Living Like Royalty

I came from a middle class family. We didn't have much, but we had all we needed. We knew love -- but by no means did we know royalty and wealth, or the social graces that went along with it. But, then, one day, I came into a royal family.....the Family of God -- where now I'm UPPER class -- not as a result of merit or anything I earned, or was born into, but I was adopted into God’s marvelous Family. It was simply because I asked to come in, and because I believed in the Father's Son of this royal family, Who paid a hefty price for me to be welcomed into the family. I didn't have to pay my way in -- I just BELIEVED. And, guess what YOU'VE been invited into the FAMILY, too! The invitation goes out to "Whoever believes in HIM....."

I'm all grown up now, but there are no adults in the family. Father God only has children. Adults complicate things. They try to figure out what's next, how, why, where and when. Kids just say "Okay!" They just believe. I believed. Yesterday I put up my Christmas decorations and this little outdoor sign says "Believe". I know Santa is saying "Believe in me", or, no, maybe he's saying "Believe in God!" Father knows best and Father has everything under control. And, He keeps telling us to "Be like children" who just believe.

I was doing some holiday baking last week and, I had the Hallmark Channel on and I watched one of their sweet, tender, sappy and predictable-ending movies. This one was about some children whose Mom and Dad had died in an automobile accident and the very wealthy grandfather (who they had never met) asked them to come see him at his royal mansion in England. Once they were there, they had all the privileges that their lineage provided -- sitting at the Grandfather's table, eating the best of foods, wearing the royal clothes provided by the grandfather, being served by the maids and butlers. They didn't even know this Grandfather before, but all their lives, royalty was waiting for them. But, to live in the Grandfather's home, they had to change some of their rough ways. And they did, because they wanted to please the Grandfather. And when they pleased him, he just kept pouring on the blessings to them.

Once we come into the royal Family of God, we should have a hard time being disobedient children. If we daily make a purpose to NOT disappoint our Father, He'll keep pouring His blessings on us. If we abide in Him, and His Word abides in us, then we'll have a hard time messing up. We just don't want to take a chance on disappointing our Father.

But even when we slip up and disappoint Him, when we ask for forgiveness, His grace flows out to us. His nature IS love and grace. The man in the movie had to discipline those grandkids from time to time for being naughty. And there's also a judgment side to God, but if we obey Him, we'll never see it.

Today, our Heavenly Father has His arms open wide to His naughty or nice kids out there. He's ready to bless them. He's ready to invite them to sit at His royal table and feast and dine with Him. It's ours for the taking. Now let's throw our hands up in the air and shout out, "CHOOSE ME!"

1 John 3:1 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us, is that it did not know Him."