Those who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, "Father! my Father!" God’s Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children. Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ’s suffering, we will also share his glory.

Romans 8:14-17

We are all accustomed to contracts. We are often required to sign them when we buy a car or home or purchase just about anything. Contracts specify what happened if one of the parties fails to live up to the agreement. When we put our trust in Christ for salvation, we do more than sign a contract. We enter into a binding relationship with God whereby He makes us His children by the new birth and by adoption. Because of this close family relationship, we are permanent heirs of an eternal inheritance reserved in heaven for us.

How thankful we can be that eternal life

is based on our relationship

with God through Christ.

We are heirs of God not merely by contract, but by birthright.

Our Daily Bread – August 27, 2003