April is for Adoption!
Adopt a pet? Adopt a fish? Who is adopting whom?
I got your attention, didn’t I?
The good news is that God adopted YOU!
As we have studied Ephesians this year, adoption has been a theme we’ve seen. Let’s review a few verses.
Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (New Living Translation). And Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that “we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
If you read these together, you can see that God planned for us to be adopted into His family. He planned good things for us. He planned our lives like they were a great work of art. That’s what a “masterpiece” is—a great work of art!
It’s easy to read this in the Bible and not truly grab the reality that God brought us to Himself to be His family. Paul, the writer of Ephesians, REALLY wanted us to understand and believe this good news! He knew that people would have a hard time believing this was real and walking as true children adopted by God.
This is why Paul says it again, in a different way, in verses 11-22. He tells the church at Ephesus to remember that not only were they sinners, but they weren’t even Jews! The Jews were considered God’s people by birth. The Ephesian people didn’t even have that natural-born privilege, but were gentiles (non-Jewish). Verse 12 says, “…You lived in this world without God and without hope.”
The Jewish people had a covenant with God. They were, and still are, God’s chosen people. Even today, when you hear stories about Israel, remember to bless and pray for them.
The gentiles were orphans and had no connection to God. They lived in this world without hope or help. Thankfully, God did not leave them (or us) this way! Paul wanted them to remember the truth we see in John 3:16-17: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” God did not leave us separated from Himself, but sent Jesus to bring us close!
The only way to do that was for us to become part of Him. Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”
This is how He did it! By dying on the Cross, and pouring out His blood for you and me, He made us His blood brothers and sisters. All we have to do is believe it, and we belong to Jesus and to the Father! This is the miracle of being born again by the Holy Spirit when we say yes to the Father’s plan for us. He loves us all the time. But when we accept Jesus, we become HIS special treasure too. Verse 19 says, “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.”
We are adopted into the family of God!
Say this out loud every time you think of it: “I BELONG to Almighty God! No one can snatch me out of His hand, or remove His love from me.” (John 10:28)
God’s plan is to bring us all, natural-born Jew or born-again adopted, into Himself; and make us the place where His Spirit lives. This is our identity. Adopted sons and daughters of God, where He Himself lives. WE are God’s people by rebirth: BORN AGAIN. We were adopted when we were born again. Better than any fairy tale you’ve ever heard about kings adopting orphans—it’s a TRUE story!
Superkid, is it your story? If not, we can take care of that right now! Ready to be adopted into the family of God? Pray this with me:
“Father, I want to be adopted and belong to You! I believe You sent Jesus to die on the cross for me. Jesus, come into my heart. I give You my life and I receive the Holy Spirit, filling me up with You!”
Now we ALL belong to the King!
Commander Kellie♥