For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
November is National Adoption Month. Adoption is a BIG deal in our family. I am an adopted child. We have an adopted child, and we have helped to facilitate adoptions. I was present with the birth mothers of three children who were placed for adoption. I have witnessed firsthand that tremendous selfless gift of love. And each and every time that I hear an adoption story I am reminded of what God has done for us!
Before we came to Jesus, we were slaves- slaves to sin. A slave has no rights. A slave does the bidding of his master with no regard his own wants or desires. A slave works quietly in the background without the right to be seen or heard. A slave receives no compensation for his work. But as slaves to sin, there are wages- Romans tells us that the “Wages of sin is death”.
“But the gift of God is eternal life”, not just life, but eternal life. And eternal life as sons of our Abba Father! Sons and Daughters of the Most High with all the rights and privileges of being His children. Children who were known and loved before they were born. Children that were planned for and anticipated. Children who “are sung over while they sleep”. Children who sit in their Father’s lap and eat at His table. Children who are “joint heirs with Christ”!
My first adoption happened when I was 7 years old. I was sitting in church with my foster dad and I heard for the first time about God’s unconditional love and how I was so important to Him that He had sent Jesus to die for me. That day I was adopted into God’s family. A year later, I was adopted into an earthly family. At 40, after ten years of praying, we adopted a precious baby girl! As we sat in the judges office to sign the final papers, he talked about how of all the things he got to do as a judge- this was his favorite, He went on to ask if we would indulge him a moment and he talked about his faith. About how God adopts us into his family!
Celebrate with me National Adoption Month by celebrating your adoption into God’s family, by considering adopting a child, by praying for couples who are waiting to adopt, and by encouraging pregnant women to consider adoption as an alternative to abortion. Adoption is God’s pro-life plan for those who are not ready, or who are unable, to parent a child and is His plan to complete families. His and ours!
Shirley Chupp
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#shirleychuppblogs
