The girl’s mother had died but before she did, she gave a note to her daughter, addressed to a man who the girl learnt was her father whom she had never met.
At some point in the conversation, Kensi asked the girl, ‘How are you sure he is your father?’ The young girl, who was also suffering from a form of autism, just shrugged her shoulders. After a while, when it seemed the discussion has been forgotten, she asked Kensi, ‘Did you know your father?’ To which Kensi replied, ‘Yes’. The girl followed up with the question, ‘How did you know he was your father? “Touché” I said out loud and my son who was also watching, looked at me grinning.
What lesson did I learn from this? Most often than not, many of us who profess to be Christians, do not really know for sure that we are children of God. We hear it, say it and sing it but do we really believe it? The way we act and the way we carry ourselves show that we are not so sure.
I think one of the most difficult things about understanding and accepting the fatherhood of God is that we are so often limited by the experiences we had or still have with our earthly fathers. I gave my heart to the Lord at a young age and at a time when I yearned for a father’s love. My earthly father was not there when I needed him and one verse that I held on to every time I found myself facing tough times was Psalm 27:10. “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me”. These verses made me feel loved and gave me comfort. Earthly parents may have reasons to abandon their children but God would never forsake us. It simply is not in His nature to abandon us!
We need to walk in the assurance that we are children of God. That is why the scripture tells us, ‘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)
You have the right to claim your citizenship of heaven because you are a child of God.
My children were all born in Nigeria. They became British citizens by virtue of whose children they are irrespective of where they were born. They got the right to be citizens because their father is a British citizen. Imagine the right you have because your Father, God is the creator of heaven and earth.
The girl in the movie, did not have anything to prove that the man in question was her father, she only had the word of her dying mother and that was good enough for her. We have a better assurance. We have the Word of the living Father.
Our heavenly Father did not just give us His word, He also gave us His Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God within us is the one who witnesses to us that we God’s children. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” What an assurance we have!
Are you feeling unloved? Your Father says, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3)
Are you discouraged? Hear what your Father says, ‘fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’
So dear Christian, remember whose child you are. Do not settle for less. Do not believe the lie that you are all alone and nobody cares. You may have been denied the love of an earthly father but no one can deny you the love of your heavenly father.
Perhaps you are wondering how on earth one can become God’s child. It is simple really. You only need to come to terms with the reality that you have sinned against a holy God and that there is nothing you can do to save yourself. Ask for and accept His forgiveness, ask Jesus into your life, believing that He alone has the power to save and in turn, God promised that He will become your Father.
Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the founder of the Biblepraise Fellowship Online at http://www.biblepraise.org. He lives in Kent, United Kingdom, where he works as an IT Professional. He currently serves as a Worship Leader as well as Home Group Leader in his local church and on occasion, speaks at invited events. He can be reached through His email address, steve@biblepraise.org
