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Listen while you read: "For The Beauty Of The Earth"1
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Ephesians 1:5a – God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. (NLT)
I've worked in places where benefits were good, places where they were meagre, and places where they were nonexistent.
While a good salary might attract us to a particular job, benefits enhance the chance that we'll actually apply for the position. If my salary is good, but I must pay an enormous monthly premium for insurance, my salary diminishes tremendously. Here in the USA, if I choose not to get insurance, I must pay my total medical cost out of pocket. I remember one prospective employer saying as she offered me a position, "I can't offer you a good salary, but I can give you wonderful benefits." I took the job.
Employment benefits are excellent, but spiritual benefits outweigh them. I can be set in life and lose in eternity. I can meet all my medical needs through my insurance plan and still miss heaven. God chooses to adopt me into His family, just as an employer offers me a job and then hires me. Unless God reaches out to me, I won't reach out to Him. But when I do, the benefits far surpass any that I'll find in an earthly job.
As God's adopted children, we receive everything that His Son does — and that's everything. We're in the already-not-yet stage. It's ours; we just don't own it outright now. But it's in the works. We also receive complete and total forgiveness for all past, present, and future sins. None will ever be charged to our account again. Christ paid for them on the cross. God sends His Spirit to indwell us continuously and give us constant guidance and wisdom.
Along with the Spirit come gifts. These we're privileged to use in service to God and others. Best of all, we'll benefit from living with God in a new heaven and on a new earth.
Choose to enjoy the benefits that God offers by becoming His child.
Prayer: Father, thank You for all the benefits that are ours because we have the privilege of being called Your children. Amen.
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About the author:
Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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Amen Martin.
Thank you, Martin, for your your constant good words.
Thanks, Martin, for this uplifting devotional, blessings.
Amen, Martin. A great message to start a new month with. Blessings.
Thank you, Martin Wiles. An excellent lesson and a beautiful picture you paint with the words.
Thank you, Martin, for sharing this encouraging devotional with us today.
Blessings.
What a beautiful way to put in black and white the benefits doing the will of the Father. God bless you, Martin!
Good morning, Martin,
Thank you for those good words this morning.
Blessings.
Thanks, Martin, for your very reassuring devotional today. We certainly receive the greatest benefits by seeking and following the ways of our loving Lord.
I love this devotional today, especially that old Hymn, For the beauty of the earth. I sang the first Verse to our Savior, Jesus Christ! I also read Psalm 17! It is wonderful to include those old hymns, they really speak to me.
Thank you for this reading today.
Praise be to our Father in Heaven.
Good morning, Martin,
It was interesting to read your thoughts on salary and benefits around applying for a job. Relating it to the “spiritual benefits” we receive as Christians does make one think about all that we gain in life by believing in Jesus.
We understand that Jesus paid for them on the cross and the talents that God has chosen to give each one of us to use for His benefit, but you introduced a new way of looking at these “spiritual benefits”. I found it eye opening.
Thank you for always looking for new ideas to bring our faith into perspective in many different ways. Blessings.
Spiritual benefits from our relationship with Jesus extend into every aspect of our life.