"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

We live in a time and place where everyone has rights. "I have the right to..." Just finish the sentence. We don't deserve to be God's children, though. God's grace gives us that right. God had to pay a lot for us to have this right. Jesus came to earth, lived, died, and then was brought back to life. We receive this grace through faith. When we trust in Jesus as Lord and are baptized and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, God gives us a new start (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7). To be born of God, to be born from above, or to be born "again" gives us all the rights of heirs in God's house (Galatians 3:26-29; Galatians 4:1-7). So let's not take for granted this grace, this blessing, this adoption, this right. Right now, we are God's children (1 John 3:1-3). Let's be grateful for this favor and act like we belong.

I have the right to do this because we live in a time and place where everyone has rights. Simply complete the phrase. But we don't deserve to be God's children. We have that right because of God's mercy. God had to pay a high price for us to enjoy this privilege. Jesus came to earth, lived, died, and then rose again. This grace is obtained by faith. God offers us a fresh start when we believe in Jesus as Lord and are baptized and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7). Being born of God, born from above, or "again" grants us all the privileges of heirs in God's home (Galatians 3:26-4:7).

Isn't it crazy that we're called God's children? But that's exactly what we are! (See 1 John 3:3-10) We are children of God. Our Father made the billions and billions of planets in the universe. Every day, our Father paints a new sunset, and every morning, He drives away the night. Not only does our Father love us, but He also claims us as His own and will bring us to His home for all time. Why? Because His message came to us through Jesus. Because we received His grace in the form of His Son. Incredible! Glorious! Grace!

We live in a time and place where everyone has rights. "I have the right to..." Just finish the sentence. We don't deserve to be God's children, though. God's grace gives us that right. God had to pay a lot for us to have this right. Jesus came to earth, lived, died, and then was brought back to life. We receive this grace through faith. When we trust in Jesus as Lord and are baptized and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, God gives us a new start (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7). To be born of God, to be born from above, or to be born "again" gives us all the rights of heirs in God's house (Galatians 3:26-29; Galatians 4:1-7). So let's not take for granted this grace, this blessing, this adoption, this right. Right now, we are God's children (1 John 3:1-3). Let's be grateful for this favor and act like we belong.