Day 6: You are a Daughter (or Son)

Romans 8:14-17 NIV
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,  "Abba,  Father."16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This morning when I woke up (on my first day of preplanning for school), my first thought was that I didn't want to get up. My second was the refrain from my alarm clock song, "I love you Lord with all my heart, all my soul, all mind. All you ask is everything, so everything I give." Fighting my fears that are connected with starting a new grade with new teachers on my team and a lack of technology, I got up.
Then I read the passage above and God led me to a new realization. This passage is more than just the fact that we don't have a spirit of fear. I mean that's all well and good but when you read about what you don't have you should then dwell on what you do have. A spirit of sonship.
So as I got ready for school I thought about what the concept of being someone's son and heir meant back when this was written. Jesus used the term and everyone got livid with him at his audacity. We don't blink at the term now - son of God - but it really it a big deal.
You see the expectation was that what the father had, the son would have also. What the Father could do, the son could do also, and would do also.
If your father was a fisherman, you would be a fisherman. If you father was a blacksmith, you would be too. The easiest way to learn a trade (and the cheapest) was to learn at your father's. You had to have a way to live and so you lived the way your father lived.
Now transfer that concept to being God's son. Think of all the things that God could do. Those are the things that Jesus was saying he is capable of doing. Think of all the things that belong to God (...everything). Those are the things that Jesus was saying would belong to him. He would essentially inherit EVERYTHING.
Next go back up and read that verse again. Do dee do. La dee da. Are you back? Good.
That last part now stands out to me. "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Did you get that? Read it again if you need to. It says we are heirs to God (sons and daughters of God) and co-heirs with Christ. When I read this verse in the past I think I read it wrong because I came away thinking I am Christ's heir so that meant I was after Christ and that Christ is my example of what is possible. But I am not Christ's heir. I.am God's heir. I can do all things through the one who gives me strength. God can do everything and as his heir I can expect that I can as well. In fact I am expected to do at least as much as Christ did. With faith as small as a mustard seed, I could tell a mountain to jump into the sea and it would. God made the mountain, so why can't his heir move it. We just have to step out in faith and then, like Jesus said, we will do more miraculous than even Jesus did.
So. Today. (Now really because I have to start driving or I'll be late.) I am facing another year of being a teacher. Surely if I could move a mountain, I can teach my students, show them God and help the leave mtly class each day smarter than when they entered it.