Imagine a child living in an orphanage. One day she is adopted by a loving family. She receives a new name, a new home, and a new future.
Is it wonderful? Yes, it is. Because she has received a loving family, a new name, a new home, and a new future. This is a great privilege.
But now she also learns to live as the daughter of that family.
In the same way, being called children of God is the greatest privilege we can have in life. But it also comes with great responsibility.
Grace gives us our identity; responsibility gives that identity expression.
God has loved us, adopted us, forgiven us, and invested so much in us. Therefore, our response should be love, dedication, obedience, and faithfulness.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1 NIV
Today, we will meditate on:
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV
Our first responsibility is simple:
God loved us first, so we must love Him in return.
So, how can we respond to God’s love?
- Honour God
To honour means to respect, glorify, adore, praise, admire, value, and worship.
At a human level, a father deserves the honour of his children. One of the Ten Commandments says:
“Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 NIV
If our earthly parents deserve honour, how much more should we honour our heavenly Father?
Our gratitude and faithfulness should lead us to honour God in everything we do.
We must honour God:
- With our words
- With our testimony
- With our finances
- Through our tithes and offerings
- Through our service
- Through our choices
- Through the way we treat other people
- By living in a way that brings dignity to His name
“Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops” Proverbs 3:9 NIV
The question is:
Does my life bring honour to my heavenly Father?
Everything we do, or choose not to do, should reflect who our heavenly Father is.
- Fear God
A healthy family is built on important foundations such as love, covenant, and authority.
The same principle applies to the family of God.
We respond to God’s love by loving Him, keeping His covenant, and submitting to His authority.
The fear of God does not mean living in terror of Him. It means having deep reverence, respect, and awe for Him, recognising that He is our Father and that His ways are holy.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord Psalm 34:11
“Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”
God is a loving Father, but He is also a holy Father.
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. Hebrews 12:7–10 NIV
It teaches us that God disciplines His children for their good so that we may share in His holiness.
Therefore, when God corrects us, we should not run away from Him. We should allow His correction to change us.
A child of God should not deliberately continue in behaviour that displeases the Father.
The fear of God should produce in us:
- Reverence
- Obedience
- Holiness
- Humility
- Repentance
We should ask ourselves:
Do I fear God enough to obey Him even when nobody is watching?
- Submission
Submission means surrendering, yielding, and giving ourselves to God’s will.
When we think about God’s family, we should not use the broken patterns of the world as our model.
Our Father has a purpose and a mission: To establish His Kingdom and bring people to salvation.
As His children, we are called to participate in that mission.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Romans 8:14 NIV
If we are truly God’s children, we allow ourselves to be led by His Spirit. And the fruit of submission is obedience.
It does not make sense to say, “God is my Father,” while refusing to submit to His Word.
So, we must ask:
Am I doing God’s will, or am I only asking God to bless my will?
- Unity
Unity means:
Integrity, union, agreement, harmony, peace, and solidarity.
A father is pleased when he sees his children living together in love and harmony.
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 NIV
But unity is not always easy because we are all different.
We have different personalities, opinions, backgrounds, and weaknesses.
That’s why we must learn to:
- Value one another
- Forgive one another
- Be patient with one another
- Bear with one another
- Pray for one another
- Protect our relationships
When there is division among God’s children, it hurts the heart of our heavenly Father.
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1–3
Therefore, unity is not optional.
If we belong to the Shalom family, we should seek to be united with our brothers and sisters and participate actively in the life of the church.
This includes our Life Group meetings, Sunday’s service, ministries, and fellowship.
The Life Group is an important place where we experience the intimacy of God’s family.
Ask yourself:
Am I contributing to unity, or am I contributing to division?
- Multiplication
God’s desire is to have a great family.
He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, so that people could be reconciled to Him and become His children.
Therefore, every child of God has a responsibility to help others come into God’s family.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29 NIV
It says that God’s purpose is for Christ to be “the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Jesus commanded His disciples to go and preach the gospel to all nations.
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Mark 16:15 NIV
Are we disciples of Jesus? If we are disciples of Jesus, we must preach the Gospel to all nations.
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:18–20
It tells us that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation and that we are Christ’s ambassadors.
This means we cannot keep the Gospel to ourselves. We must represent Him effectively.
How are we going to multiply the Kingdom of God?
- Preaching the Gospel
- Sharing our testimony
- Inviting people to church
- Inviting people to Life Group
- Visiting people
- Praying for people
- Sharing meals and fellowship
- Supporting people in their difficulties
- Discipling new believers
- Living as a good example
People should be able to look at our lives and see the joy of serving God.
Our life should make people want to know our heavenly Father.
So, ask yourself:
Who am I currently helping to come closer to God?
My own testimony
I would like to share a little about my journey of obedience and discipleship since I became a Christian.
When I gave my life to Christ, I started to understand that following Jesus means putting God first and allowing Him to change my life. I stopped drinking alcohol, and I stopped lying. I also learned to be faithful in giving my tithes and offerings. Even when I am on holiday, I still give, because I believe that the tithe and offering belong to God, not to me.
God has also taught me to love my brothers and sisters in the church, to care for people who are lost, and to seek His will for my life. These things are not always easy, but I have learned that obedience requires discipline, faith, and trust in God.
Looking back, I can honestly say that it is worth it. Putting God first has brought peace, joy, and purpose into my life. I am not saying that everything is perfect, but I am living a happy and fulfilling life with Christ our Lord.
For me, discipleship is about following Jesus every day, obeying His Word, loving others, and becoming more like Him.
I am grateful for what God has done in my life, and I want to continue walking in His will.
Very important notes
“Grace gives us our identity; responsibility gives that identity expression”. When we become children of God through Christ, our lives should begin to reflect our heavenly Father.
Children resemble their Father—not only in what they say, but in how they live. The greatest evidence that we belong to God is not simply what we say with our mouths, but how we live our lives.
God did not adopt us just to sit at the table and receive His blessings. He adopted us to become part of His family and to serve in the Father’s house. That means loving our brothers and sisters, caring for the lost, giving faithfully, putting God first, and seeking His will for our lives.
This is what obedience and discipleship look like. “Grace has given us a new identity in Christ, and obedience is how We express that identity every day.”
What Are Your Responsibilities as a Child of God?
Let us review them:
- Honour
Do I honour God with my life, words, finances, and service?
- Fear
Do I have reverence for God and take His holiness seriously?
- Submission
Am I allowing God’s Word and Spirit to lead my life?
- Unity
Am I building relationships with my brothers and sisters, or creating division?
- Multiplication
Am I helping other people become disciples of Jesus?
Conclusion
Now I want to leave you with some important questions.
What are your failures as a child of God?
What is God saying to you through this message?
Perhaps God is asking you to change your behaviour.
Perhaps you need to repent.
Perhaps you need to restore your relationship with Him.
Perhaps you need to become more faithful in serving.
Perhaps you need to forgive someone.
Perhaps you need to become more committed to the church.
Perhaps you need to start discipling someone.
Whatever God is showing you today, do it, not ignore His voice.
God deserves our honour.
He deserves our reverence.
He deserves our submission.
He calls us to unity.
And He expects us to multiply and make disciples.
Being a child of God is an incredible privilege—but it is also a responsibility.
Our Christian Goals
Let us commit ourselves to these goals:
- Seek intimacy with God through reading the Word, prayer, fasting, and fellowship with our brothers and sisters.
- Grow in love, holiness, and faithfulness.
- Reach and disciple at least one person.
- Actively participate in a Life group.
- Remain faithful in tithes and offerings.
- Strengthen and participate in the ministries of the church, including Worship, Intercession, Children’s Ministry, and others.
The question is:
Pray about it.
Make yourself available.
Serve your heavenly Father.
Love His family.
And help bring more children into His house.