This last week I have talked about the importance of knowing God and living relationally with him. A big part of knowing God is knowing who you are in him. Your relationship with God determines your identity. And you are part of the royal family!
I love this statement from JI Packer in his book, Knowing God:
I am a child of God. God is my Father; heaven is my home; every day is one day nearer. My Savior is my brother; every Christian is my brother too. – JI Packer
Wow! To know yourself as a child of God makes all the difference. This is the identity we are given through our baptism. In baptism, we are adopted and brought into a wonderful and caring family. We are given a royal identity as sons and daughters of the King of the Universe.
There are privileges and responsibilities that come with this identity. The privilege is that we have access to the King that no one else has. We can ask him for anything, and he can make it happen because he is the King. Also, we can be certain that he will respond in a loving way to our requests with our best interests in mind because he is our loving Father.
The responsibility is that there is an expectation that we live up to our royal identity and that we represent our family well. There are expectations placed upon royal children that other children do not have. There is special training and discipline that is received by royal children so that they fulfill their destiny. As a member of God’s royal family, the experiences you are going through are shaping you for your place in the kingdom. How are you being trained and disciplined to fulfill your royal obligations?
Reflection
- What are some benefits of being part of the royal family of God?
- What are some of the responsibilities of being part of the royal family of God?
- What is the biggest change that happens in your life when you realize you are a child of the King of the Universe?
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