REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE. Hebrews 2:12-13 In God’s ways of grace, He starts with us through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Through the divine actions of the Holy Spirit and the Word, we are not only convicted of our sin but also convinced of the Person and redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in Him for salvation from our sins, forgiveness of our sins, and acceptance by God, we then become “children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.”
As children, we enter into a family relationship with Him. We receive His eternal life, which is a family characteristic, because God has now sent His Spirit, the Spirit of His Son, into our hearts. We are children—His children. We are brought into this family by Him. We are no longer servants to sin.
When we become children, we become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. All that is His is ours—His possessions, His positions, His place, His purpose, His plans. He shares these with us. Being adopted as sons (children) grants us a place with Him that allows Him to call us brethren. Brethren share the same goals, family interests, and inheritance. [Ps.22:22] We have been adopted as God’s children, and He identifies Himself with us as brothers. This elevates our praise beyond the darkness we currently face to the proclamation of God’s righteousness in the future. The darkness of suffering and death now transforms into the brightness of justification for us and glory for Him. [Isa.8:18] The nation of Israel was distant from God. God had given the Lord's disciples to Him, and through them, He would be revealed to millions. So even though they appeared like children at the time, Isaiah could see far ahead to when the Messiah would come.
Servanthood is looked down upon by men because, to many, it suggests an undignified, surly, resistant, and humiliated person who resists the work assigned to them. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the Servant of the loving God (Jehovah), is the greatest example of the blessed slavery to our God – a slavery born out of love.
When we are first saved, we have very little understanding of who we are and where we are heading. Our service may seem like a “work"—a job we must do; a duty to fill our time meaningfully. As we mature, the work or duty we do for God shifts from a desire for achievement to a feeling of ownership. Then, the process continues until we begin to appreciate all that God has invested in “the work,” and we become more than just participants—we become investors. Paul *arrived at this mindset when he said, “For me to live is Christ.” He was not just a worker, though he worked tirelessly; he was not only serving, though the results of his service still resonate today. Paul found personal satisfaction in the work he was engaged in because he had a vested interest in it.