Do You Really Belong to God?

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” – John 8:42-47

I heard this interesting question asked in church on Sunday – “Are you a child of God?” How do you really know that you belong to God? Do you think you do because you are part of a church? It could be that you come from a generation of church leaders. Or maybe you are convinced that you belong to God because you park your body in a pew every Sunday? How does one really know if one is a part of God’s family?

Well – the answer is fairly simple. Regardless of what you say you believe, it’s what you obey that really counts. When you really belong to God, you hear what God says and you do it. You learn to live and to be ruled by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Living by the flesh shows us that we are not a part of God’s family. Being a part of the family of God comes with the benefit of having the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. He gives us the strength and discernment to make righteous choices.

Whether we like it or not, what we choose to do and how to choose to live our lives demonstrates whether we truly belong to God or not. Take some time and ask yourself, “Am I a child of God?”