I am a Child of God

My older brother Dan is one of the best singers I know (or at least he used to be, I haven't heard him lately, but I think he is still up there). He has practiced his whole life. When he was in Primary he had the opportunity to sing in front of all the Primary. He sang the song:

I am a Child of God


I am a Child of God
and he has sent me here
has given me an earthly home
with parents kind of WEIRD...

I actually don't know if that's a true story, or if I have just heard it so often that I think it's true:D. Anyways the title is what I'd like to blog about today (tonight). We learn from the scriptures that "we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16), but what does that mean? What does that mean to me? What is my heritage? I am the offspring of a Heavenly, perfect Father. That means if we're "children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (8:17). There is so much to do to "suffer" with Christ and to be worthy of this heritage.
Can I compare our Heavenly Father to our earthy fathers briefly? As we grow, our earthly fathers teach us. They teach us the rules of life, the laws of the land, how to speak, how to add, etc... Our Heavenly Father has done the same for us, he teaches us how to grow, and how we are to return and live with him through the scriptures. I discovered a scripture for myself today about that return, and how it happens.

"Yea, we see that whosoever will (here meaning want) may lay hold upon the word of God (meaning the scriptures and/or Christ), which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil (devil can't fight against the truth and power of the scriptures!) and [the scriptures] lead the man of Christ in a strait (meaning strict or narrow (but why say narrow and narrow?)) and narrow (hard to find but once found we need to stay on) course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked"- Helaman 3:29 (all things in parenthesis were comments made by me, Tommy Scherbel, just in case you forgot by now whose blog you're reading... it's kind of long)

This is Moroni, I believe, reemphasizing that the word of God is the iron rod. It is the best thing to lead us to eternal life. We learn that Eternal Life is the greatest gift of God. Why is it the greatest gift of God? May I submit that not only does our Heavenly Father want us back in his presence, but I believe that he needs us back in his presence. He is a perfect being, this need is not the need of necessity to make him more perfect, for that cannot be done. This need is for him to receive more glory. That is all that can be added to him now. Glory. We learn from Moses 1:39 that we are his "work and his glory." Eternal life for our Heavenly Father is to help as many of us to inherit all that he has.

PROBLEM!!! We learn that no unclean or unperfect thing can see God and live. Unless we're perfect we cannot be in God's presence for eternity. I am sure as heck I am less than perfect. I have many spots and blotches of sin throughout my life. I'm not proud of a lot I've done. Whether it was a sin of omission (not doing something I was supposed to) or a sin of commission (doing something wrong), it still adds to the stains. Makes us unperfect. Our Heavenly Father didn't want us to be perfect. If we were perfect how were we to know sorrow, or how were we to know happiness? It would have been impossible, for we would have only known perfection, yet we need to be perfect to live with him. This is where the most wonderful part about the plan of Salvation comes into play.

"And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye may become holy (perfect), without spot."- Moroni 10:33

Christ and his Atonement (meaning his suffering in Gethsemane, his Crucifixion, and his Resurrection) is the only person who can stand as a mediator between the Justice and the Mercy of our Father in Heaven. Through him we "become holy, without spot," after "all that we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23).

Quick funny story, one of my seminar teachers taught us that we are not going to have any dogs in heaven with this scripture... "without SPOT..." get it? :D

This makes me undoubtedly indebted to my Savior. It will be impossible for me to make up to him what he has promised me. I try my best, but I still fall so often. I can't promise him perfection, but I do promise my best. I hope that I can stand better as a witness of him, in all times and in all things and in all places. I want to be part of his army. He is my brother and my friend. Knowing him and following him brings eternal life and with that eternal happiness. The best part about it, not only am I a child of God, but we are all children of God!