Adoption
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 1:3-10
In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.
Maybe you have read about or seen heart-wrenching pictures of orphanages in some countries where babies lie unattended in their cribs, crying piteously in unchanged diapers. No one plays with them, hugs them, kisses them, or coos at them. The workers are overburdened and overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.
Ezekiel 16 includes a striking allegory about Jerusalem in its miserable plight: “On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed. . . . No one looked on you with pity. . . . You were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and . . . I said to you, ‘Live!’ I made you grow like a plant of the field. . . . You became mine” (Ezekiel 16:4-8).
That is what 1 John 3:1 is talking about when it says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” Or, as Paul put it, “In love he predestined us for adoption. . . .” If God had left us in our sinful state, we would have died. And today, because God has put his Spirit in us, we can live for him.
Because of his love for us, we can turn away from sin. Believing in Christ, we are washed, and we live in his love. We are cherished. God becomes our loving Father. He loves and disciplines us as his children, and we live in his family forever. What a beautiful picture of the tenderness of our God!
Father, thank you that through Jesus we are yours. Help us to reflect your love in us by sharing your love with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — George Young
George Young, a native New Yorker, worked as a taxi driver in New York City before studying to become a pastor. Then he, his wife Ruth, and their children were missionaries for many years in northeastern Japan. They worked with ministers and believers from the Reformed Church in Japan to spread the good news of salvation in Christ and establish new churches. Now George and Ruth are retired and live in the northeastern United States, nearer to their children and grandchildren.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!