Step 1-What is the High Privilege of Every Child of God?

Tip! What really determines’ the effectiveness of our labor for Christ is the measure of our faith and the fervency of our prayers. If our faith is poor and our praying is indifferent; how can we expect to achieve much for Him?

"And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." —Luke 15:31

We have here two things described as the privilege: —First, "Son, thou art ever with me"—this is unbroken fellowship with our Father is our portion; Second, "All that I have is thine"—all that God can give us, His children is theirs.

"Thou are ever with me;" I am always near you; you can stay every hour of your life in My presence, and all I have is for you. I am a Father, with a loving Father's heart. I will withhold no good thing from you. In these promises, we have the rich privilege of God's heritage.

We have, in the first place, unbroken fellowship with Him. An earthly father never sends his child away with the thought that he does not care about his child knowing that he loves them. The father longs to have his child believe that he has the light of his father's countenance on him all the day—that, if he sends the child away to school, or anywhere that necessity compels, it is with a sense of sacrifice of parental feelings. If it be so with an earthly father, then what do you think of God? Does He not want every child of His to know that they are constantly living in the light of His countenance? This is the meaning of that word, "Son, thou art ever with me."

Tip! THE possibilities of prayer are gauged by faith in God's ability to do. Faith is the one prime condition by which God works.

That was the privilege of God's people in Old Testament times. We are told that "Enoch walked with God." God's promise to Jacob was: "Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." And God's promise to Israel through Moses was: "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." And in Moses' response to the promise, he says, "For wherein shall it be known that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight? Is it not that Thou go with us; so shall we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth."

The presence of God with Israel was the mark of their separation from other people. This is the truth taught in all the Old Testament; and if so, how much more may we look for it in the New Testament? So we find our Saviour promising to those who love Him and who keep His word, that the Father also will love them, and Father and Son will come and make Their home with them.

Tip! If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and want to know for sure that you are a child of God, then I would like to invite you to earnestly pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart.

Let that thought sink deep into your hearts Children of God. The child of God is called to this blessed privilege, to live every moment of our life in fellowship with God. We are called to enjoy the full light of His countenance.

There are many Christians—I suppose the majority of Christians—who seem to regard the complete work of the Holy Spirit as limited to conviction and conversion: —yes but this is not all! He came to dwell in our hearts, and there reveal God to us. He came not to dwell near us, but in us, that we might be filled with His indwelling. We are commanded to be "filled with the Spirit;" then the Holy Spirit would make God's presence obvious to us. That is the total teaching of the epistle to the Hebrews: —the veil is torn in two; we now have access into the holiest of all by the blood of Jesus; we come into the very presence of God, so that we can live all the day with that presence resting on us. This presence is with us where ever we go; and in all kinds of trouble, we have undisturbed rest and peace. "Son, thou art ever with me."

Tip! “Intercession” is amplification in prayer; it is going out in broadness and fullness from ones self for others. Primarily, it does not center in praying for others, but refers to the freeness, boldness and childlike confidence in praying.

There are some people who seem to think that God, by some meaningless sovereignty, will withdraw His presence from us. I know that God loves His people too much to withhold His fellowship from them for any such reason. The true reason of the absence of God from us is rather to be found in our sin and unbelief, than in any supposed sovereignty of His. If the child of God is walking in faith and obedience, His Divine presence will be enjoyed in unbroken continuity.

Then there is the next blessed privilege: "All that I have is thine." Thank God, He has given us His own Son; and in giving Him, He has given us all things that are in Him, He has given us Christ's life, His love, His Spirit, His glory. "All things are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." All the riches of His Son, the everlasting King, God bestows upon every one of His children. "Son, thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine." Is not that the meaning of all those wonderful promises given in connection with prayer: "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, ye shall receive."? Yes of course, here it is. That is the life of the children of God, as He Himself has pictured it for us.