You're Covered by the Family Plan

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…”

Romans 8:16-17 (NIV)

Have you ever had a phone ruined by water? It's frustrating, inconvenient, and—if you've ever had to replace one—you know it's expensive. The summer before my daughter Victoria left for her freshman year of college, her phone met that unfortunate fate. Water had completely destroyed it. It wouldn't power on, respond, or do anything at all. As she prepared to leave home, I knew one thing for certain: there was no way I was sending my daughter away to college without a reliable way for us to stay connected. I had already resigned myself to what I thought was the inevitable. A refurbished replacement phone would probably cost around $150. At that moment, all I could hear was the loud sucking sound coming from my wallet. A few days later, while paying my bill at the AT&T store, I decided it couldn't hurt to ask if there were any options. The representative, Zac, requested my name, phone number, and account password. I braced myself for the familiar response: "You can try the bag-of-rice trick," or, "We can replace it with a refurbished phone for a fee."

Instead, Zac smiled and said something I'll never forget. "Because your daughter is part of your family plan—because she's under your account and carries your family plan—all the benefits available to your account extend to her. You're eligible today for a brand-new phone. Not refurbished. Not repaired. Brand new. The latest model." I just stood there in disbelief. What surprised me wasn't simply that the phone was free. It was the realization that I had almost settled for something less—something used, something repaired—without realizing that something far better was already available to me simply because of the family plan. That's the Gospel.

So many believers live as though they're surviving on spiritual leftovers, trying to patch together broken lives with refurbished grace and repaired strength. Yet God never intended His children to live that way. Because we belong to Him—because we have been adopted into His family—we are heirs. Not heirs of refurbished grace. Not recipients of patched-up mercy. Not beneficiaries of secondhand righteousness. We are heirs of God's abundant life. The apostle Paul writes:

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..." (Romans 8:16–17, NIV). Think about that. As sons and daughters of the Most High, we don't earn the benefits of God's family—we receive them. They are ours because Jesus has already paid the price. His sacrifice secured our adoption. His blood signed the covenant. Every promise that belongs to Christ is now extended to those who belong to Him.

That means His peace is available to you. His wisdom is available to you.

His righteousness is available to you. His strength is available to you.

His grace is available to you. His presence is available to you.

Right now.

So stop settling for spiritual rice bags and refurbished peace. Stop believing that barely getting by is all God has for you. You have been adopted into His family. You carry His name. You are covered by His covenant. And every benefit of belonging to the Father is already yours through Jesus Christ. You're covered by the family plan. 

Written by: Dana Carmona, M.A.