We are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. Romans 8:16–17 (NLT)
In the Middle Ages, sons and daughters of kings lived a very different life than peasants did. They enjoyed all the rights and privileges of being royalty without earning any of it. Even if they forgot who they were, it didn’t change the fact that royalty was in their blood—it was part of their identity.
Imagine if a king’s son was raised in a peasant’s home. He would live like a peasant, unaware of his birthright. And that’s exactly how many believers live today. We are God’s children, and He is the “eternal King” (Jeremiah 10:10, NLT)… but we go through life forgetting who we are. We don’t have to earn our way into God’s family. Jesus already did! Trusting in Him gets us in. Actually, when you keep thinking that you have to try to become good, what you really believe is that you aren’t good now, which isn’t true. You are God’s kid!
Getting back to my analogy, a prince who grew up believing he is a peasant will need to learn his rights and discover what he has authority over. His work doesn’t involve earning his place. His work has to do with discovering his place. The same is true for you. You’re not trying to become a member of God’s family. You ARE a member of His family!
Your work isn’t to earn your place. It’s to discover who you already are. Oh, you’ll have a few habits to change along the way, but those have nothing to do with your acceptance into God’s family. Like a prince who grew up as a peasant, you need to realize who you really are and then your behaviour can begin to line up with your true identity.