Mostly we know that we are loved by God, but God does not just want us to know of his love for us but for us to encounter that love deep in our hearts. To know about God is a good start but, on its own, it is not enough if we are to know the abundance of life he promises. We are created not just to know God with our minds, but to know and be known intimately by him with our whole being. When we know and are known in this way, we can live our lives out of that place in his heart which frees us to love others in the same way.
Yet, we often struggle with negative thoughts of not being good enough, jealousy of others,
feelings of not belonging or of being on the outside looking in.
Life’s experiences, hurts, role models, parenting, our families of origin, even Church, contribute to how we see God, ourselves, and the world in which we live, and often this can distort our image of who God is and who we are, and hinder our acceptance of his goodness and love.
God has chosen us to be true sons, yet we often live as if this were only partly true or we even live like orphans with no safety and security.
Allowing Father God to heal our hearts and transform our minds is life changing. On Sunday morning we are going to look at a number of Bible passages: John 14, Romans 8;14, Galatians 3.26-29, Luke 15. 11-32, and think together what it means to fully live as a son of God.
In preparation for Sunday why don’t you read these passages and ask yourself the following questions:
(1) What does it mean to live as a son of God?
(2) Am I fully accepting of the Father’s love or am I holding God
at a safe distance?
(3) How do I think God sees me?
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Liz Martin.