Adopted
Dear Faith Family,
Praying you and your family are well. Family. The word is so expressive, isn’t it? It can mean so much to so many, yet it means different things to different people. Some with think of husband/wife and kids. Some will include Grandma or Grandpa when they think of the term “family.” Still others will just think of mom and dad, some might think of their child while someone else thinks of their 10 children. Some will picture their 4 boys, others think of their castle filled with 4 princesses. Some live with aunts and uncles and cousins. Family—it means so much to so many!
Even how we come to be in a family can be varied. Biological or adopted children are both equally children of a family. I know several families who have adopted children from other countries—Vietnam, China—new families created in a wonderful and international style.
How about you? What do you think of adoption? Perhaps you have personal experience with adoption. I have friends who have adopted. I have friends who are adopted. Wait a minute . . . actually, we have all been adopted, haven’t we?
In God’s grand order of his spiritual adoption agency, you have a new home in God’s own family. We were born outside of God’s family. We were all born from a family tainted by sin. A sinful child comes from a sinful mother and a sinful father. What difficult circumstances into which we were born! Outside of God’s family, we had no true spiritual home.
Yet God came to you in love and care and compassion and through faith in Jesus has made you a part of his family. John’s first letter spells this out for us:
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on
us, that we should be called children of God! And
that is what we are!”
Through faith in Jesus, you are God’s dear child and heir of heaven. Through Jesus, you have a spiritual family. Through Jesus, you have a place in God’s family now and forever. Through this spiritual adoption, God is your Heavenly Father and you and I are brothers and sisters in the one true faith. I start out most of these devotions calling you my dear faith family. Those aren’t just pretty words—it’s the truth. We are family. We are God’s family. I’m glad. Praise God!
Prayer idea: Thank God for his love lavished on you that you are a child of God through faith in Jesus. Pray for your church family. Ask for opportunities to show love to your brothers and sisters in the faith.
Blessings on your week,
--Pastor Dan