Children of Promise

"In other words,

it is not the natural children

who are God's children,

but it is the children of the promise

who are regarded as Abraham's offspring."

Romans 9:8

I confidently approached the imposing gate in my SUV.  Security officers, Military Police and bomb-sniffing dogs guarded the way, stopping me in my tracks.

"May I see your identification please, Ma-am?"  The guard took the military ID card I offered and stepped back to check the sticker affixed to the windshield of my vehicle.  After scanning my card with a handheld device and finding everything to his satisfaction, he returned my card and said, "Welcome to Ft Jackson, victory starts here!"  After stepping back sharply, he waves me on with, "Have a nice day, Ma-am."

In order to gain access to a military facility, I must have the proper authorization.  Only those who work on the post or are affiliated with the military are allowed onto the premises.  If I showed up without the proper sanctions, I would be required to go through a screening process that would verify my driver's license, registration and proof of insurance as well as the purpose for my visit.

Thankfully, there is no similar vetting process for entry into God's family.  I need no special credentials, certain bloodline that connects me to Jesus, or special abilities in order to enter the kingdom of God.  All that is needed is for me to commit my life to Jesus who already paid the price for my entrance.

This makes me a child of the promise, referring to the pledge God made to Abraham that, "all peoples on earth would be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3b) When I accept the free gift of salvation that comes through faith in Christ, I enter into a relationship with God that is marked by certain characteristics.

Called by God

There was a comedy-drama released in 1988 called The Truman Show that chronicled the crisis that occurred when Truman Burbank discovered that his entire life had unknowingly been the subject of a reality show.  Every situation in which Truman encountered is contrived, carefully planned by producers to evoke a desired reaction for the entertainment of millions of viewers.  None of the relationships, situations or circumstances found in Truman's life were genuine, but rather a means to attract more attention for creators of his show.  No matter how hard this man tried, he would never be able to achieve anything outside of the will of the producers.

God is not like the producers of this interesting movie, controlling every move I make and engineering situations in order to achieve in me a desired result.  He is, however, perfectly sovereign.  Nothing can happen unless He allows it to occur.

Unlike the film, however, God is not out to exploit my life for His own benefit.  He has my best interest at heart and knows what I need to grow in faith.  (Romans 8:28,Malachi 3:3)  If a certain endeavor is not God's will, it will not succeed and I will find my efforts to be in vain. (Malachi 1:4)

I am called by God, not according to my own merit so I can rest in His sovereign plan for my life.

Objects of Mercy

He was born to showcase the might and power of God.  The ruler of Egypt stubbornly refused to let the people of God go, instead enduring many plagues and bringing about much suffering for the Egyptian populace.  God hardened the heart of Pharaoh in order to bring glory to Himself.  (Exodus 9:12,16)

Each of us are either made to be objects of God's wrath or His mercy. (Romans 9:20-24)  God decided my purpose before I took my first breath.   As one who is called to live for Him, I know my relationship with the God who saved me is based on His mercy, not on my merit.  I received the gift of salvation out of His love for me, consequently, I can live with the assurance that neither can I lose His love because of my own lack of goodness.

Now, I can confidently approach the ministry to which God has placed upon my heart, knowing that my efforts will be accepted as an act of obedience whether or not I see any signs of what I call "success."

I can also embrace the people God has positioned around me, loving them as I know God loves me; with abandon.

Furthermore, because of this assurance of acceptance by God based on His mercy, the pressure I used to place on myself to perform well has disappeared, leaving behind a compassionate point-of-view.

I am an object of God's mercy, created to bring glory to Himself through my eternally secure relationship with Him.

Prepared for Glory

I marveled at the tree every day on my way to school.  A neighboring barnyard featured a curious sight that never ceased to initiate questions in my young mind.  How did two trees come to grow as one?  Is that really one tree, or two trees growing together?  Which one came first? Did the owners mean to grow two trees in one?

Just as that unique tree appeared to have grafted one variety of species into another, making the secondary type grow its own branch from out of the original tree, I have been adopted into God's family.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, I receive the full rights of a family member, even though I have a foreign bloodline.  I bear no familial relation to the people of Israel yet I am a part of the promise.

As an adopted child of God, I was created to glorify God.  (1 Peter 2:9-12, Romans 8:30)  From the beginning, He had many good things in mind for me to do; people to love, ministries to carry out, tasks to accomplish.  (Ephesians 2:10)

Sometimes, though, the most powerful things I do for God's glory seem like the smallest things: Willingly and joyfully cleaning up behind my child.  Driving in traffic with a positive attitude as I use the extra time to talk to God.  Accepting delays and difficulties as opportunities to trust the mystery of God's plan.

I have been prepared for God's glory since He first gave me life.

I did not choose to follow God through faith in Jesus Christ on my own accord.  Instead, I was called by God who gave me the ability to see my need for Jesus so that He could get glory through my life, created as an object of His mercy, and prepared to give glory to God.  In this way, I am a child of the promise.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can live as a legitimate child of God.

When do I live for my own glory instead of God's?

How do I fail to embrace the purposes God has prepared for me?