Children of God!

by Rick Blumenberg / @rickblumenberg

In the Church of God, the church group where I grew up and where I have ministered most of my life, we, like all Christians (and really all people) love to sing. Music is just one of the marvelous gifts of God for which we should be and are, totally grateful. Many of our ministers and laity have been gifted by God with the ability to write beautiful gospel songs to assist in worship and praise to God. One of those songs is “A Child of God”, written by Barney Warren, who grew up here in Southwest Michigan.(Geneva Center, in Van Buren County, Michigan), not too far from our home in Bridgman.

The first verse reads,

"Praise the Lord! My heart with His love is beaming, I am a child f God;

Heaven’s golden light over me is streaming, I am a child of God."

Much of our theology is expressed in songs such as this. We believe as do most Christians that all human beings are children of God by virtue of creation and thus, all mankind, of every race and culture, are siblings in the family of God. However, we also believe that we are “born again” when we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, at which time we are born spiritually into the family of God and live in the joy of being a child of God, with all the benefits of family and fatherhood.

If we can only experience what this verse of song sings about, to have our hearts beaming with the love of the God of creation, the father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and thus know that wherever we are and whatever we do, if we are serving God faithfully, “heaven’s golden light” is “streaming” over us, bathing us in the protective warmth of God’s love, we are most blessed.

Every child should be taught, as soon as they are able to learn, that they are children of the true and living God and that just being alive grants them this marvelous relationship. They are loved by God as his very special creation and family. They are siblings to all humanity and the whole earth is filled with their “kinfolk”. The result of such an understanding should be love for all humanity.

But it gets even better! God’s plan was not just to create a people who are his earthly family. He has also made provision for that family relationship to be eternal through the redemptive work of his son, Jesus Christ! Even while here on earth, if we accept Christ as Savior, he gives us His Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and be our guide, comforter, mentor and most intimate friend.

God’s Holy Spirit helps us to be like Jesus in our love for God, for his marvelous family, and all of his amazing creation.

I’m Rick Blumenberg and that’s My View from Tanner Creek.