Power to become.

John 1:12,13 KJV
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Have you ever noticed how much we talk about the word " power ". It doesn't matter what your doing in life, that word can find its place in your conversation: from the power attributed to a politician, a car that has lost it, or the government that wields too much. The various uses for the word can be just about endless.  In a Christian sense its more defined but still has a variety of meanings. However the Greek word translated "power" in this passage from John's gospel refers to a granting of permission or right to do something.  Now this means a lot to the Christian. For its shows us the trust and the authority He has placed in us with the understanding that we remember that HE gave us the Power. To become what? The sons of God.  That all of us, female and male, can become adopted children of God, born again not of this world but by the power of God. 

Verse thirteen goes on to tell us that we weren't born into this kingdom by blood, flesh or man.  We were adopted or translated into the Kingdom of Light by the power of God, not by might or the power of man, but by the Spirit of the living God. Now the reason I am pointing this out is that I believe we to often forget our spiritual roots. What started out with humility, repentance, and acknowledging His Lordship begins to get comfortable and complacent in our churches and spiritual routines and we soon stop listening to Spirit of God, forgetting the very dynamic that set us free and help us to become the daughters or sons of God.

Sometimes I like to be reminded of children and how they receive the things of God with such openness and sincerity of heart; no posturing, a false sense of humility or a pretentious set of Christian virtues. Rather raw honesty before the throne of Grace, allowing God to mold us into the children of God he always wanted us to become. He wants us close to Him, desiring His presence, knowing how precious it is to just spend time with the Father as any son or daughter should..

Andre Crouch sang a song many years ago entitled , " Take Me Back ".  The song that talked about the Lord taking him back to where He first received Him, taking him back to that raw and open moment where God just meant everything to him. Sometimes we need to remember those moments not as nostalgia, but to remember the power that gave us this life as a child of God.