Day 27 - Whose You Are Makes a Difference

Through the Spirit we enjoy adoption as children of the Father.

Did you know that a Mississippi River boat pilot is paid more than $300,000 per year? Now that’s nice work, if you can get it. According to a 2001 article in The Times-Picayune, state river pilots make $321,000 a year (remember, that was in 2001!). Quoting from the article, “Given the generous pay and modest working hours, the jobs [river pilots] are among the most desirable in the local maritime industry. They also are among the most exclusive. Of the 100 people elected to become river pilots in recent years, 85 are related to other pilots...”

I guess it really is “who you know"...or at least who you are related to if you want to sail the Mighty Mississippi!

In Ephesians 1:1-14, Paul enumerates multiple spiritual blessings in Christ. In verse 5, he says, “In love He [God] predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will...”

And what does that adoption status get us?

Look further down at verses 13–14

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.

The Life Application Bible says this about these verses: “The Holy Spirit is God’s seal that we belong to Him and His deposit guaranteeing that He will do what He has promised. The Holy Spirit is like a down payment, a deposit, a validating signature on the contract. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us demonstrates the genuineness of our faith, proves that we are God’s children, and secures eternal life for us. His power works in us to transform us now, and what we experience now is a taste of the total change we will experience in eternity.”

This is a full sail of the wind of the Holy Spirit. This is our identity as children of God, saved by the royal blood of Christ, and now full members of God’s family. What an amazing gift. We are not almost God’s children. Adoption in God’s family does not mean distant, second class, or expendable. We are not a “labor of love” in the way the world may think of us. We are God’s treasure. Our adoption comes with the guarantee that we are co-heirs and the apple of His eye.

How will you look at yourself differently when you have a full sail of this promise?

How will you love and treat others differently when you have a full sail of this promise?

Who do you know that could sure use a full sail of this Holy Spirit wind?