Exclusive Offer

When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

-- Ephesians 1:13

There’s power in the principle of exclusivity.

For example, odds are that your interest is piqued when you receive a letter or an email marked Exclusive Offer. Nightclubs, restaurants and vacation resorts build their reputations on catering to an exclusive clientele of movie stars, politicians and power brokers. Reporters seek exclusive interviews with popular celebrities. And you might feel that you’ve made it to the top if you wear a certain brand of clothing, live in a high-brow community or drive a particular automobile.

Marketers understand that our attraction to exclusivity starts early. When

you were growing up, were you one of the popular kids in school who was always picked first for the kickball team? Or were you the odd-man-out nearly every time?

Some things don’t change, whether it’s on the playground or in the office park. How many times have you been looked over for that big promotion -- or lost out to another job candidate? 

Here's some good news -- particularly for those of us who were never crowned king or queen of the high school prom. And it covers something much more important and lasting:

God -- the most powerful and loving Presence in the universe -- has chosen you and me as his heirs. Once we accept Jesus Christ’s offer of salvation, we become an adopted son or daughter of the Creator. And as God’s children, we’ll all have an amazing inheritance to enjoy for eternity. 

That's a remarkable, eternal truth. And we don’t have to wait until we die to enjoy some of these special family benefits. One of them is the privilege of knowing God within a personal relationship. Through prayer, we can come to him directly with our joys, needs and sorrows. It’s this close bond that helps us overcome the rough spots that we’re guaranteed to face throughout life.

Jesus told his disciples that God isn’t a strict, unknowable taskmaster who waits to zap us when we do wrong. He instead revealed that God is a warm, reassuring and loving Father in the best sense of the word. And to the amazement of all who heard him, Christ even referred to God as “Abba” -- a child’s word that translates into English as Daddy.

God has chosen you and me as his adopted children. And what’s even more incredible is that it’s not an exclusive offer for just a certain few. As we read in Acts 2:21, “Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

Many will be asked, but few will accept. Jesus just wants us to respond, “Yes, Abba!”