Romans 9:8

Romans 9:8 - In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

God does not care about your lineage or where you came from. He cares about your heart and where you are going. Even in the Old Testament it took more than just being Abraham’s offspring to be God’s children. You had to be part of the promise.
See, Abraham had two children, but it was only through the promised child that God’s people came. Now today, it is the same. We don’t have to be of natural descent to be God’s children. He accepts anyone who will turn and put their faith in Him.
In our minds we get caught up thinking that social standing has a part in who you are. Things like if you come from a good family, or if you have a good job. We think that these things matter. In the eternal perspective they do not.
God looks at each one of us the same and His desire is that each of us come to know Him and live as children of the promise. This is the view we should have towards people as well.
Whether you are talking to a homeless person, or the president of the United States, you should treat them the same. Both people have the same value and should warrant the same response. Don’t let social standing cloud your thinking.
Treat everyone the same and live your life to influence everyone that you come in contact with for the better. In Christ we are all equal. We are all recipients of the same promise and God’s promises are always fulfilled.

Luke 8:21

Luke 8:21 – He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s Word and put it into practice.”

       Jesus words were so powerful and intriguing that many people wanted to hear Him. Unlike their other teachers, He taught as one with authority. They liked it so much that they would sit for hours listening to His teaching, and the crowds got bigger and bigger.

One such day, when Jesus was teaching, His mother and brothers happened to be close by and they wanted to see Him. Since the crowd was so large, there was no way they could get near Him.  They passed a message through the crowd that eventually made it all the way to Him, “Your mother and brothers are outside, wanting to see you.”

Now, I’m sure that Jesus wanted to see His family, but He also saw this as a teaching opportunity. This verse was His response, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s Word and put it into practice.”

       Jesus was not trying to disrespect His family with this statement, but He was trying to make a point. He wanted us to understand that by obedience we are all brought into God’s family. Just because someone is not your brother by birth does not mean he is not your brother.

God’s Word says to believe in Christ and you will be called children of God. So obedience to this makes us family. That’s the first step. After that it only gets better. You are in God’s family; you are a brother or sister of Jesus.

Romans 9:8

Romans 9:8 - In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children,but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

Once again Paul is explaining how we become children of God. See, in Jewish culture it was thought that if you were born a Jew you were God’s child. If you were not born a Jew you could not become a child of God. They thought that your origin and upbringing were the distinguishing factors. Paul tells us differently. He tells us that it is not enough to be born from Abraham, you must be born into the promise of God.

Abraham had two sons, but only Isaac came through the promise of God to be considered God’s child. That same promise of being a child of God is available to us as well, even though we may not be Abraham’s offspring in the natural sense. Now we receive the promise by faith through Jesus. We are children of God, but it is not by our doing. It is not about where you come from or how you were raised. Faith and a conscience decision to receive Christ as your Savior is what will make you God’s child.

In those days people struggled with their heritage, whether they were born a Jew or Gentile. Today there are many other struggles ranging from where you were born to how you grew up. I want to tell you that none of that matters. God does not care about your past or how you were raised. He cares about you.

God has chosen you and adopted you into His family. Now as children of God we must welcome others into the kingdom by walking in Love. Don’t judge people by where they come from, but Love them according to who they are.