Day15: Formed for God’s Family

 Formed for God’s Family

God is the One who made all things, 

and all things are for his glory. He wanted to

have many children share his glory.

Hebrews 2:10a (NCV)

See how very much our heavenly Father 

loves us, for he allows us to be called 

his children, and we really are!

1 John 3:1 (NLT)

You were formed for God’s family. 

God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it. This

is God’s second purpose for your life, which he planned before

you were born. The entire Bible is the story of God building a

family who will love him, honor him, and reign with him forever.

It says, “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his

own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this

gave him great pleasure.” 1

Because God is love, he treasures relationships. His very nature

is relational, and he identifies himself in family terms: Father, Son,

and Spirit. The Trinity is God’s relationship to himself. It’s the

perfect pattern for relational harmony, and we should study its

implications.

PURPOSE #2: You Were Formed for God’s Family

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God has always existed in loving relationship to himself, so he

has never been lonely. He didn’t need a family—he desired one,

so he devised a plan to create us, bring us into his family, and

share with us all he has. This gives God great pleasure. The Bible

says, “It was a happy day for him when he gave us our new lives,

through the truth of his Word, and we became, as it were, the first

children in his new family.” 2

When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father,

we become his children, other believers become our brothers and

sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family. The family of

God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future.

Every human being was created by God, but not everyone is a

child of God. The only way to get into God’s family is by being

born again into it. You became part of the human family by your

first birth, but you become a member of God’s family by your

second birth. God “has given us the privilege of being born again,

so that we are now members of God’s own family.” 3

The invitation to be part of God’s family is universal,4 but there

is one condition: faith in Jesus. The Bible says, “You are all

children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” 5

Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical

family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are

wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary

and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance,

growing old, and inevitably, death. On the other

hand, our spiritual family—our relationship to other

believers—will continue throughout eternity. It is a

much stronger union, a more permanent bond, than

blood relationships. Whenever Paul would stop to

consider God’s eternal purpose for us together, he

would break out into praise: “When I think of the wisdom and scope

of his plan I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the

great family of God—some of them already in heaven and some

down here on earth.” 6

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Benefits of Being in God’s Family

The moment you were spiritually born into God’s family, you

were given some astounding birthday gifts: the family name, the

family likeness, family privileges, family intimate access, and the

family inheritance!7 The Bible says,

“Since you are his child, everything he

has belongs to you.” 8

The New Testament gives great

emphasis to our rich “inheritance.”

It tells us, “My God will meet all

your needs according to his glorious

riches in Christ Jesus.” 9 As children

of God we get to share in the family

fortune. Here on earth we are given “the riches . . . of his grace . . .

kindness . . . patience . . . glory . . . wisdom . . . power . . . and

mercy.” 10 But in eternity we will inherit even more. 

Paul said, “I want you to realize what a rich and glorious

inheritance he has given to his people.” 11 What exactly does that

inheritance include? First, we will get to be with God forever.12

Second, we will be completely changed to be like Christ.13 Third,

we will be freed from all pain, death, and suffering.14 Fourth, we

will be rewarded and reassigned positions of service.15 Fifth, we

will get to share in Christ’s glory.16 What an inheritance! You are

far richer than you realize. 

The Bible says, “God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his

children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the

reach of change and decay.” 17 This means that your eternal

inheritance is priceless, pure, permanent, and protected. No one

can take it from you; it can’t be destroyed by war, a poor

economy, or a natural disaster. This eternal inheritance, not

retirement, is what you should be looking forward to and

working for. Paul says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your

heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you

PURPOSE #2: You Were Formed for God’s Family

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Your spiritual family is 

even more important than 

your physical family because 

it will last forever.

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will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” 18

Retirement is a short-sighted goal. You should be living in light

of eternity.

Baptism: Identifying with God’s Family 

Healthy families have family pride; members are not ashamed

to be recognized as a part of the family. Sadly, I have met many

believers who have never publicly identified themselves with their

spiritual family as Jesus commanded—by being

baptized. 

Baptism is not an optional ritual, to be delayed or

postponed. It signifies your inclusion in God’s family.

It publicly announces to the world, “I am not

ashamed to be a part of God’s family.” Have you

been baptized? Jesus commanded this beautiful act

for all in his family. He told us to “go and make disciples of all the

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and

the Holy Spirit.” 19

For years I wondered why Jesus’ Great Commission gives the

same prominence to baptism as it does to the great tasks of

evangelism and edification. Why is baptism so important? Then I

realized it is because it symbolizes God’s second purpose for your

life: participating in the fellowship of God’s eternal family. 

Baptism is pregnant with meaning. Your baptism declares your

faith, shares Christ’s burial and resurrection, symbolizes your

death to your old life, and announces your new life in Christ. It is

also a celebration of your inclusion in God’s family. 

Your baptism is a physical picture of a spiritual truth. It

represents what happened the moment God brought you into his

family: “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and

some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ’s body by one

Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.” 20

Baptism doesn’t make you a member of God’s family; only faith

in Christ does that. Baptism shows you are part of God’s family.

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DAY FIFTEEN:

FORMED

FOR

GOD’S

FAMILY

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Like a wedding ring, it is a visible reminder of an inward

commitment made in your heart. It is an act of initiation, not

something you put off until you are spiritually mature. The only

biblical condition is that you believe.21

In the New Testament, people were baptized as soon as they

believed. At Pentecost, 3,000 were baptized the same day they

accepted Christ. Elsewhere, an Ethiopian leader was baptized on

the spot when he was converted, and Paul and Silas baptized a

Philippian jailer and his family at midnight. There are no delayed

baptisms in the New Testament. If you haven’t been baptized as

an expression of your faith in Christ, do so as soon as possible, as

Jesus commanded.

Life’s Greatest Privilege

The Bible says, “Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to

the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his

brothers and sisters.” 22 Let that

amazing truth sink in. You are a

part of God’s family, and because

Jesus makes you holy, God is proud

of you! The words of Jesus are

unmistakable: “[Jesus] pointed to his

disciples and said, ‘These are my

mother and brothers. Anyone who

does the will of my Father in heaven

is my brother and sister and mother!’” 23 Being included in God’s

family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever

receive. Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel

unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you

belong.

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Being included in God’s 

family is the highest honor 

and the greatest privilege you

will ever receive.

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Day Fifteen

Thinking about My Purpose

Point to Ponder: I was formed for God’s family.

Verse to Remember: “His unchanging plan has always

been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to

himself through Jesus Christ.”  Ephesians 1:5a (NLT)

Question to Consider: How can I start treating other

believers like members of my own family?

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