This post is inspired by the events of and the lives of several people near and dear to Team Swap. The basis of this weeks post is the topic of adoption.
Adoption has been in the news recently due to the Asian Tsunami that created so many orphan’s and, the issues of an adoption gone bad in Florida (the birth mother coming to get her child after several years with the adoptive parents). Regardless of the current state though, adoption is a constant need and issue within the world. Children have been adopted by loving people for as long as there has been a need to care for orphaned and abandoned children. The reason people adopt varies - some can not have children themselves, some want one more child, some want to be sure a special needs child is cared for, some adopt to help a child that would be at risk or in danger if they remained with their birth parents, some adopt to assure that a unwanted child is born, some adopt to keep a unplanned child in the family (aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and parents typically do this). There are as many reasons to adopt as there are people and situations. In the end, adoption is the act of loving people taking on orphaned, abandoned, unwanted, or unloved children and giving them a chance at a better life.
Some people try to adopt within their community or area, some stay within their own race, others adopt outside their race, some stay within their nation, and others go to foreign lands. Regardless of where the child is, how they look, the differences or similarities they have with the adoptive parents, the child is brought to their new home with their new parents and giving a new life. That is the key point to adoption, the giving of a new life and a new home, with a new hope, with new parents and new goals and dreams.
Unfortunately, like the recent case in Florida, sometimes this hope of a new life with new goals does not work out due to the intervention of the birth parents, abusive adoptive parents, or numerous other issues. Most of us have probably heard of, or seen, situations where the birth parents tried to intervene in the life of the adoptive child or where the adopted child is abused or taken advantage of. In some cases, there is a clause in the adoption that allows for continued interaction between the birth parent and the child, but in most call for the birth parents to remain some distance from the child with the hope of avoiding any problems later. Other issues that arise within adoptions are related to family history, medical issues, bad paperwork in adoptions, birth parents that change their mind, and numerous other issues. The short of it is that many times adoptions that were designed to help and prosper the child lead to pain and unforseen issues due to changes in views, circumstances and relationships over time.
Now I am sure you are wondering why we spent all of this time on adoption when this is suppose to be a Christian oriented site. Well adoption is a large issue in many churches. It is not uncommon for church families to adopt both local and international children. Many churches help mothers place their children in positive adoptive situations as well. However, we have not discussed adoption today to discuss the issues of the local church and adoption. No, today we want to discuss the issue of our adoption into the body of Christ.
The Bible tells us that the saved are heirs to the kingdom of heaven. That means that Christians are in God’s family, and since none of us were born as brothers and sisters of Christ that means that when we accept Christ we are adopted into God’s family. Now let’s looks at the previous reason we mentioned for adoption - the giving of a new life, a new home, new hope, new parents and new goals / dreams. Wow, those sound just like the act of us accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, and God adopting us into His family.
God adopts us into His family where we have life, where we have a eternal home, where we have hope, where have a Heavenly father, and where we are new creations with new hopes, goals and dreams. Like adoptive human parents God is not concerned with where we are, or what our past was. He is concerned with our future. He is concerned about our hopes, our goals and our desires. In the end, God’s purpose in saving us, and then adopting us into His family, are similar to the purposes of earthly parents that adopt a earthly child. He is saving a lost and abandoned person from a life of hopelessness, despair, and anguish.
Though there are many similarities between earthly and heavenly adoption, there are two large differences. First, God was involved in our life even before we acknowledged Him to be our father. Secondly, God is not concerned about paper work or age when He adopts us into His family.
Another similarity between Heavenly adoption and earthly adoption is that when things go wrong it is due to a change in the intent and relationship of the adoption. The difference though is that the change does not come from a outside force. The change comes from us making the decision to rebel against God and return to our true sinful selves. When our walk with God goes bad it is because we are returning to our lost, sinful, and rebellious nature. Basically we are returning to our previous life of being lost, hopeless, and on the road to destruction. When we do this, we are not the people that God calls us to be. When we rebel, we are not following after the new desires and goals He has for us. What we are doing is following after the old desires of our heart, and of our fallen mind.
Though God will never leave us nor forsake us, we can injury our relationship with Him to the point where we can not be used effectively in the kingdom any longer. It is not a matter of being saved or lost, as once we are in God’s hand He will not let us go. The issue is the matter of being in a proper relationship with Christ. The great thing is that when we decide to turn from our wicked way and return to our new ways, goals and desires God fully restores us like a chosen child. He is quick to restore and bless. His desire is to care, mend, repair and direct.
Just like in earthly adoptions when we become members of God’s family we also take on the responsibilities that come with that title - child of God. We now are called to put other’s desires and needs ahead of our own. Though we share in the blessings of Christ, we also share in His sufferings and we will be called to labor and toil for His work and way. Our life’s purpose is to share God with others, not live for self, joy, folly, and pleasure. Co-heirs means co-workers, co-laborers, co-givers, co-suffers, and co-redeemed. We are joined with the creator of the universe, we command angels and demons quake in the light of Christ that shows through us. With this power comes the responsibility to live up to the goals and standards set for us by our heavenly Father. Basically, with power comes responsibility.
Today thank God for adopting you fully into His Kingdom. When He did this He made you a full heir to Heaven and it’s power. Thank Him for His power, His mercy, His love, His blessing, His concern, His wisdom, His guidance, and His direction. Decide today to no longer desire the things of your old lost life, but celebrate your new life, new family, new hope, and new eternal security. Though you will fall, God does and will fully restore you. Thank Him for that.
Titus 3:3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
If you do not know Christ, today is the day to be adopted into His kingdom. Today is the day of salvation, and God is ready to accept you right now, there is no reason to wait. Click Here if you would like to see how to accept Christ
