Child of God
“I knew you, Child, before you received life.
I loved you long before earth saw first light.
All heaven smiled the day you opened your eyes
And will sing when you come home safely too.
I made you, Child, to be one of a kind;
You were created with a purpose in mind.
I made you to have a heart just like mine.
My precious child…I love you! “~ God
“I know your life has seen triumphs and tears.
I’ve seen you struggle with trials and fears.
If you will let me, I will help you see clear,
And will fill your world with meaning and truth.
I’ve been beside you when you’ve felt despair.
When you have stumbled, I have always been there.
Always I’m with you and always I care.
My precious child, I love you!” ~ God
Child of God… you are precious in his sight,
Cling to him and hold on tight, he’ll see you through.
Child of God…never cease to fight the fight,
Striving always to do right in all you say and do.
His love is desperate for you, oh child of God.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son,
John 3:16
so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
The Bible: You Are Loved!
When I wrote “Child of God”, it was never with the intention of placing it in this musical work. It was a song written for my 6-year-old daughter. This little girl had gone through more than her fair share of tribulations in her very short lifetime, yet through it all, she remained full of joy and love. How was this possible?
The answer was Jesus. She had grasped the hope of Jesus in her heart, and this had carried her through all things. Now a college student, she still eagerly shares her faith with others, and others listen because they can sense the deep beauty of a heart dedicated to the Lord. I wanted that love and hope to always remain in her life, and so I wrote her this love song from God.
Later I realized that this is God’s song of love for all of his children. It is his call to us to come to him and find solace in his love and grace. It is a song written just for each of us.
God is calling today. John 3:16 says that he loved us so much, that he sent his only Son to pay the price for our sins. Jesus calls to you today. You need only put your trust in him, and he will give you the free gift of salvation. It isn’t about rituals. It isn’t about self-perfection or accomplishments. It isn’t about us trying to reach God or worse, trying to be God. It is about love. It is about the pure love of a God who was willing to come to us and to do what we could not do. It is about a Savior who loved us so much that he would rather lower himself to our level and endure the worst torture imaginable just to be with us. We simply need to make the choice to accept his gift and put our lives completely and totally into his hands.
It took me many years to understand what “being saved” really meant. For much of my life, I looked at Christianity as more of an “insurance policy” for eternity. Mark 16:16a says, “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved” and Romans 10:9 reads “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
As a child, faith seemed so easy. All you had to do was believe that Jesus was the Son of God and that he was raised from the dead and get yourself baptized and you were good to go. I did believe, and I had been baptized as a baby, so I figured I had nothing to worry about. As an adult, I was bombarded with other belief systems and began to doubt my own, but I never really stopped believing that Jesus was God’s Son or that He rose from the dead, so I figured it didn’t matter if I didn’t buy into the rest of the Bible or if I practiced other faiths as well. I was wrong. I had taken the scripture out of its context and placed my own meaning conveniently on the words. I had lost the truth of the passages.
At best, I had become an apathetic Christian. I occasionally went to church, and I prayed when I needed God’s help, but as long as things were going well, I was pretty “lukewarm” with regard to my faith, as were most of my “Christian” friends. In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus instructed John to write letters to seven churches existing at that time. Each of these churches also accurately described seven church ages that would follow from John’s time until the final tribulation. We are living in the final church age – the age of the church of Laodicea.1 Here is what Jesus had to say about the defining feature of our churches today:
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”
Revelation 3:15-19
A better translation of “spit you out of my mouth” is to “vomit you out of my mouth!” It is sad to think that many church-goers will be “vomited” out of God’s mouth. And I was no different.
If we read the verse just prior to Mark 16:16, it says that Jesus told his disciples to go out to the world and present the Good News to all. The Good News was the whole story of salvation – not just the fact that he was the Son of God and that he rose again. Likewise, Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans:
For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
Romans 10:10
Believing in your heart means more than having certain facts in your head. It means giving your heart to Jesus and placing your trust in his hands. Believing in your heart means that Jesus takes up a permanent residence in your heart. Your life is no longer your own, but you dedicate it to him and ask him to direct your ways. When this happens, your life changes. You recognize your sinful nature and make the conscious decision to repent, or turn away from that life. You graciously accept the amazing gift of grace from God, understanding in your heart that absolutely nothing that you do on your own could possibly make you right with God, and recognizing the cost of that grace. You understand that you were bought with a price, and you give your life back to Jesus Christ freely.
With Jesus in your life, no longer do you desire sin, but your heart longs for righteousness and, over time, your life changes to reflect that desire. This is not salvation by works! It is not a conscious decision to do good things so that you will go to Heaven. It is a true desire that comes from giving your life to Christ and allowing his Holy Spirit to work in your life. This does not mean that you won’t be tempted or that you won’t sin. It means that you genuinely want to do right by your Lord. When you are saved, you know in your heart you are saved, because the Holy Spirit resides in you and tells you this!
Jesus loves you and desperately wants to be a part of your life. He doesn’t want to be placed on some back burner, reserved for 10 minutes of prayer in the morning and the occasional Sunday morning for one hour. John the Baptist described the church as the bride of Jesus, (John 3:27-30) and Revelation speaks of the marriage supper of the Lamb in which Jesus welcomes His bride home (Rev.10).
We are the bride of Jesus Christ! We are to seek him in all we do and look forward to his return, just as a bride seeks her fiancé and looks forward to her wedding day! This does not simply affect our view of eternity, but it affects every day of our life. Do we desire a relationship with our spouse (or a future spouse if you are not married) that consists of only a couple of hours a week? When we focus on a relationship with God, it changes our life. I can testify to you that when this happens, the joy, peace and total fulfillment that you will experience will be unlike anything else that you can imagine!
Although you cannot earn your way to salvation, you do need to make the decision! Jesus will not force his way into your life. You need to invite him in and give your life to him. This is the most important decision that you will ever make, and it is a decision that will have eternal consequences.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (Emphasis mine.)
Jesus said that there is no other way to Heaven, except through him. That means that if all faith beliefs really do the same thing, then Jesus is either a liar or a lunatic. Further, regardless of one’s faith beliefs, in the end, everyone will bow to Jesus and acknowledge him as Lord. Paul says this in his letter to the Philippians:
Though he [Jesus] was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2:6-11 (Emphasis mine)
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Please understand that this does not mean that everyone gets a free pass into Heaven. The Bible is very clear that if you do not choose the gift of grace from Jesus and give your life to him, you have chosen hell. But, in the end, all will acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Atheists, insincere Christians, Satanists, followers of false religions, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and even Satan himself will be forced to bow down and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Only those who have done so willingingly in this life will find eternal reward.
Jesus loved us so much that he gave his life for us, so that we could be with him! He knew that we were flawed. He knows we make mistakes. He knows that we sin and fall short of the glory of God. He knows that without him working in us, we would destroy the perfection of Heaven with our human frailties and sin. He loves us anyway!
And please don’t let a bad experience with the church or anyone from the church keep you away from a loving God. Christians are flawed, and there are many who do more harm than good. Yes, there is hypocrisy. Yes, there is judgementalism. Yes, there is poor doctrine. I have had terrible experiences at some churches, but I have also had amazing ones. I have been hurt by members of the church, but I have also been loved and prayed for by others. But the church is not my salvation – Jesus is. Please don’t pass up a saving relationship with him simply because people are flawed.
Do ask for God’s help in finding a good church that cares more about God and his plan of salvation over their own rituals and politics. When my family and I sought a new church years ago, we prayed, and then we visited. During the first three visits, the sermon spoke to our exact situation. It was truly a God thing. When we moved out of state, we prayed, and God led us to our current church home.
I urge you to invite Jesus Christ into your life and your heart today. Please don’t wait. Don’t settle for the cheap and superficial pleasures that this world offers. They are nothing compared to the richness of life that comes only through Jesus Christ.
There is no “special prayer” that will magically grant you salvation. Just talk to God. Admit your sins and tell him that you don’t want to live your life that way anymore. Thank him for his gift of salvation, and invite him to take up residence in your life. Let him know that you want a real relationship with him, and that you understand that he is better equipped to lead your life than you are.
If you need more information, please feel free to reach out at Luanne.barnet@songofvictory.com. We are happy to counsel you or answer any other questions that you may have. If you have made the decision to put your trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and to live your life for Him, then we gladly welcome you into our family, and we urge you to please talk to someone who can guide you deeper into your faith, such as a pastor or someone who is mature in their faith.
The day will come when the door will close and those who have chosen to reject God will be forever removed from him. Don’t take that chance.
“My precious child, I love you!” ~ God
Related Devotional
Resources
This YouTube video is a powerful overview of the Bible. I include it here as a final review of everything that we have been looking at in these sessions.
For a basic discussion on Christianity and faith, we recommend C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”.
If you are still struggling with the validity of Christianity and want to do a more in-depth analysis, I suggest “The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell. It is a long read but it will provide comprehensive evidence for the validity of the Christian faith.
“Do Alleged Contradictions Skew Bible Truth?” by Sheri Bell Do Alleged Contradictions Skew Bible Truth?
“Solutions to Bible ‘Errors’” from Defending Inerrancy.com Solutions to Bible “Errors”
If you would like to delve deeper into the important topics of the Bible, you can find several studies by Ray Stedman here: Ray Stedman Thematic Studies At that same site, you can also find in-depth messages regarding both old and new testament sections as well as a general overview of the Bible.
Citations:
- Stedman, Ray C. God’s Final Word. Grand Rapids, Discovery House Publishers, 1991. Print.
Music and lyrics by LuAnne Barnet. Copyright (c) 2004 LuAnne Barnet. All Rights Reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Royalty-free images from Videoblocks.com