Believe & Receive Jesus

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. — John 1:12-13

I wonder if John was playing back some old tapes as he wrote this. If he was thinking back over the years he spent with Jesus and the years after he left, considering all the names and faces of people who both rejected and accepted Jesus. He just told us in the last verses that those who were in the closest relationship to him by lineage, race, and religion rejected him. Today we discover something different. That he made an invitation to all. And those who received him and believed him were given the right to become "children of God." Which is a pretty familiar verse. Yet we should not miss what this means. It means that those who, by faith, take hold of him become a part of his family (like his lineage.) And that's a significant invitation. It's an offer of a direct relationship with God. No other religion offers something like this.

The word "right" in this text ("he gave the right...") conveys the idea of "extending authority." In other words, by his divine choice, he "extends authority" to us to be a part of his family. And John clarifies that this has nothing to do with blood, flesh, or will. We cannot do this. Only Jesus can. His authority does it. But we can receive and believe that he can do that and be a child in his family and, as a result, receive everything that goes with this.

This is the craziest opportunity ever. It's an offer for everyone. Jesus extends an invitation by his divine authority to give humanity the right to be resolved, rescued, and redeemed by God. And all we have to do is this "receive" and "believe."

So I am going to leave you with that opportunity today. It's not my invitation. It's Jesus's invitation to you. He invites you to leave everything of this life behind, to receive and believe, and with this, you will have all the rights of a first-generation child of God. If you want to do that today, write the words "I receive and believe" in the comments below.

ASK THIS: Are you ready to receive and believe?

DO THIS: Write, "I receive and believe," in the comments below.

PRAY THIS: God, I believe you lived, died, and rose again, and you gave me the right to be a child of God.

PLAY THIS: I Believe It.