Adopted
by David Haase
Ephesians 1:3, 5-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.
My father was adopted.
His life was not very pleasant. The person he called “Mom” did not like him and abused him. He left home at a very young age and never looked back. My dad spent his entire life trying to find his real family, putting ads in papers with responses that were to no avail.
God has adopted us all, through Jesus Christ, but unlike my father’s adoptive parents, God desperately loves and wants each one of us.
We have been chosen for salvation, being adopted as God’s children. He has given us forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the Spirit, and the power to do His will. We also have the hope of living forever with Christ.
God’s greatest gift is Love.
The essence of Love is free-will. Each of us has been allowed to chose or reject Jesus. We can choose to live a worldly life or choose to have a relationship with Christ.
It is easy to believe, yet the cross sometimes becomes heavy. Loving others before ourselves is rewarding, yet it’s sometimes very demanding. This Scripture gives us the assurance that a loving God has predestined us for adoption and salvation when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.
The gift of salvation is free, yet we do not deserve it. What a blessing!
Reflection
God has chosen me. Do I accept Him? Why or why not? What does it mean to me to be one of God’s adopted children?
Prayer
Gracious God! Thank You for the gift of salvation through Your Son Jesus Christ. Please give me the strength to spread joy to others. In His name I pray, Amen!
