Truly privileged

The word privilege is used in our culture today for a variety of reasons but mostly to define benefits given to people of a certain race or income level. This isn’t a political or social blog so I will be using that word as it is used in the dictionary. That said, the use of the word in our current culture has served as a reminder that I am a truly privileged human being.

In Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, privilege is “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor.”  

The day I became a child of God, I received the highest honor and privilege I will ever have. It is a privilege offered equally, to everyone on this planet. It is the reason why every Christian should see themselves as a person who is truly privileged. We have been granted unique and eternal favor. 

What are the privileges granted to Christians? 

Christians can be found in countries around the world and come from every race of people and every socioeconomic standing. Christ came to bring God’s peace and unity to all believers. It is profoundly touching that in his last moments on earth Jesus chose to pray for all of us, asking his Father to help us find unity with God and with one another (John 17). 

This world will never be completely fair, and every human being has a sin nature that causes division and false judgment. Every human being has “sinned and fallen short” of the glory that God would have designed for our lives. Knowing that truth doesn’t mean we should resign ourselves to being less than God wants us to be. The Holy Spirit is the character of Christ given to every believer. We can always seek to live according to the Spirit’s leadership. None of us will be perfect, but all of us can do better. 

The apostle Paul put it this way: 

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:12–17) 

The high and holy privileges granted to Christians are the result of our adoption by God. He is our Father. We are “fellow heirs” with Jesus and blessed by the filling of God’s Holy Spirit. Everyone who has made Jesus their Lord and Savior can look in the mirror and see a truly privileged person reflected there. 

Christians have been privileged with the promise of: 

  • Eternal life (Revelation 22:14)
  • Eternal health (Philippians 3:20–21)
  • An eternal home (John 14:2)
  • A new and perfect life without pain, sadness, guilt, debt, sin, disease, and grief (Revelation 21)

I know that walking with God enhances our earthly lives, but our eternal promises don’t always apply to life this side of heaven. This life is temporary and subject to illness, disease, and sin. Jesus actually promised “tribulation” here on earth. The great privilege we can claim for each day is the hope that Jesus promised we will “overcome” this life and exchange it for the perfect life he described as heaven. 

Why will God hold us accountable for the privileges he has given us? 

I know that my life on earth is privileged as well. I had two parents who loved me, cared for me, and worked hard to provide for me. Neither of them came from opportunity, but they made sure that I would.  

I’m also privileged to have attended churches that taught me God’s word and encouraged me to walk with God. I’m privileged to have had pastors, teachers, and friends who strengthened my faith journey and helped me know God at deeper levels.  

I’m greatly privileged to have married the man God chose for me. No one who truly knows us would say we have had an easy life, but those same people could point to God’s abundant blessings. It is our great privilege to be in ministry and serve God as we serve others. 

The great privilege of ministry also comes with great accountability. Jesus was teaching a parable on this subject when he said, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:21). 

As Christians, we can know that there will be times when serving God and others will be truly exhausting. In fact, ministry is almost impossible to do apart from the filling of God’s strength and wisdom. The fact that it is difficult doesn’t mean we aren’t truly privileged to serve. Jesus is our high and holy example of what it means to live a sacrificial life of service. Our lives should always be lived with his example as our standard. 

We will never outwork or outgive God. Whatever we are called by God’s Holy Spirit to accomplish in this life is God’s path of blessing for us, now and eternally. 

We are called to share all that we have been privileged to receive 

I know some people will read my words and think I don’t understand. Truthfully, I don’t understand because I haven’t walked in their shoes. Some truths in this life are only learned by living them.  

We all have a story, and everyone’s story is unique. I was born into opportunities that I didn’t earn. I was taught to do my best to use the opportunities that I was given. I know that my life is a product of great privilege and I do not know who I would be had I been born into different circumstances. I also know that my greatest privileges are the result of my salvation in Christ. 

I am deeply grateful for the opportunities that I have been given. I know I am accountable to God to use my opportunities in this life, to share the gospel message and the promise of heaven with everyone I can. To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). 

If you are a Christian, you are truly privileged. 

Whom will you share your privileges with this week?

Chasing peace in a Walmart parking lot

I am now on Instagram, even though I’m still not quite sure what it is. I’ve always thought it was a place to post pictures of babies, dogs, and prom dates.


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I waited in my grocery pickup spot at Walmart for twenty minutes. 

My grocery order was ready, according to the app. This was the grocery order that was supposed to have been ready three hours earlier. 

I watched as I waited. Angry people got out of their cars demanding groceries and answers. They didn’t want to spend their Saturday in the parking lot either. 

The winds were howling, things were swirling in the air, and all of us wished we were somewhere else, doing something else. Then my order arrived. 

The person in the car next to me jumped out and demanded to know why I was getting my order when they had pulled into their spot before I had pulled into mine. 

That’s when I noticed the face of the young man delivering my groceries.

Chase peace 

The young man was gripping the cart and had to lock the wheels because the wind was blowing it around. He tried to explain that my order had been scheduled for pickup three hours earlier and orders were running way behind that day. He was cursed at before the angry person pulled away. Quickly, two cars fought for the newly emptied spot next to me. 

I got lucky that day. I was as cranky as the person in the car next to me. I had better things to do with my day than wait for a bunch of groceries. 

Then I saw my own attitude acted out in front of me. 

And I saw the face of the young man, who wasn’t to blame, being blamed. 

I got lucky that day because God gave me a chance to change my attitude before I spoke. 

The young man quickly put the groceries in the back of my car, trying to get his job done, and go on to the next person. Out of all the angry people in that parking lot, he had the right to be the angriest. Instead, he looked beaten down. He had just been cursed at because he came to work that day. 

I got lucky because I was given the chance to change my attitude before it was my turn to speak. 

The Bible says, “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19). Christians aren’t told to wish for peace; we’re told to pursue it. 

You’ve heard the familiar saying, “You get what you look for.” God told us to chase after peace. Pursue those things that cause and create mutual upbuilding. 

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9, emphasis added). 

I wrote this blog post in my head as I drove home. 

Chase peace, not privilege 

The news this week is tough. 

Our country relaxed our attitudes and now COVID is once again the lead story. Last spring, they told us the fall months would bring a second wave. We shouldn’t be surprised, but we seem to be. Americans are used to our freedoms and used to doing and having what we think we deserve. 

The person in the car next to me thought she deserved her groceries first. I thought I deserved my groceries three hours before I got them. The young man hauling our food deserved our gratitude. None of us were getting what we deserved. 

Americans are a privileged people, and we chase our privileges. God’s word tells us to chase peace, not privilege. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). 

All of us sat in our comfortable cars, impatient because our grocery orders were delayed. Meanwhile, a young man pushed a cart in the wind and unloaded our food into our cars—and we thought we deserved something better. 

I looked at the young man’s face and realized he was doing his best and no one thought that was good enough. 

The next couple of months might seem like things aren’t good enough. The holidays are going to be different. The holidays this year should be different, if you want them to be safe. 

Are we chasing God’s peace for our present reality, or do we feel like we deserve something better?

Chase peace as a priority 

The highest priority for the next few months is to keep people safe until they can be vaccinated. All of us are tired of waiting. Some will get the vaccine first and others will be forced to wait. Everyone will need to “pursue peace,” but only some will. 

Today is a good day to make your choice. 

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). God’s children are blessed when they make peace. Creating peace in this world is our Christian priority. 

Why is peacemaking our job? 

That question is answered by Jesus’ half brother, James, the same brother who probably argued with Jesus about his preaching in Mark 3. James later wrote that “a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18). 

Christians are tasked with making peace, not wishing for it. Our blessing, our eternal reward, and our “harvest of righteousness” result from that priority. 

Are you peaceful and content with your blessings these days, or wishing for something more? 

Let’s not wait for a vaccine to bring us peace. Let’s pursue peace now. 

We are children of God, tasked with peacemaking. Our blessing will be a harvest of righteousness. 

Who will be right with God because we choose to pursue peace? 

Chase peace as an opportunity 

When I met the eyes of the young man loading my groceries, he quickly looked away. I think he thought I was going to complain about the long wait. 

Truthfully, if I hadn’t seen him get “cursed,” I might have missed an opportunity. 

Instead of venting about the inconvenience, I was able to speak some words of peace, gratitude, and compassion. I got lucky that day. I was given the opportunity to witness someone else’s sin so I could recognize my own. I was given the opportunity to serve the Lord’s purpose. 

When the young man’s eyes looked up again, I was able to see a tired smile and I was blessed

All of us have opportunities ahead, especially in the next couple of months. This is a good day to decide how we are going to “pursue peace” in a season that is about peace. 

We don’t pursue peace by hoping for it. 

We are called to “make peace” for the sake of others and for ourselves. 

When you chase peace, you chase God 

I will close this blog with the words Paul wrote to close his second letter to Corinth: “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11). 

The next few months are an opportunity. 

Let’s commit to being peacemakers in a culture that desperately needs peace. 

Paul reminds us that when we aim at peace, we are literally seeking the presence of God. 

Don’t hope for peace; make peace. “And the God of love and peace will be with you.” 

I lived Paul’s words while driving home with all my groceries. 

As it turned out, I didn’t have anything better to do that day.


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