How to Raise 8,245,444,674 Kids

(A devotion about how God views us as His children)

Opening / Engagement

How many of you in the room have kids—raise your hand.
How many of you have ever been frustrated with your kids?
How many of you have been proud of your kids?
How many of you have been heartbroken because of your kids?”

If you raised your hand, you’ve felt the highs and the lows of parenting.
Now imagine God—the Father—feeling those same things over billions of people. He calls each of us His children.

1. Personal Introduction

My wife and I have two boys—all boy. We had trouble having kids, so God led us to adoption. One boy is from Mississippi and the other from Georgia. Adoption changed us. Being their dad has stretched me in ways I never expected—patience, pride, fear, and joy.

2. Stories from the Trenches

Frustration: One afternoon my boys were fighting in the kitchen. I told them to stop. They wouldn’t. One shoved the other into the wall and made a hole in the sheetrock. I was not a happy dad. I was frustrated because I had given clear direction, and it wasn’t followed.

Pride: We were driving in Gulfport, Mississippi, the area where my son was born, when my oldest saw a homeless man on the side of the road. He insisted we stop and get him a meal. We went through Burger King and handed him a meal. I was so proud—my son had compassion and wanted to help.

Heartache: When my oldest was an infant, he developed croup and had trouble breathing. I had to step out of the room because I was overwhelmed with emotion—wanting to take the pain away but powerless to do so in that moment.

Joy: My youngest loves to talk. On a recent drive to Le Mars, he talked the whole way—questions, stories, and laughs. Those are the moments I live for.

3. A Moment God Spoke to Me

There was a time when I was especially frustrated with my oldest because he wasn’t listening—doing his own thing despite my warnings. The type of kid where I could tell them not to put their finger in an outlet, and they’d still try it just to see what would happen.

In that moment God spoke to me:

“Jason, you see how you know what’s best to keep your kid safe and set him up for the future—and he still does his own thing. That’s what you do to Me.”

That hit me hard. It revealed the heart of God: He knows what’s best for us, He warns us for our good, and yet we often choose our own way.

God wants relationship with us—He wants us to sit in the car with Him and talk. He does get frustrated—not in a petty way—but grieved when we persist in what will harm us. And He also deeply cares when we are hurting.

4. Biblical Grounding — God Calls Us His Children

The Bible is clear: God calls us His children, and He responds to us like a perfect Father.

• 1 John 3:1 — “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
• John 1:12 — “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
• Galatians 3:26 — “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
• Romans 8:15–16 — We are adopted into God’s family, and His Spirit reminds us we belong.
• 2 Corinthians 6:18 — “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
• Psalm 103:13 — “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”
• Hebrews 12:6–7 — God disciplines those He loves—because He treats us as His children.
• Isaiah 64:8 — God is our Father, the potter shaping us as His clay.
• Philippians 2:15 — As God’s children, we are called to shine as lights in the world.
• Deuteronomy 14:1–2 — God calls His people His treasured possession.

And Scripture reminds us that God created us with a purpose and gives us the choice to love and worship Him:

• Ephesians 2:10 — “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…”
• Deuteronomy 30:19–20 — God sets life and death before us and invites our choice.
• Joshua 24:15 — “Choose this day whom you will serve.”
• Matthew 22:37 — Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…”

5. The Big Point

If parenting two boys stretches and exhausts me emotionally, imagine God parenting 8,245,444,674 people. Yet He does it with perfect wisdom, patience, and love.

• Where I lose patience, He endures.
• Where I can’t fix everything, He heals and redeems.
• He sees every scraped knee, every defiant moment, every act of kindness, and He cares.

6. Practical Applications

As earthly parents—or as mentors, leaders, and friends—we can reflect the heart of our Heavenly Father:

1. Don’t give up. God never gives up on His children.
2. Look for teachable moments. Use everyday events (fights, kindness, illnesses, car rides) to point to God’s heart.
3. Talk and listen. God wants us to sit and talk with Him. Do the same with your kids.
4. Model grace. When you mess up, admit it and show mercy.
5. Pray. Cover your children in prayer and remind them they are known and loved by their Father.

7. Challenge (Closing Words)

My challenge for you this week is this:

• When you go home and hug your kids, remember—that’s also God hugging you.
• When you get frustrated with your kids, remember—God sometimes gets frustrated with you.
• When you’re sitting and talking with a friend, remember—God is trying to get your attention so you can talk and pray with Him.

Because at the end of the day, the Father knows best.

8. Closing Prayer

“Father, thank You for calling us Your children. Thank You for patience when we are stubborn, for grief when we hurt, and for joy when we return to You. Help us to parent and lead with Your heart: patient, pursuing, and full of grace. Teach us to make time to sit and talk with our kids as You make time to sit and talk with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”