Adopted

The more I try to understand what is happening in the world, the more I realize that I cannot possibly understand. But through it all, this I do understand! We who believe have been adopted by our Lord. The Scriptures tell us that we have received the Spirit of adoption, and by it we cry Abba, Father! So when I think of being in a family, my mind goes back to my youth. My dad didn’t always make the kinds of decisions that I understood. I questioned many adults and their actions, but only in my mind as I would never question an adult. My role as a child was to obey the adults over me. Why the discipline? Why the behavior that broke me down, and built me up? Why the words that at times seemed like arrows hitting my body, and at other times, the balm that calmed my soul. I couldn’t understand it, until I became one of THEM! How often have you said, I’ll never treat my children that way, only to come to the place where you add, “Goodness, I’ve become my parents? You see, we all come to the place of understanding, even though now the children who we have are saying the same things. Lessons learned, or hopefully learned. But now I find myself as a child of the King, our Lord and Savior Jesus, and the God of all the universe. I am the child again, and some things I don’t understand, but this I know. I know that He loves me, and He wants the best for me. I know that some of the things He allows to happen on this earth are tests, and used for strengthening us in times of trials. But I want to leave you with these verses this morning, for in them I pray you will also find what I have found. When we are the child, we need to trust, and know that our Father loves us, and wants the best for us. So even if we struggle in this world, it is only preparing us for eternity, and the welcome we will receive once we get to heaven. We know that heaven is a greater place, and the current place we live is filled with trials and storms, yet at times we want to stay in the storm instead of longing for that which will be permanent and perfect. So listen to the Scripture: “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 Own this for you have been adopted and belong to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Jesus is His name, and He is waiting to bring us to where He has been preparing a place for us all this time. Trust for now, and then we will all understand.