Day 20: Jesus Thanks The Father
for Revealing Life to the Childlike
4But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Galatians 4:4-7
In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul points out an amazing reality: although we were born as children of our parents, and as “slaves to the law,” God sent Jesus to buy our freedom through His death on the cross. The result is that we are now free to be “adopted” by God as His very own children. Is that incredible, or what? God has only one “natural” Son—Jesus. The rest of us are adopted. Even so, we have the same rights and privileges as Jesus. Since we are God’s own children, Paul tells us, we are His “heirs.” Again, isn’t that incredible! We are heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. There’s nothing like that in the whole world around us. No organization can promise us that we are going to be “heirs” of God. Only Jesus can do that. If you ever have trouble being grateful as you go about a given day, just stop and remember that you are a joint-heir with Jesus Christ! One day you are going to live in heaven forever, with a multitude of brothers and sisters and each of us is going to share in the eternal blessings of God. That comes to us as a gift from Jesus!
Jesus could have been God’s ONLY child. Instead, He gave up that status so that we could be adopted into the family. One of the joys of our lives, after we become part of the family is going out and inviting others to join the family as well. I don’t want anyone to miss out on the joy of eternity with God, do you? Seriously, do you want folks to miss out on being sons and daughters of God? If you don’t, then what are you doing these days to invite others into the family? Have you invited your two people to join us in worship on Sunday mornings? Are you helping anyone who’s struggling with life right now to find Jesus? When we’re grateful for our membership in God’s family, one of the best ways to show it is by inviting others to join, too!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
What are the privileges and responsibilities of being “adopted” into God’s family, as His children?
Take some time right now to thank God for making you a part of His family, and to pray for someone who isn’t yet a part of the family!