The right to become children of God

John 1:12&13Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Are you like me in that you had a hobby which you no longer pursue? Most of us have hobbies that we move on from. I enjoyed being an amateur radio operator (HAM) for a few years. It was fun to try to pick out distant radio stations through the static and them talk to those far away operators.

Our lives are somewhat like a HAM radio operator trying to pick out Jesus amidst all the static that surrounds our lives. In the days before Pandora, iTunes, Stitcher, Media player, and the like our music was delivered over the radio. Okay I know I may be dating myself here but in the part of Michigan that I grew up in we had one FM radio station and three AM stations to listen to. The local stations played easy listening music. The rock station was just within receiving distances most, but not all, the time. At night the big AM stations came booming in very clear. These stations were broadcasting all day long, but the atmospheric conditions were just not conducive to their signal getting through until after sunset. Try this experiment out for yourself. Pick a distant AM station that comes in clear at night. And try to listen to that station in the daytime. It's not easy to listen to. Reception is difficult at best. There is a lot of static. And that is how things are for us as believers. Jesus is out there, and we are trying to keep locked onto His signal in our lives. But we have all this static surrounding us. The static comes in the form of distractions in our lives from work, family, hobbies, friends, etc. We are also surrounded by influences that tell us being a Christian is not cool. Peer pressure to step away from our faith is a constant. It is a struggle, and one that we do not endure alone.

We are reminded in Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

As we try to stay locked on to Jesus, we need help receiving His signal. Do not by shy about asking for help it is only a prayer away.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven we ask that you surround us with Your love. We ask that as we go about our lives we are surrounded by good friends who help us to stay locked onto Jesus. We ask that our prayers for help are heard. We ask that your Holy Spirit fill us with the faith to endure the difficult times that come from living in a broken world. We ask these things in then name of Jesus, Amen.