Following Jesus Series: Being a child of God Part 1

This series called 'Following Jesus' is primarily written with young children in mind.   However, a parent, grandparent or interested adult will be most helpful in accompanying them. God calls us His children and He wants us to become once again like little children- not childish but childlike.  So with this in mind, whether we are a young child or an adult, this series may assist you in some way to follow Jesus.

In today's post, we explore what it means to be God's children and its riches.

Scripture: Firstly let us see how God chose David to be king of His Chosen People. We find this out by reading the Scripture.

Our first task therefore is to turn to the Old Testament section of the Bible and open up at First Book of Kings chapter 16 vs 12-13 ( I Kings 16:12-13)

Meditate: After you have read this scripture, you may wish to stay quiet for a little while (meditate) to see what this passage means to you.  Most importantly, share with Jesus your thoughts and feelings about this story. You may wish to share your thoughts with mum/dad/ grandma/grandpa or your special friend.

Discussion: We may wish to think about the changes that took place in David when he was annointed King and the changes that occur in us when we are baptised and become an adopted child of God. If you were baptised as a baby, find out who were your Godparent/s and what they did on your behalf on your day of your baptism.  Maybe mum/dad or your grandparents have a photo to show you.

Learning the Scripture:

We can know what riches we have by being called a child of God through Scripture.

One important passage from scripture that we can learn and memorize are:

..." Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God, and that is what we are" ( 1 Jn 3:1)

Action:

Knowing about Jesus is important and knowing that we are a child of God is a real blessing. We need to put our desire to follow Him and be a child of God into action.

To be a child of God, we are given special graces so that we know what is right and pleasing to God.

We may put this into action by:

• Thanking God that He has chosen us to be a child of God. We can make this part of our night prayer each night before we go to bed.
• Listening with attention to those who teach you about God.
• Being attentive when we go to Mass each Sunday since we are a child of God.
• Asking God to help us choose what is right and pleasing to Him.  
• Reminding ourselves that we are a child of God especially if we feel sad. If we feel sad or lonely, just say to yourself a few time aloud "' Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be your child or I am a child of God. As you come to understand what it means to be a child of God, affirming yourself in this belief will help you when you feel sad.

My decision: 

Every body's life is different and has different circumstances.  However, why not have a think about how you will appreciate being a child of God during this coming week.  Remember to be specific and keep it simple.For example: I will be a child of God by being pleasing to God.  This is too general and therefore I may not carry out what I want to do.

However, if I am specific about my decision, then I am more likely to carry it out.

For example:  I will be a child of God by being pleasing to God by choosing to be kind to another child in my class and playing with someone in my class who has fewer friends.

Now think about how you will be a child of God and how you will put this decision into action in your life.

It is important to remember that we are not just putting into action our decision to feel good about ourselves. No, we are wanting to follow  Jesus and we want to do what Jesus Himself would do out of love for Jesus. 

Next week, we will explore how Jesus helps us to be a child of God.