Skip to main content

Spirit of Adoption

 "For all who are led by the Spirit of God
are children of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery
to fall back into fear,
but you have received a spirit of adoption."
Romans 8:14-15

This is my Mother-in-law.
I did not choose her and she did not choose me. Seated beside her is my niece whom I did not choose either and neither did she choose me. Yet, the spirit between us is one of acceptance and caring. 

In ancient Rome, unwanted children were abandoned or sold into slavery. Sadly, this reality persists today in many parts of the world. Families overwhelmed by poverty abandon infants they cannot afford to raise, or sell them into the slavery of child labor.  

Parents might give their children with the hope of offering them an opportunity for a better life and a more hopeful future.

That's the story of a farmer in Central America who told a reporter the older children were sent north to the US border. The drought was so bad there was nothing to feed the children. Perhaps in the US they would be fed and have a better future.

 In Romans 8:15 Paul assures us that although we struggle in a world of sin and death, we have not been abandoned to lives of slavery and fear. In Christ, God has adopted us as God’s very own children. We know this because because God’s Spirit “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”

As God’s adopted children we share in Christ's sufferings so God’s good purposes - the liberation of a world in bondage - are achieved.

AS God's adopted children we know that whatever evil or suffering we face, we have God's promise that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Walking with God

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. (from Ps.103:1-8 ) Thomas Merton, American Trappist monk, writer and theologian, once asked himself a question he immediately answered:   How does an apple ripen? The apple, by simply being in the sun, fulfills its purpose of ripening, The apple doesn't try to ripen faster, it simply allows the sun to do its work.   There is nothing it can do to ripen itself. It can’t do workouts, tighten its muscles and then suddenly be a red, ripened, juicy apple in the morning. The apple just hangs on the branch in the sun, naturally ripening, where it receives its daily nourishment. This is the basic plan for how Christians ripen in their relationship to God. The difference is that Christians don’t naturally ripen in their relationship to God, we have to place themselves where we can be nourished. The beginning place of nourishment I find most helpful is the Guide to Prayer For All Who Walk With God. The daily walk in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more