Adoption

(Ephesians 1:5)  having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

I am not sure that any of us really understand the full depth of this scripture. The three words that draw us to a deeper study are, foreordained, adoption and His will. Even though each of these words can, and should be, studied independently … when all three are put together, it produces quite a powerful message.

The word foreordained means that I was actually a thought in God’s mind a long time ago and He decided to love me in spite of myself and make me a part of His family. Wow!!! That may be a simple explanation of the word foreordained but it’s one that I can understand, and it makes sense to me.

When you add the word adoption to this whole mix, it almost takes one’s breath away. To me, Adoption means you start off with no rights but end up with all rights. If that’s even close to what adoption means …. I really like it.

But wait a minute, there’s even more … the kicker to this entire scripture is when you add the last phrase, “His will”. Do you mean to tell me, that a long time ago the Lord decided to adopt me … and that was actually His will?

That is what I meant in the first sentence when I said, “I am not sure that any of us really understand the full depth of this scripture”. What was it about me that made me adoptable in the first place? Could it be that adoption is not as much about the adoptee and it is about the adopter? Now that’s a very interesting thought.

I suppose at one time or another, most kids had the thought of running away from home, joining a circus, or maybe being adopted by a family who would appreciate them more. As I look back on my own life, I realize that I was no different than any other kid, except for putting actions to my thoughts.

Leaving home as a twelve-year-old boy back in the 1940s, (which I did), was an exciting prospect for me.  After all, what was ahead of me had to be much brighter than what was behind me. Even though I did not have any money for food or a place to sleep … that was only a minor technicality in my mind. All I knew was that I was ready for a change and there was no time like the present.

After being on the road a day or so I began to meet folks who said they always wanted a boy like me, so they would invite me to come and live with them. Each of the families that I lived with loved and cared for me as any great mom and dad would. However, there was one family that I settled in with and that became my permanent home.  

Even though there was never a question in my mind of these families’ love and devotion to me, there was still one thing lacking. I was loved by them … but I did not belong to them.  The thought of someone saying, “you are mine”, sounded very appealing to me.

When I came to know the Lord and read our text, I knew immediately that I had discovered the missing link. I suddenly realized that God had been there all the time and I didn’t know it. When I did not have food to eat … He was my food, when I did not have a bed to sleep in … He was my comfort, when I needed to belong … He had already taken care of that a long time ago. It was “His will” to “adopt me” into His family and to say those three beautiful words, “you are mine”.

I am truly blessed of all men to have had so many moms and dads and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles as part of my natural family. However, the icing on the cake is to be adopted into the family of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Father:

I think I might understand a little more of the three words in our text. However, what I don’t understand is the depth of the love that is behind these three words. My desire is to yield to You to the extent that You can actually show more of that kind of love to others through me.

Amen