The Greatest Privilege in Life
By Rick Warren
“God . . . has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God's own family.” 1 Peter 1:3 (TLB)
A church is not a place you go, and it’s not an event you attend. The church is a spiritual family you belong to—and it’s the most important thing on earth.
Why is the church so important? Because it is God’s family. In fact, the greatest privilege in life is to be part of God’s family—to be able to say, “I'm a member of God's family. I'm a child of God.”
The Bible says, “God . . . has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family” (1 Peter 1:3 TLB).
When you were born physically, you immediately became part of the human race. That wasn’t your choice. But you do have a choice about your spiritual family. When you choose to accept Jesus as your Savior, you are born spiritually, and you become a member of God’s own family.
One of the benefits of being born into God’s family is found in 1 Timothy 3:15: “[God's] family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth” (NCV). If you live in an area where there are earthquakes, you know the value of a good foundation. In the same way, when you have the support of a church family, you won’t crumble when life’s earthquakes happen.
Everything on earth will eventually crumble—except the church. No business, school, government, or nation will last forever. Only the church will last forever, because it is built by Jesus, and he’s focused on building his family.
Jesus says in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (NLT).
In a world that’s full of uncertainty, choose to build your life on the only foundation that is guaranteed to last: the secure foundation of God’s family.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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