Becoming a Part of His Family

I've been thinking a lot about what it means to have been adopted by God, to have been brought into His family and made His child.  What does it really mean?  I was adopted by God.  He made me His daughter. Without Jesus, I could not know God as my Father.  Trying to wrap my brain around this miracle...


Today dear friends boarded a plane to go pick up their little girl for the first time.  She has no idea what's about to happen-that her entire life as she's known it is about to change.  She didn't ask them to come and give her a family.  She might not even know that she needs one.  She doesn't know what it's like to be loved by someone who will never leave her.  She has nothing to compel them to make her their child; no guarantee of her devoted love, no promise that she will only cause them joy and no pain, certainly no money to help them with the expenses.  She is an orphan but soon she will be a daughter.  She could never have made this happen on her own.


If you're a Christian, this was your state.  We were without hope and were children of wrath according to Ephesians 2:


"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived...and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." (vs.1,2, 3b)


We were orphans with no hope of having a loving Father because we were separated from Him by our sin.  Like the little girl that my friends are flying to pick up and bring into their family, we were without hope.  But:


"In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will..." (Ephesians 1:5) 

There is nothing in me that could have compelled Him to come and bring me to Him, nothing that I could have given to make Him want me as His daughter. The Holy God-the creator of all things, chose me as His daughter!  In love He decided to adopt me through Jesus.  Now I am forever His child!  Is there anything more wonderful than this?


You will not regret listening to this message by Rick Gamache about our adoption through Christ.  May it leave you freshly amazed at God's love for us! 

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Naming this New Year

There is no way to slow it-this passing of time.  It billows over us knocking us over, taking us below where suddenly we can't even breathe and all we feel is the urgency to try and come up for air.  The days are flashing by and my kids are another year older and I am almost 30 (!) and suddenly it's 2011. "Stop!" I want to yell.  "Stop going by so quickly!" But time won't slow because this is how God's ordained it and who am I to question Him?

In the frenzy of each day I compartmentalize so much, rushing from task to task and forgetting God.  I pray and praise Him for the gift of my kids; five minutes later harsh words fly from my tongue because I'm annoyed that they've "interrupted" me.  I read God's Word and then a couple moments later, I'm completely lost in myself and all that I need to do, forgetting all that He's already done.  Time rushes past and it's bedtime again and I don't want to keep segmenting my day!  I want this year to be spent continually aware of my Savior.

Ann Voskamp over at the breathtakingly beautiful blog, Holy Experience, posted recently on her practice of choosing a name for each year:  


"Not like a Chinese New Year with its zodiac and twelve original animals, but as we name our newborn, so we name our new year, christen it so it knows who it is to us. Named, we now have a destination, a way across the next twelve months."


I've thought about this.  I've prayed about this.  I've asked others for their thoughts.  And God has whispered to my heart the name for my new year: Abide.


The Greek word for "abide" is "meno."  It means to remain, to dwell, to tarry (not to depart), or to continue to be present.  The BDAG lexicon (apparently the "best of the best" according to my hubby) says the term, "is a favorite of John to denote an inward, enduring personal communion." I read those words and I feel like my soul literally sighs.  Yes!  This is what I want.  This is what I need;  I want to abide in Him this year.


"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."  (John 15:4-5 ESV)


Jesus, help me this year to truly abide in You.

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