“He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.” Ephesians 1:5-6
Some of our close friends went through the adoption process a few years ago when they added their amazing son to their family. Fast forward to the present, and they find themselves in the middle of the process again as they are seeking to now add their adorable daughter to their clan. I think about them and pray for them often in this process, and every time I do, my heart swells with joy. Why? Because the heart of God beats for this very thing…adoption.
Before we were in Christ, we were alienated from fellowship with God. We were separated and far away. When we come to faith in Jesus, a miraculous thing occurs…adoption. He chooses us, welcomes us into His family, loves us as His own child, grafts us in, and now we belong. Ephesians tells us here that before the creation of the world, His intentions were set on you and me. Before one of our days came to be, He said, “I want that one.”
I don’t know what that does to you, but it wrecks me! Having spent much of my life without a father figure to look up to and find shelter and comfort from, this understanding of God’s heart for me just overwhelms me. That He would choose me. That He would want me. That He would call me His child. That He would adopt me into His family. I’m undone. There is no greater love that you or I could ever find on this side of heaven.
Perhaps your story differs from mine. You had an incredible earthly father who loved and adored you. Still, being chosen and wanted matters to us all, and it speaks volumes of God’s heart and His character to us. The greatest love that we could ever know here on earth…God’s love outdoes even that. He set His affections on you and me. He took great delight in us, and decided in advance that He wanted us to sit at His table.
To know God is to understand this defining characteristic of who He is. He is our adoptive Father. When He could have walked past us and chosen someone who seemed to be more fitting, He stopped, looked down, and lifted us up into His arms. When He could have invested His time and attention on another, He instead called us daughters and sons. And He didn’t stop at just giving us His name. No. He covered us in His grace.
What extravagant love. What boundless grace. What abundant favor. And it rests on us, because He chose to want us. When the world rejects you, remember who chooses you. When the world walks out on you, remember who invites you in. When the world betrays you, remember who protects you. When the world gives up on you, remember who claims you. In Christ, you are adopted.
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