Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Romans 8:13-17 (NIV)
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
I grew up in a home where I never felt afraid or unsafe; I always had food to eat, a roof over my head and my parents loved me and spent time with me. Some of my favorite memories are of playing catch with my dad in our backyard. When I grew up I realized that not everyone had a childhood like mine and I better understood how blessed I was. As Christians we can easily miss how blessed we are to be God’s children! Take a moment to thank God for adopting you and giving you the joy of spending time with Him through prayer. And ask that He might help you fully appreciate the blessings of being His child so that we can better endure the sufferings of this brief life.