For a middle school boy, I had the job of a lifetime — regardless of the pay.

My paternal grandfather was an ice cream delivery man — not the kind who drove through neighbourhoods and sold ice cream novelties to eager children, but the type who drove a large truck and delivered bulk items to restaurants and mom-and-pop stores. Exactly when I began helping him during the summer, I'm not sure, but by the time I was of middle school age, I was spending the entire summer with my grandparents and working on the truck with him every day.

For a young boy, the fringe benefits of working on an ice cream truck during the sultry summer months were exciting. Each day when we loaded the truck for the next day's delivery, I got up in the refrigerated truck and stacked the ice cream my grandfather handed me. But the most tantalizing benefits were that my grandfather paid me $20 per week, told me that I could eat as much ice cream as I wanted free of charge, and bought my lunch every day.

Acts 26:18 – To open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me. (NLT)

In this verse, as the apostle Paul made his defense before King Agrippa, he recounted how God had given him a new mission in life. He was to take the gospel to the Gentiles, who, if they accepted it, would receive many fringe benefits.

God's children have had their eyes opened to the light. Prior to believing in Christ, they were shaded by the scales of darkness. Sin blinded us and held us securely in its chains. We could do only what our sinful natures dictated. We only thought that we were free, but we weren't. Satan, the god of this world, was our blinder. God, however, removed the blinders.

Forgiveness is another fringe benefit. Christ paid for all our sins on Calvary's cross. No longer will God charge us with them. They were placed on His account.

Becoming a member of God's family is a further fringe benefit. We've been sanctified — set apart. God has given us Christ's righteousness and brought us into His family. His family is large and eternal, and we can enjoy the fellowship of this family now and forever.

Are you experiencing the fringe benefits of being God's child?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the benefits that come with being Your child. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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