's apparent that each child must be treated with patience and kindness. This is simply because kids don't always listen to what their parents, elders, or caretakers have to say.
When I was young, I had my ways of disobedience. Yes, it is a sin. But it is also a direct reflection of how people act in the sight of God. When a man or woman sins on earth, God the Father in Heaven is met with the same disobedience that an unruly child brings their parent. It takes time but eventually through patience, kindness (or mercy), and sometimes reprimanding, a child will eventually obey.
The Bible does say that God will punish the wicked. God is a parent and just like human beings punish their children, God will judge each one of us. Now, I don't know about you but I want to be judged as righteous and as my uncle and Pastor David Kijula has said, "Receive me with a pat on the back and say 'Well done thy faithful servant.'"
Let's recap.
1. God is a parent, we are His children.
2. Just like our own children, we disobey our parent (God)
3. A parent needs to show their child direction to correct their disobedience (patience, mercy)
But that's not all of course. As with anything of God, there is love. God is love, after all. He is a loving parent that sacrificed His Son for the forgiveness of sins.
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
-John 11:33-36
This verse is a direct implication of Jesus' love for us. As brothers and sisters of Christ, He weeps for us more than you know. God loves us more than we know. Just imagine a parent's love for their own child and magnify that by hundreds, if not, thousands of times. God is our Father in Heaven and His love endures forever. Therefore, God will always treat us the way we treat our own children.
In summation, God gave us children for a reason. He gave us the opportunity to see what it is like to love one's own creation and experience the joy of a guiding and leading a child. And just like a parent is hurt when their child disobeys, that is why God is so hurt when we go astray from His love and plan for us. Therefore, take some time to sit down and pray to God and talk to Him like a parent. God was the first parent and therefore understands everything we are going through when raising or taking care of children. After all, God did create all things. And if you let God into your life, you will not regret the decision as you will find yourself happier than you ever thought you could be.
So it is what they say: Parents know best.
Be blessed and have a wonderful day!
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