When my children were young, they loved camping.
It was before the days of cellphones, and there was no telephone in our camper—so they had Dad all to themselves. You can imagine that as a busy pastor, I was constantly receiving phone calls at home, and the children just wanted that time when no one else could interrupt.
Now just imagine—as a child of God, you have the full attention of the Maker of the universe, anytime you call upon Him.
He’s never too busy, and He’ll never be called away before you’ve finished pouring out your heart. What a privilege!
Why don’t we use it more often?
I think one of the primary reasons is a lack of understanding regarding the blessings we have in Christ.
We are the children of the Almighty. Yet sometimes we get so focused on earthly concerns that we forget to cry out to Him or trust in Him. Before long, we’re shouldering every burden, feeling defeated by trials, and suffering from feelings of inadequacy.
If you’re weighed down by fears and emotional baggage, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Peace, joy, freedom, and victory should characterize believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. These qualities fill and stabilize us as we focus on the spiritual riches that are ours as a result of salvation.
So what exactly has Christ provided for us?
I’d like to focus on just three of His many gifts.
First of all, we have God’s acceptance.
“He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:5-6).
One of our most basic human needs is a sense of acceptance and belonging, and that’s exactly what Christ gives us. Once we’ve trusted Him as our Savior, we become a part of God’s family forever.
The Lord doesn’t tell us to clean up our lives and stop sinning before coming to Him.
We couldn’t do that even if we tried. He simply invites us to come as we are to Christ, believing that His death covers all our sins. In that moment, we are forgiven and clothed with Christ’s righteousness.
The Father accepts us, not based on who we are and what we’ve done, but on who Jesus is and what He did.
“He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Now, that doesn’t mean you can willfully live a life of depravity. God’s gracious acceptance is a motivation for holy obedience, not a license to sin. It enables us to come to the Lord in confession, receive forgiveness, and participate in the lifelong sanctification process.
Though God hates sin, He loves and accepts His children.
Another amazing gift we have in Christ is eternal life.
Contrary to most people’s understanding, eternal life doesn’t begin after we die and enter heaven. Rather, it becomes ours at the moment of salvation.
Jesus said, “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).
We usually think of eternal life as living an infinitely long time, but it’s much more than that.
Eternal life is an entirely different quality and character of life; it’s God’s supernatural divine life indwelling us through our union with Christ: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11).
That’s why believers can never be lost. When Christ is our Savior, His divine life is flowing through us right now and will continue forever.
A third gift Christ gives us is a fellowship with God.
Having been one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, John wrote, “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
Whenever a person believes the gospel and turns to Christ in faith, he or she enters into a personal relationship of fellowship with Him and with the Father.
Fellowship means union, intimacy, communion, and sharing.
People in other religions may talk or pray to statues and idols, yet they can never have a personal relationship with them (Ps. 115:4-6).
We have a heavenly Father who invites us to come to Him with all our concerns. The more we get to know Him through His Word and prayer, the more precious His gift of fellowship will be to us.
Are you living in the reality of these three gifts that are yours in Christ—God’s acceptance, eternal life, and fellowship with the Father and Son?
When you believe and live in these truths, they’ll become a vital part of your thinking and sustain you through every trial and heartache. Instead of being burdened with defeat, inadequacy, and insecurity, your confidence in the Lord will grow.
Rely on your heavenly Father like the loved child you are.
Understanding and enjoying His blessings will set you free to enjoy a victorious Christian life.
Prayerfully yours,
Charles F. Stanley
P.S. One of my greatest joys is providing biblical teaching to help believers in their everyday walk with the Lord. I hope you’ll boldly claim your gifts in Christ as they are revealed in God’s Word, and discover the abundant peace and joy of the Christian life.
