Today we're pleased to share with you an audio essay written and read by Mike McKinley

entitled Four Privileges We Enjoy as Friends of God.

Mike McKinley's book is Friendship with God, a Path to Deeper Fellowship with a Father,

Son, and Spirit from Crossway.

Privileges we enjoy as a friend of God.

Written and read by Mike McKinley.

Christians are the most privileged people on earth.

Every human being benefits from God's daily mercy and kindness. Every bite of food, every breath of air,

every experience of love and happiness finds its origin in the benevolence of God. Matthew 545,

James 117. But those who have been united to Christ by faith receive gifts and privileges far beyond anyone else.

We experience God's common grace like the rest of mankind, but on top of that, we are also

blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1.3.

If we're being honest, though, most Christians that I know, myself included,

do not walk around every day giving often, I am extremely blessed vibe. The cares of the world often

weigh on us. Anxieties about the future sometimes will not stop nipping at our heels. And when we

allow ourselves to think about it, we generally do not feel

like we're doing a great job of following Jesus. We find ourselves easily excited, by a win in the

big game, a promotion at work, a new relationship, but the happiness rarely lasts for long.

The Bible leads us to expect that Christians will have a source of hope and joy that should

be evident to the world around them, but many of us do not consistently live like we do.

We might be tempted to think that this state of affairs is the result of life in the modern world,

with all of its difficulties, busyness, temptations, and distractions.

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