WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in
His name, He gave the right to become children of God…”
(John 1:12)

MEDITATION:
Have you heard the popular phrase “Who’s your daddy?” It is used
as a form of bragging whenever someone dominates another person
in any type of competition. It could be a board game, a game of trivia,
a sports event, a cooking contest, or any other type of competition.

It’s also used as a way of saying, “Who owns you?” In other words,
who influences and dominates you, and the things you say and do?

When we think about that phrase, we should probably ask ourselves
a more important question – “Who’s your Father?” It’s not a question
about our earthly, biological father. It’s a question of much greater
magnitude than that; it’s a question that is really asking us,
    “Who is in control of our lives?”.

Most everyone likes to be in control of their lives, and the fact is,
most feel that they are in control. But are they (we)? The truth is,
most of our words, actions, thoughts, emotions, and attitudes are
affected by external influences, aren’t they?

Since we live in a world that consists of good and evil, our highest
level of influence must be from one of these two sources – either
Satan (evil), or God (good). Satan unleashes his forces to entice us
to do the things that are not good for us. If he’s successful, we will
fail to experience the peace and happiness available to those who
have rejected his temptations.

On the other hand, God invites us to do the things that are good for
us. In His Word, He explains to us the habits, thoughts, and attitudes
we should develop in our lives for receiving and enjoying His blessings.
As we experience His blessings, we can then become a blessing to others.
    As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life
    worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely
    humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another
    in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
    through the bond of peace.
    (Ephesians 4:1-3)

    The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity
    and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,
    fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy;
    drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before,
    that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
    goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
    things there is no law
    (Galatians 5:19-23)

There are many other verses that instruct us how to live when we
belong to God, but from these few, we can see that as followers of
Jesus, we have the capability of impacting the lives of others in a
positive manner. However, if we are selfish and self-centered, we
may find ourselves saying or doing things which discourage others.

Sometimes our actions which cause heartache and break the spirit
of others, are driven by “fits of rage”. In Galatians, the scriptures
tell us that an attitude like that is, “acts of the flesh”. If we are guilty
of these things, it should cause us to pause and ask ourselves,
    “How active is God in my life? and,
    “Have I allowed Satan to control my attitudes and actions?”

When we follow God’s directions, when we have faith in His Word,
and when we believe His Son died for our sins, then we will become
“children of God”; that’s what we are told in God’s Word. That means
when we are asked, “Who’s your father?”, we can confidently respond
with, “My Father is God! He is the One who owns me!”

Being a child of Satan leads to certain death, but it is much worse than
a physical death, it means we will suffer eternal punishment for saying,
“No” to God’s offer of salvation. In addition to physical pain, those who
have rejected the Lord will also experience emotional suffering as they
see the paradise they could have had.

Conversely, being a child of God leads to an eternal life of bliss, where
the unimaginable peace and joy for those who belong to Him will be
enjoyed for eternity. It can be difficult to visualize utopia, but that’s
the promise for all who choose to yield their will to God’s will.

Satan’s temptations are based on hatred,
but God’s invitations are based on love.
Why? Because God IS love!
    Whoever does not love does
    not know God, because God is love.
    (1 John 4:8)

God is also holy, and His holiness demands that all sin deserves
punishment. However, His love provided a plan of redemption
and salvation for sinful mankind. His love provided the cross of
Jesus where mankind can find cleansing, forgiveness, peace, joy
and an eternal home which is devoid of the earthly problems we
experience.

No matter what sin we have committed, no matter how dark, dirty,
shameful, or terrible our sin may be, God still loves us. His love is
genuine, immeasurable, unmistakable, and unending. It is offered
to every person and it requires a choice, because God will not force
Himself on anyone against their will.

If we want to fully experience His love, we must believe in, and
receive His Son, Jesus Christ. In addition, we must be willing to
allow Him to change our entire being (including our ideas, our
goals, our emotions, our attitudes, our priorities, etc.). The good
news is, when God changes us, His Word assures us that we will
be called ‘a child of His’!

ACTION:
We should ask ourselves:
    – Who is in control of my life right now?
       Is it Satan, or the Lord? It cannot be both. Just as we cannot
       have two biological fathers, we also cannot have two spiritual
       fathers, especially since the two are diametrically opposed to
       each other. When we are redeemed, we leave the father of lies
       (Satan) and become a new child of the Father of love (God).

    – Am I driven by selfishness which can result in unkind and
       harsh actions toward others, or am I driven by the love of
       God which causes me to look for ways to encourage and lift
       the spirits of others.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, Your love overwhelms me. In spite of my
sins, the death of Jesus on the cross can cleanse me from all
my past. With great appreciation and humility I accept Your
gift of salvation. Being a child of Yours is the desire of my
heart, so reveal to me the things in my life that need to be
changed. Teach me to become more like Jesus in the way
I think and live. Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross
for me, so that I can receive our Father’s salvation.”

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