Galatians 3:23-4:7

Be Still: Lord, I give this day – and this moment – to you. Help me turn my attention from life’s distractions and towards you and your presence. (Pause... close your eyes and.... breathe.) Come, lead me, and guide me today. I invite you into the depths of my heart. Amen

Read: Galatians 3:23 - 4:7

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (vv 4:6-7) 

Encounter: At home we recently acquired some gerbils. In the pet shop, after thinking for all of two seconds, our son Jasper, creatively decided to name his gerbil ‘Berbil’ (no, I have no idea why either). But after a few days, Jasper announced that Berbil’s name was changing to Comet – apparently because of his lightning-fast speed whenever someone tries to pick him up. Just like that, his identity shifted from something weak and unimpressive to something more fitting for a Marvel movie. 

His owner decided his identity. And overnight, it changed. 

The same thing happened to you and me the moment we accepted Jesus. We were once lost, broken, confused – slaves. But now, we are sons and daughters of the living God. Heirs of the holy King. No greater identity change will ever happen. 

Paul says, ‘Because you are sons...’ God sent his Spirit into our hearts. Not so that we might become children – but because we already are. You belong. You’re loved. You have purpose and meaning. You are an inheritor of the Kingdom of God, a co-heir with Christ himself. Just pause and let that sink in.... that’s huge! 

You don't grow into this or earn it over time. It’s not dependent on how well you pray, behave, or believe. It’s already true. God has named you, claimed you, and welcomed you as his own.

And when the Creator of the universe is our Father – someone we can know intimately – that should change how we think, live, and act. Recall the last time you opened your parents’ fridge. You probably didn’t ask – you just helped yourself. That’s the kind of access we now have with heaven.

Apply: What would it look like for you to claim your identity afresh today? To live as a confident child of God, believing you are loved, purposeful, and held by him? 

Devote: Father God, help me receive this truth again today. I reject every lie that says I am anything less than your beloved child, and I ask you to replace those lies with the truth you speak over me.