Christians have position, possessions to rival royals

Last week I was reading about Great Britain’s royal family. Through the years I have followed royal weddings, royal babies, royal funerals and all the pomp that comes with those events. It is apparent that just being born into the British royal family brings not only an instant elite position but also an abundance of expensive possessions.

As far as position, Queen Elizabeth is the head of the Church of England and represents Britain when the nation is going through tragedy or celebrations. She is also head of state and the commander of all the armed forces of Great Britain. Furthermore, she is monarch in Canada, Australia and 13 other countries. The titles and cumulative status in all these areas is extraordinary.

Further, many possessions come with her position as queen. Queen Elizabeth has free accommodations, castles, estates and such, all maintained by public funds. She has access to valets, footmen, butlers, maids, chauffeurs and nannies. Transportation is no issue. The royal family has free transportation: beautiful cars, royal trains, helicopters and planes. They also are given free clothes for royal engagements. (https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-perks-of-being-a-British-royal)

And what about the queen’s possessions? Queen Elizabeth II is the richest member of the British royal family. The combined net worth of the royals as of 2017 was $88 billion. Their holdings include crown jewels, properties, a racetrack, a huge art collection and rare antiques. (Business Insider, April 23, 2018).

The royal family has position and possessions supremely unique in this world. Their days seem to hold charm and wealth, and their day-to-day lives are far from mundane. Being born into the royal family has its own unique advantage.

As amazing as her envied life may be, we all come to the end of life the same. At death, a queen and a pauper rest. One may be in a sarcophagus in a stately magnificent church, and the other in a simple box in an unmarked grave in an obscure cemetery. Earthly position and possessions make no difference in the end.

The good news is that the believer has position and possessions that are eternal because of the King of Kings. Being a child of God is not limited to a certain royal few in this life. The position as a child of God does not depend on gender, wealth, status, notoriety, society, culture, the world’s standards, DNA, connections or statutes. A believer’s position is defined entirely by being a child of God. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

The position comes when one is saved by grace through faith in Christ: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8). Then as a believer, we have the position of being led by the Spirit of God: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” (Romans 8:14) And we are kept in safety: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11).

And what about the believer’s possessions in Christ? When a person becomes a believer, that person is immediately given every spiritual blessing in Christ. Paul wrote:: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3) Paul said these blessings are “the unfathomable riches of Christ.” (Eph. 3:8) Unfathomable means that which cannot be understood, measured, assessed or quantified. Our blessings in Christ are unlimited and unlimited cannot be calculated.

In this life, some may have more valued and cherished positions than others. It is the same with possessions; some have many and some have few. But the reality is that so many strive for position and possessions in life and are single minded in the collection and accumulation of those items. And to what end?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the martyred pastor in Nazi Germany, wrote: “Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.”

The good news is that the Christian has position and possessions in Christ for this earthly life as well as of all eternity.

Judy Brandon is a Clovis resident. Contact her at:

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