Do you remember the story of the prodigal son? He asked his father for his inheritance, and set off on his own -- squandering the resources given to him and finally finding himself at his lowest point, feeding off the leftovers scraped together from the pigs' trough. Having found, and probably slept on, the bottom of the barrel, the son finally makes his way home to find his father, waiting with open arms, and ready to welcome him back into the fold.
We also find the eldest son -- the son who stayed with his father, responsibly helping around the home, tending to the needs of the household. He is, perhaps understandably, jealous at all this attention his brother is getting. But it's in the father's words that we truly understand what it means to be his son:
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.'" (Luke 15:31)
Paul carries this idea further, explaining that, as Children of God, we are, with Christ, heirs of the Kingdom.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:16-18)
Imagine! No matter what we've done, Jesus came for us, and made us heirs of God! This temporary world has its delights and its torments -- but the Kingdom of God is ours, purchased by the blood of Christ!
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