Open to All

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, your interest might be piqued if you receive an email or letter marked Exclusive Offer. Nightclubs, restaurants, and vacation resorts build their reputations on catering to an exclusive clientele of celebrities, politicians, and power brokers. Reporters also seek exclusive interviews with top sports stars and other personalities. And you might feel like you’ve made it to the top if you wear a certain brand of clothing, live in a high-brow community, or drive a big-ticket motor vehicle.

Marketers likewise 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? 

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. Through faith in Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we can then 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 concept. And we don’t have to wait until we die to enjoy some of these special family benefits. One 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 in life.

Jesus also showed his disciples 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. That’s why it’s such great news that God has chosen you and me as his adopted children. But 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 invited through our Creator’s exclusive offer, but sadly, few will accept. Jesus just wants us to respond, “Yes, Abba!”