The Family Business

 The Family Business

 

Currently I am own a business.  It is owned and operated by myself and my family.  Each and every member of my family works, in some fashion, in the business.  To be clear, no one works in the business to BE apart or to BECOME a part of the family, rather because WE ARE a part of the family we work in the business. 

If you have accepted salvation by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God)

 you have been adopted into God’s family. (Galatians 4:4-6 NKJV But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”)

 You didn’t, and couldn’t, earn it by any one or any number of “good” works that were possible for to have performed.  (Ephesians 2:9 NKJV not of works, lest anyone should boast.) Does this mean that good works don’t matter?  No, good works do matter and they are important.  (James 2:20 NKJV But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?)

Yet we do not work as an adopted son or daughter of God to EARN His favor, blessing, love, miracle or to stay in the family.  It is because we ARE a part of the family that we do good works.  It is the family business, it is what we do.  (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.)