Sunday, September 16, 2012

I AM changes i am: royalty!

In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will… (Ephesians 1:5)  To those who have received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship, and by Him we cry, “Abba – daddy!”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs of God and coheirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17).

Have you ever traveled to a third world country and seen the hundreds of children who live on the streets – hungry, dirty, many without family or home?  These nameless faces are a perfect portrait of who I was without Christ.  However, the Son of God chose to leave His heavenly home to come and open his arms for any child willing to be embraced. Believe me, I longed for that relationship. I was adopted – given a home and a family – a place to belong!  Not just any family, mind you, the family of the KING!  Now, I am a daughter, a child, of the King.  All the rights of a natural born child are mine.  I am royalty!  There were no conditions to be fulfilled – the offer was simply made to “all” who would come...and I came! Oh, there was a price that had to be paid, of course, and the Son paid the redemption fee. The payment was steep – He had to give up his own life, so I could step into His Father’s embrace.  This is unfathomable to me as a mom, but the Father agreed; and so the real Son died in order that I could have this home, this family, a new identity, and a new life. 

Think further.  Can you just imagine what a fearsome thing it is to live orphaned, abandoned, and hungry on the streets?  Street children don’t live long lives.  They are prey to every imaginable predator – evil people, disease, famine/starvation, animals, and natural elements (to name just a few).  Street children live a life of uncertainty, insecurity, and hopelessness.  Fear is their constant companion.  They are a slave to fear.  But when the king chooses to adopt, he sends fear running.  In his house, there is no fear, because his perfect love casts it out (1 John 4:18).  This analogy works for me, too!  Without Jesus, I, too, am a slave to fear and insecurity.  What a gift!  I am given not just eternal life, but innumerable gifts meant to set me free...

What an Abba!  What a daddy!

Reflect...
1)    If you were like one of those dirty street children (which you were) what was your life like on the streets?

2)    If you were one of those children, what is your new life like as a child of the King – as royalty?

3)    If you were one of those children, what do you think about this new life?

4)    If you were one of those children, do you desire to give all this up and go back to live on the streets again?  Why or why not?

5)    How does this relate to your “identity” in Christ as a child of the King of Kings…

Add these truths to your ever growing list:

I am a ­­­child of God.  I have a daddy who is pleased with me.

I am an heir of God, a coheir with Christ.  The inheritance of the Kingdom is mine.

I am no longer a slave to fear.


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