You are not a step child.
You are not a stepchild in the Kingdom of God. You are not on the outside looking in. You are not loved less, trusted less, or given limited access to the heart of the Father. Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, you are a full child of God, with full access to everything Jesus purchased with His blood.
Somewhere along the way, many believers quietly begin to believe they are tolerated instead of treasured. That God loves others more. That some believers are “real sons,” while they are only allowed to stay as long as they behave. But that belief does not come from Scripture. It comes from misunderstanding the covenant you live in. We are not living under law, probation, or performance. We are living in the dispensation of grace, where everything is received because of Christ, not earned through effort.
The Father does not relate to you as a distant authority keeping score. He relates to you as a loving Father who chose you, adopted you, and delights in you. Scripture says, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13, ESV). His compassion is not seasonal. It does not run out when you struggle. It flows from who He is, not how well you perform.
Jesus did not shed His blood to give you partial access. He did not die so you could live feeling second-class in God’s family. The cross was not a down payment with conditions attached. It was full payment. Because of Jesus, you do not stand before God hoping to be accepted. You stand already accepted, already known, already loved. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8, ESV). That steadfast love is not fragile. It is covenant love.
If you feel like others walk more confidently with God than you do, hear this gently. Confidence does not come from being a better believer. It comes from knowing the Father’s heart. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, ESV). A shepherd does not ration care based on performance. He provides because the sheep belong to him. You belong to God. That is why you lack nothing in Christ.
In this current dispensation, God is not waiting for you to prove yourself worthy of inheritance. Jesus already proved you worthy by giving His life. You are not trying to qualify for blessings. You are learning to receive what has already been secured. “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1, ESV). And as His child, you are not excluded from His fullness.
The Father’s love for you is not theoretical. It is personal. He does not love you in general. He loves you specifically. “The LORD takes pleasure in his people” (Psalm 149:4, ESV). He takes pleasure in you, not because you are flawless, but because you are His. You are not a burden to Him. You are not a disappointment He puts up with. You are a child He delights in.
If you have been living like a stepchild, always afraid of being sent away, today is an invitation to rest. “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8, ESV). His goodness is not something you earn. It is something you experience when you stop striving and start trusting.
You have full access to the Father’s heart. You have full standing in His family. You have a full inheritance because Jesus paid for it in full. You are not on the fringe of the Kingdom. You are at home.
And nothing you are walking through right now changes that.
