So my friend Joanne recommended that we watch a message by Voddie Baucham about adoption...you can view it here if you want... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5qnz5X4Jc .
After watching it, Ken and I viewed adoption a little differently. We saw how God has adopted us-with a new understanding of what that means. It brought me even greater reassurance and security in my relationship with my Father. That once a child is adopted-it is a done deal. Once adopted, we are a child of the king. All the children have the same rights as any other child.
Just as Ephesians 1:3-7 says, "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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
Voddie made many interesting points, but one thing in particular he said, was that when someone decides to adopt -it has to be all about that child- not what the child can do for you-but what you can do for the child. And isn't that how it is with God? There is nothing that we bring to the table with God...everything is about His grace in choosing to love us (Ephesians 2:8).
Just as a family wants to adopt a child solely to love and bless that child. God has gone above and beyond for us. His plan in eternity is to bestow on us love and "the riches of His glory" for eternity. (Romans 9:23)
Oh' how marvelous it is to be adopted by God and to be blessed by His great love and rich mercies. And whereas we pay money to adopt a child, God paid the ultimate sacrifice through Jesus dying on the cross to forgive us. He paid a very high price to adopt His children, way more than we would ever pay in an earthly adoption process. God's adoption plan is perfect from every angle, in every comparison to earthly adoptions...God goes above and beyond.
After watching this message, I went to read a book my Mom had given me in December, by Max Lucado, called Grace. The chapter I opened to next, happened to be on adoption, it was called "Chosen Children". Max talks about the orphan train from 1854-1929, and about a little boy Lee, who was on that train. He talked about the boy's struggles of being unwanted, and then talked about how after some time, he was adopted by this couple on a farm. He talked about how after the adoption that couple walked him up and down the street to meet the neighbors and introduce "their new son". It was a moving story, but it parallels how God has adopted us. Max said "Adopted children are chosen children" and "To accept God's grace is to accept God's offer to be adopted into his family."
When Max closed the chapter he wrote: "To live as God's child is to know, at this very instant, that you are loved by your Maker not because you try to please him and succeed, or fail to please him and apologize, but because he wants to be your Father. Nothing more. All your efforts to win his affection are unnecessary. All your fears of losing his affection are needless. You can no more make him want you than you can convince him to abandon you. The adoption is irreversible. You have a place at his table."
God is the Master of adoption!
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