The Total Package

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."
1 John 3:1 (ESV)

What's the most anyone has ever given you, when you had nothing to offer back?

Imagine for a moment that you are a child left on the street. You have no name, no family, and no certainty about tomorrow. Then one day, a family walks into the room full of kids like you and says, "We want you. You're coming home with us”. Depending on your age, you might think the bare minimum. A roof. Clothes. Someone who looks out for you.

But you don't yet understand the total package you're actually getting. A permanent name. A permanent love. Everything you could ever need to become everything you could ever be. No child, in that moment, really understands what they've just been given, because the full size of it hasn't sunk in yet.

That's exactly what happens the moment you come to Jesus. You don't just get rescued. You get everything that comes with belonging to His family.

Today when people negotiate a job offer, they don't just want the number at the top of the page. They want the whole package, the benefits, the time off, the security underneath the paycheck. Very few Christians understand the full package you receive when you receive Jesus. 

You weren't just forgiven when you came to Jesus. You were adopted, you're being transformed, and you're being made pure. That's not the bare minimum. That's everything!

You didn't just get a roof over your head. You got the whole house, and your name is on the deed.

So when your adult kids don't call, you don't have to wonder if you're still wanted. You're already chosen, permanently, by Someone who never forgets. 

When you’re up at 2am with a toddler who won't stop crying, and you're running on fumes–you don't have to perform your way into being a good parent today. You're already held by a Father who isn't keeping score on your worst nights. 

When the bank statement looks tighter than you'd like, you can still walk into this day knowing you're not running on what's in your account. You're running on what's already in your name.

You don't have to earn a seat at this table today. Pick up your coffee and walk into whatever happens, like someone who already owns the house.

Prayer: Father, thank You for adopting me. Help me stop living like I only got the bare minimum from You. Show me today what the total package in Christ really means for how I face this day. In Jesus' Name, Amen.