I live in an apartment building with a recreational floor. This floor has a gym, a party room, a little playground, an outdoor eating area, a pool and a tennis court. This kind of setup is common in the apartment buildings where I live. Everyone in my home, at one point or another, has used the pool, well, except my daughter, so maybe not everyone. My point is that I love swimming; it’s a great workout and generally calms me.
I have lived in this country for almost two years, and for some reason, I’ve always had an excuse not to swim. Our first summer here was because my daughter was still a baby, and I had to stay with her ( I could’ve gone swimming on a day my son was in school, and my husband could’ve stayed with my daughter). Or I needed to get a swimsuit, and that wasn’t a priority on my shopping list. Then I would grumble that summer had passed and I didn’t swim once. Summer came around again, and by this time, my daughter had just started daycare, and I could get a swimsuit. I dragged my feet a little but eventually got the swimsuit. I dragged my feet some more, but before summer ended, I got in the pool.
It took me a while to fully immerse myself. I sat on the edge with my toes in the water for a while until I got in, but it was awesome, and I wondered why I had procrastinated for so long. As I headed back to my apartment, the Lord showed me a parallel between my behaviour and the behaviour of many Christians (me included). My apartment building is loaded with benefits, freely available to all who live there, but it is up to us to take advantage of every benefit. There’s no barrier, no obstacle, no hurdle. Open the apartment door, enter the lift, push the floor button, go down and come out of the lift, and use whichever facility you need.
Jesus paid the price so that we would have access to all things in Christ Jesus, as co-heirs with Him, freely.
“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
Yet, many of us do not fully step into Sonship. We stand on the other side of the fence and tiptoe around the fringes of our relationship with God. If we’re honest with ourselves, we hold back because we do not believe. For many of us, unbelief is stored away in a little hidden cupboard, but it’s there nonetheless. Hidden but still there.
Here are 9 Bible verses to remind us of some of the benefits of being a child of God.
Eternal Life - John 11:25 - 26: "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Redemption, Compassion, Good things(good according to God’s definition, not ours) - Psalm 103:4 -5: "who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."
Peace with God - Romans 5:1: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness."
Access & Hope - Romans 5:2:" through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God."
Holy Spirit - Romans 5:5: "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
Peace - John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
An Anxious-Free Life - 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
Mercy & Abundant Grace - Hebrews 4:16: "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
It’s time to step into everything we have access to in Christ Jesus.
It’s time to dive headfirst into a deeper intimacy with God.
It’s time to seek out hidden treasure in secret places.
It’s time to make the secret place the priority place.
It’s time to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Son.
It’s time to go from sitting with our toes in the water to immersing ourselves fully.
There are no obstacles, no hurdles.
The stone has been rolled away. The curtain torn. No more excuses.
xoxo
Jem
