“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).

As children, my sisters and I were fascinated by the royal family. Their lives seemed so carefree and beautiful! We’d play games and name our characters names that belonged to the royal family. Why did we have such admiration for this “privileged” family? It seemed to us that they had so much, and we wanted the same privileges they enjoyed!

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be the son or daughter of the queen or king? If you have, what were the reasons you had for wanting to belong to the royal family? Was it for the attention you’d get, the position you’d hold, the food you’d eat, the clothes you’d wear, or even the money you’d have?

Everyone is born into this world with the desire to gain—whether it’s just the largest piece of cake or the coolest car, we are all driven by our selfish desires to have the very best of everything. . . . Even our desire to go to Heaven can come from a selfish motive to gain something better.

But did you know that God our Father has already given us the privilege of possessing all that will make us eternally happy? He is the King of the universe! Sometimes we forget that fact, lose percep-tion of true value, change our focus, and chase after fame and recognition here on earth.

This brings us to the realization that all we possess in reality belongs to our King, and the position we hold is something much more to be desired than any earthly position of wealth. In gratitude for what our heavenly Father has done for us, it only makes sense that we would want to give back to Him what belongs to Him. Being a child of the King of kings calls us to the responsibility to act and live like it.

Do we realize what it means to be the children of the King? Being in the presence of God daily and revealing His love to others calls for all that we have and are. Where do we invest all our energies? Where do we place value?

In John 18:36, Pilate asks Jesus if He is the King of the Jews, but Jesus replies, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

Pilate continues by asking if He is a King then, and Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” (Verse 37).

We see clearly that Jesus does indeed claim to be a King, but not of this world. This must mean that we are the children of a King who rules not on this earth, but the entire universe.

“The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” (Psalm 103:19)

Keeping before us the fact that we are not of this world, but truly belong to the heavenly kingdom should embed in us the love to do everything that our King requires of us!

Just as the children of the queen have responsibilities and rules that they must follow, we as children of the Heavenly King are to live and act up to the standards of His Kingdom. In the royal family, the do’s and don’ts list is very long, and some of them get tired of having to keep certain rules and choose not to be recognized as royalty anymore.

Being a child of the King means much more than we can ever know! A share in the “sufferings” that Jesus had to go through are a part of the role we have as children of the King.

Have you ever given way to discouragement and doubted your worth and identity? It can be very easy to let the devil tempt us into believing his lies telling us that we are worthless—subjects of his kingdom forever! This has led many to stumble and give up hope in everything. But this does not have to be a part of anyone’s experience—because of Christ.

Did you know that Christ has already freed us from this world of bondage to the devil? He gave up His glorious throne above, humbled Himself to dwell in human flesh, lived in this sinful place we like to call home, and suffered and died a cruel death—not because He had to, but because He loved us so much. He loved us to the point that it was irrelevant to Him whether He would even enjoy eternity with the Father again!

If He didn’t do this for us, we would indeed be doomed! That is when we would have real reason to doubt and be discouraged, because we would have no identity—no reason to live.

Everything we are, we are in Christ. He is my King, and nothing the devil can say, nothing that he may try to make me believe can change the fact that I am a child of the King.

What does this mean for us? God’s kingdom is ruled by love, and that is what He requires from all of His redeemed ones. He gives us the strength to reflect His love and He wants us to be bearers of His love to everyone around us.

Jesus declares: “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

When it seems to us that it is too hard to abide by the standards of Heaven, and we’re tempted to choose not to be recognized as royalty anymore, remember that your true identity and value can only be found in God. Choosing to lose that privilege demonstrates ingratitude, and a loss of every-thing valuable. Identity apart from that found in our King is meaningless!

“Many seem to be sad because of their religion. We should not go about begging pardon of the world because we are Christians. I beg pardon of Jesus Christ only, because I am not complete in Him. . . . If we love Jesus we shall become heirs of God, and the Father will love us as He loves His Son Jesus Christ. We are members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King.”—In Heavenly Places, p. 254.

There is abundant hope for us, not as a result of anything that we have done or can do, but because Jesus Christ, our Saviour, has made it possible.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3–5).

Without the death and resurrection of Christ, our lives would be in vain. He has made our salvation possible, and made us joint-heirs with Him. Because of what He has done, you and I are given the power to become the sons and daughters of God.

Will you accept Christ as your King? In 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18, He appeals to us to accept His power to free us from the devil’s grip and choose to be His. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

Again, here it shows us that we have a part to play in being God’s children. We cannot serve the ruler of this world, and at the same time claim to be the children of the Heavenly King! The Majesty of Heaven calls us to come out and be separate.

“Let everyone who claims to be a child of the heavenly King seek constantly to represent the principles of the kingdom of God. Let each remember that in spirit, in word, and in works, he is to be loyal and true to all the precepts and commandments of the Lord. We are to be faithful, trustworthy subjects of the kingdom of Christ, that those who are worldly-wise may have a true representation of the riches, the goodness, the mercy, the tenderness, and the courtesy of the citizens of the kingdom of God.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 189, 190.

Are you willing to recognize your true identity and worth? Not only does Christ’s kingdom guarantee the purest joys, but through our life of service, He will be glorified, and when He comes back to take us to our Home, we will changed in the “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

We will reign as heirs of the heavenly kingdom because Jesus Christ has chosen and redeemed us. You are a child of God, a child of the King!