Who is God? All hail the power.... (part 6)

Whose am I? Do I follow His perfect will, even seek what His will is? Jesus says in Matthew 12:50 that I am in His family then. Am I the child that sits on His lap or at His feet as He tells me stories of Moses and Jacob and Joshua and of His son, as He sits laughing with me? (Matt 19:14; Mk 10:14; Luke 18:16). Do I allow Him to control my life, a life I truly have no control over anyway and is obviously formed from my worship? (John 15:5,6)  How do I become His child? The first step is to believe. That is not the only ingredient, although many say that that is all that is required. There are passages in the bible that say to believe, Acts 5:14 being one in which the believers were added to His church. Is it just by their belief? Not according to James.  The second chapter of the book of James is a wonderful treatise on faith and how our actions speak our faith. Much as our actions of love speak our words of love more than the words themselves. Words define the thought, actions give those words power. If I have faith, then I will treat everyone as Jesus wants me to treat them, I will not treat anyone with a better position any better, I will take pity on those in need and really try to help them out. I will take care of my brethren, and those who have lost their parents, particularly fathers, and of the widows. That can only come with stepping out on that belief. Once I believe, I turn my heart to Him. (Acts 9:35-47; Acts 11:21).  And that faith is solidified in my step into the realm of obedience. When I see what He wants me to do, that He wants me to be sealed forever with Him, and all that seal entails, then I will understand ( and have come to that understanding while I was studying to become a Christian) that baptism is a part of that. (Acts 2:41,47) Because it doesn’t just take faith, it doesn’t just take turning away, it takes commitment to be holy and separate forever. Only then can I become a functionally unit of His body. (Romans 12:4,5)