Godlythinking         

Knowing God Personally

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

The born again experience changes our relations with God the father because the sin of man was a crime against God that demanded justice. Christ resolved the issue of sin separating us from God by atoning for the sins of man in full. Because of this God can see you as if you had never sinned. The atonement sacrifice opens the door so man could have a relationship with God. The born again experience however, has two parts for the reconciliation to be complete.

Briefly, we discussed the sin issue separated God from man and what God will do because the sin issue has been resolved and put to rest. Your part of reconciliation is to recognize that you can not save yourself and that you are hopelessly lost. You must humble yourself to accept Jesus Christ as your atonement, then accept and recognize Jesus Christ as Lord for the rest of your life.

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!   All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

The combination of asking Jesus Christ into our life and being reconciled to God opens our eyes to a new way to live. Jesus Christ came into our lives and with him a different outlook on life.  Then you realized your former life is no longer acceptable or right in God’s eyes and needs to change.  While you may not recognize the presence of your heavenly father living in us, he is gently beginning to nurture and encourage you to live like his child.

What a difference a father makes in our lives. When you were a part of the world the father of the world did not care how you lived, as long you served his purpose. Instead he incited the worldly man to sin and then pointed his finger at them and said you were entirely at fault. He didn’t care who got hurt, as long as he was god of the world and he had his way with men. His way of life taught men to instinctively point fingers at everyone else blaming them for what you have done. Unfortunately, without the knowledge that Satan can adversely affect the decisions of men, they become sheep led to the slaughter.

Even as children of God it is easy to point fingers at everything that is wrong in this world. Our heavenly father reminds us that we are the solution and not the creator of unrest. We are to be holy because he is holy as holiness reflects your father’s character. He reminds us that no one can point at his faults and if you reflect his holiness, who could find fault with your life.

 God’s is not out to harm anyone, but his outlook on life gives everyone a hope for a successful life without regrets or a shameful past.  From a disposition of love God wants what is in our best interest and teaches us to deny ourselves to serve the needs of one another in love.

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. I John 3:10

Love and grace are two attributes of God that stand out among the rest, which men admire and respect. These two qualities are strengths God wants his children to practice as they grow up to mature adults. The benefits of these qualities enrich one’s life and raise his or her level of personal dignity. God is building the moral character of his children by teaching them to develop the graces of his disposition, which includes courage, generosity, and honoring one another. Those graces demand that we forgive, become humble, be teachable as a way to endure the corruption of humanity. Being God’s child is not easy because it requires a discipline to place limits on how we live to achieve a noble life with integrity. In conclusion, for the Christian morals are a behavior originating from God’s awareness of right and wrong.

God’s love is not a selfish Love that loves those that love you, but God demands you to love the unlovable, the stranger and those he wants to adopt. Lets consider that God has specific attributes he wants instilled into our character. Like God, lets consider that you want your children to grow up able to stand against the trials of life and you want them to have a better life than you have. The unselfish love of God is a quality of nobility and a quality that God uses to rule the universe.

God’s love for his children is one that cares, but since you are a member of the royal family, more is expected of you. Those who are born in a royal family are considered nobility and are trained to exercise the graces of nobility.  God will train you have his graces of nobility by developing a high moral standard of character that avoids every form of evil. In addition his child must be willing to forgive and be generous with what he or she has.

 The problem Christians have is in how we see God’s place in our life. Those who grow in Christ are strengthened by spending time seeking God with all their heart. The time you use to know Jesus Christ will be the time that Christ will introduce you to your heavenly father. The bible tells us that Christians live by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Those who live by sight see God seated on his throne in heaven, but those who live by faith, know that God lives in you and has a personal relationship with you.

All of us had a father that raised us on earth and understands that form of relationship from their experiences. The relationship we had with our earthly father is a picture of the spiritual relationship God wants to develop with you.  Once you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and asked him to come into your heart, you were adopted into the family of God. God lives within your heart and is raising you to become a respected member of his household.

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

 How you see God determines your relationship with him. You can see a personal indwelling God living in you or you can see God as the name you address your prayers to. While you may see God as your real fathers do you obey him from your heart? Do we see him as a tyrant ready to use his whip for violating of his law or do we see him as a loving God that is willing to forgive and encourage you to do your best. Our view of God will either develop closeness to him or encourage us to keep God at a distance.