I was thumbing through some black-and-white photos, taken 60 or more years ago, by my mum and dad: photos of themselves, their friends, and the small town where they grew up. Smiling faces looked back at me from skiing and skating parties in another age when the world was so different. Could they have even imagined then what their friends and families would look like today? It makes me think of family resemblances — not only facial resemblance, but common backgrounds, interests, and talents.

The Bible has a lot to say about families and their legacies. The apostle John spoke about a family resemblance when a person becomes a believer in Jesus Christ.

1 John 3:8-10 – He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practise righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. (NKJV)

In John's day, false teachers led people to believe that they could be saved by knowledge, but that there were no other rules about personal conduct. Nothing could be further from the truth! A real child of God acts differently from those who don't know Him. We have all been born into this sinful old world, but being part of God's creation isn't the same as being God's children. Everyone born on earth is born into sin, but the children of God have made a decision to change allegiance and become part of His family.

So, whose family are you in? Are you obeying God and doing what is right, or are you living in a comfortable, settled lifestyle of sin? God has put certain people in our lives: family, co-workers, neighbours, and friends. Can we truly love these folks as God wants us to? We cannot do it on our own. John teaches that "the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." To be in God's family is to acknowledge that Jesus came to us in human flesh, born to a human family, and by trusting in Him and not in our own strength, we can become children of God.

In our pride, we want to look good in public and to save ourselves by our own knowledge and good deeds. That isn't the way into the family of God! Make a new allegiance today to God, and become one of His big family.

Prayer: We thank You, Lord God and Father, that You loved Your children so much that You sent Your own Son, Jesus, to us. By Him we can become members of Your family, obeying You and loving those You have given us to love. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Shirley Moulton <shirley_moulton@yahoo.ca>
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Send your feedback to the author