And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:16-18 (ESV)

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Romans 8:14 (NCV)

God the Father desires a relationship with us, and He has removed all barriers to our reconciliation and fellowship with Him. In manifesting Himself fully in Christ and making us His habitation through the Spirit, God adopts us as sons and daughters into His eternal family. Through this free and gracious act, God has bestowed us honour, dignity, and worth that the world cannot offer.

Unfortunately, many people can fully engage in church services and activities without ever encountering God. In effect, God is a stranger to them. Somehow superficiality has become the norm in their relationship with God. They think and act like spiritual orphans because they have forgotten their identity and inheritance in Christ. Without the life of the Spirit, all of the blessings and benefits of salvation cannot be appropriated or enjoyed. Jesus says, “Unless you become like a child, you will never enter the kingdom” (Matthew 18:3).

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to us to dwell in us so that we do not feel orphaned or forgotten by the Father, but rather have a genuine sense of belonging to Him. The essence of this belonging reveals that God is for us, God is with us, and God is in us. Then we will have both boldness and confidence to approach God by faith, knowing that He hears us and accepts us.

Everything we do for God is not aimed at meeting God's expectations or approval. That is how a spiritual orphan who is insecure feels and acts. Everything we do for God, on the other hand, is a worshipful response to God's love, goodness, and provision in our lives.

When we surrender to the Spirit's leading, we will be amazed and assured of God's love in Jesus. He will give us the ability and capacity to develop a deep and intimate relationship with God, which will then be reflected in the life and culture of our church, attracting others to Christ through our love for one another.