Not Less-Than. Not an Afterthought.
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
— John 1:12–13
I was taken to church as a child, raised in a setting that spoke of God’s love, but by the time I was 17, I walked away. I didn’t just walk away—I rode away on a motorcycle, carrying the weight of a world I thought was meant for me.
So when I read the words, “born of God”, I paused. Could this new birth, this divine adoption, really be mine? Could someone like me—who had walked away from God for years—truly be called a child of God?
The answer, as only grace can declare, is yes.
The Vineyard Call
Jesus told a parable about laborers hired at different times of the day (Matthew 20:1–16). Some began at sunrise, others at mid-morning, and still others were brought in near day’s end. But when the time came to receive their wages, the landowner paid each one the same.
The workers who started early grumbled, but the landowner reminded them: “I am not being unfair to you… Are you envious because I am generous?”
That parable is not about fairness—it’s about grace.
Whether you walked with Jesus since childhood or only found Him after years in the wilderness, the reward is the same: full adoption, full forgiveness, full inheritance. No portion is held back for the latecomer.
Not an Afterthought
Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.”
Before you believed in Him, He believed in you. You were known. You were chosen. You were not saved by accident or as a consolation prize. You are not God’s backup plan. Your coming to Him was not an interruption—it was a fulfillment.
The delay you see … God sees design.
You are not less-than those who have served Him longer. You are not an afterthought in His family. You are fully His.
Born of God
John 1:13 reminds us that this new birth isn’t from lineage, effort, or timing. It says:
“…not of natural descent, nor of human decision, nor a husband’s will, but born of God.”
This is a miracle birth. A God-birth. And when He gives it, it is never partial. Never probationary. Never late.
If You’re Wondering
If you’ve ever sat in a pew and felt like a guest at someone else’s family dinner…
If you’ve looked at seasoned believers and felt like a spiritual outsider…
If you’ve wondered whether your past disqualifies your present…
Then hear this clearly:
You are not less-than.
You are not an afterthought.
You are born of God.
And that is more than enough.