I want us to grasp this: The only reason we are a child of God is because of the fact that the Father sovereignly brought us to Himself.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:44
Sometimes, we mistakenly think that, somehow, we chose God. Beloved, that is completely flipped upside down.
“You did not choose Me but I chose you” (John 15:16 A).
We did not first choose God. God first chose us. The only reasons that we are walking with God, have a love for Him, and have a hunger for Him – is because the Father has drawn us to Himself.
Jesus goes on to say:
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me” (John 6:44, 45).
We may not have realized it, but our faith in God is a result of the Father teaching and drawing us. Often, we are not cognizant that we are being taught or aware that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.” John 14:26
Beloved, we did not stumble into this. The faith that we have was given to us as a gift from God. The Lord first chooses us to be His children; He then nurtures us through the Holy Spirit, putting faith in us.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
Many have not been taught on this subject, but consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:4, 5: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
We have a Holy identity as a son or a daughter of the Father. Some might think their identity is in the natural, like a career. But our core identity is not to be tied to our profession, appearance, or wealth. Our identity is as a son or daughter of the Lord. This is what we need to focus on. This is what gives us value.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).
Our identity is that of sons and daughters, and our destiny is to be conformed to the image of Jesus. This is the meaning and purpose of our lives. Every day we want to press in, putting one foot in front of the other toward our destiny.