Yesterday, I experienced a first.

"Now boarding first class" I heard over the loudspeaker.

"Ugh..." I thought.

"No wait, that's me!" My ears perked as I recalled that I had been surprisingly upgraded!

I grabbed my bag and strutted down the terminal with a select few - head held high, feeling like I was on top of the world. I felt honored. I felt alive.

I was the first to take my seat and watched the rest usher in. I'm a people watcher, so that was wonderful. I reclined my seat and stretched my legs in comfort - like never before. I felt it absolutely necessary to indulge in these momentary pleasures, and to be honest, I sucked out every last second of luxury that I could.

It seemed as if these endless luxuries were at my disposal. I was overwhelmed and full of satisfaction.

After soaking in comfort for a while, I sat up and thought, "because of this higher standard, it seems as if the people up here live up to it. High class yields high class, and I was thrown into it - undeservedly."

This got me to thinking. When I finally realized that I am who I am because God says I am, and that He threw me into this new high class - the standard of Jesus - as an empowered son of God who didn't earn any of it, well, I began to live up to it. This altered the course of my life.

I had been undeservedly upgraded. Endless love, unending Kingdom was at my fingertips, and all because of nothing I had done - it was all because of what He had done for me. First class came to me, loved me, spoke into me, served me, and raised me to a higher standard.

You see, we raise each other to a higher standard. This is a gift. Indulge in the Father, speak into someone's life, love them, serve them, and usher them into first class - this higher standard of living in Jesus - today.

Remember when you stepped into "first class"?