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,
sports, a cooking contest, or any other type of competition. It is also
used as a way of saying, “Who owns you?” In other words, who is the
one who dominates and influences you and the things you do and say?

Just thinking about that phrase can raise a more important question
we should ask ourselves – “Who’s your Father?” It is not a question
about our earthly and biological father. It is a question of greater
magnitude than that, and it asks 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,
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 the source of these two, which are
Satan (evil) and God (good). Satan unleashes his forces to entice us
to do the things that are not good for us. If he is successful, we will
never experience the peace and happiness available to those who
reject 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 in order to receive and enjoy His
blessings, and then become a blessing to others.

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’, because that’s what His Word says. This means if
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 doesn’t mean dying,
it is much worse. We will suffer the eternal punishment of saying, “No”
to God’s offer of salvation. In addition to physical suffering, we will also
experience emotional suffering as we witness the paradise lost that we
could have had. Conversely, being a child of God leads to an eternal life
where we will enjoy the gifts He has for those who belong to Him.

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)

He is also holy and His holiness demands that all sin is to be
punished. However, His love provided a plan of redemption
and salvation for sinful man. His love provided the cross of
Jesus where mankind can find cleansing and forgiveness.

No matter what sin you have committed, no matter how dark, dirty,
shameful, or terrible your sin may be, God loves you. His love is
genuine, immeasurable, unmistakable, and unending. It extends
to every person and involves a choice, because God will not force
Himself on anyone against their will.

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

ACTION:
Who is in control of your 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 eternal fathers, especially since the two
are diametrically opposed to each other. When you are redeemed,
you leave the father of lies (Satan), and become a new child of the
Father of love (God).

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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