Child of the King!

1 John 3:1-3

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

As soon as we enter into this world, we have a sin nature within our hearts. If left on our own, we would gladly sin against God and live for our own selfish pleasures every day of our lives. But God has shown such amazing grace, that even while we lived in rebellion against Him, He sent His only Son to die in our place so that we would not need to be punished for all eternity because of our sinfulness. Christ lived a sinless, perfect life but yet was persecuted and reviled. But because of his purity, He was able to offer Himself to God as a holy sacrifice that would satisfy God's wrath which would have been directed towards the totality of mankind's wretchedness and total depravity. Therefore any man that comes to God with a sorrowful, repentant heart because of his sinfulness, seeks the Lord's forgiveness, and accepts the free gift of salvation provided by the death of Christ shall be forgiven entirely, and his sins shall be cast from him as far as the east is from the west!

Take joy and be filled with hope in that God has blessed us so much that He has risen us up from the depths of loathsome spiritual poverty to a state of high honor as His own children! When the world rejects us for our faith, see it as a blessing! For no longer are we a part of this world in all its shame and depravity, but we are now a part of God's own family with the highest calling there is - glorifying the Most High God. When the last days of this world comes, we shall be caught up to our Heavenly Father and glorified. We shall be like Christ in appearance, have a perfected sinless body, our sin nature will be destroyed forever, and we shall have all the blessings of a beloved child.

The future is brightly filled with wonder and glory for those who are of the family of God, but the present day can also be filled with joy and renewal. Never forget your Saviour's love and all that He accomplished on the cross for your sake. Dwell on your Lord's sacrifice and be motivated to take up your own cross every day for the sake of His glory. He blesses us every day with His presence and strength, He gifts us with the indwelling of a spiritual guide and helper, the Holy Spirit, so no longer do we have to give into the urgings of our sinful flesh. We can live to glorify God, grow in the likeness of Christ, and be changed day by day to become more of a blessing to those around us as we share the love of God through our lives. So purify yourself daily of your old sinful nature as you look and hope for the return of your Saviour and the glorious future He brings.