We were in awe when we first set our eyes on our new grandson. He was perfect in every way. I paused to think about how our parents may have reacted when they first met our adopted sons.

Unlike us, God has no grandchildren. For those of us who were reared in Christian homes, we were taught the Gospel at an early age. However, just because our parents believed in Jesus Christ, this does not mean that we also believe in Him. More importantly, He adopted us as His children when we believed in Him.

We all love grandchildren. They are a source of pride and joy to their grandparents as well as their parents and aunts and uncles. It is a joy to hold a newborn baby. We rejoice in seeing grandchildren grow and mature. We want to see them develop their abilities as well as their character. They are becoming the next generation.

However, sometimes we act as if we are spiritual grandchildren. We want our way and fight with one another, as if we could become God’s favorites. We want what we like and pout when we don’t get it. We are content to see God like our grandfather, and sometimes we only spend time with Him once in a great while. We think that He should spoil us, and certainly not discipline us.

God’s plan for all those who are His disciples is to spiritually reproduce. This means that we are to share God’s love and forgiveness with others in order to help them become followers of Jesus Christ as well. In turn, we then train them to disciple others whom they have led to the Lord. We should want to see spiritual generations multiplied in this way.

However, God’s adoption of us means that when we come to faith in Him, we become His children. He makes us part of His family as sons and daughters, but not as grandchildren. He does this in order that we can have a deep, intimate relationship with Him, rather than a detached, hand-me-down relationship. He does not want us to think of Him as someone distant, but rather one who is involved in every area of our lives on a daily basis. He wants us to truly get to know Him.

That is why it is important for all of us not simply to have a recycled knowledge of Him or simply to know about Him. Rather, we should long for a deep, personal connection to Him. There comes a time in all of our lives when He calls us to make the commitment to follow Him. That is the moment of our conversion in His eyes. He invites us to make Him both the Lord and Savior of our lives. If we have done so, then we are adopted as His children.

Have you chosen to follow Christ as your Lord and Savior? You may have knowledge about Him, but if you have not yet done so, please ask Him to make you His son or His daughter.