Once upon a time there was a man I heard about in Europe who scrimped and saved enough money to purchase a ticket on a ship sailing to America. On the voyage, he looked through the windows into the dining room and saw the sumptuous meals that were being enjoyed, and then he would return to his little room and eat the crackers and cheese he had brought. The crackers soon ran out and the cheese got moldy, and the passenger grew hungrier and hungrier. A day before arriving in America, he was almost fainting from hunger. He finally swallowed his pride and approached a steward and begged for some leftover food. He would be willing to wash dishes or perform any work for food. The steward asked for the man’s ticket. Upon examining it he said, “Sir, when you purchased your ticket all the food we have been serving was included in the price.” He felt like an idiot. All the time, he could have been feasting while he was starving.
The same is true of the Christian life. You didn’t buy your ticket, Jesus paid it all. But everything you need in the Christian life was included, and if you are missing out, it’s simply because you haven’t claimed what is yours in Christ.
The word of the day is claim. Claim what is yours as an heir of God and a co-heir with Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:17 NIV “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”