ODJ: all in the family
October 3, 2011
Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir (v.7).
READ: Galatians 4:1-7
In his poignant article, Abba Changes Everything: Why Every Christian Is Called To Rescue Orphans, author and adoptive parent Russell D. Moore writes: “I was at first reluctant to adopt, because I assumed an adopted child would always be more distant than a child ‘of my own.’ I was wrong. And I should have known better. After all, there are no ‘adopted children’ of God, as an ongoing category. Adoption tells us how we came into the family of God. And once we are here, no distinction is drawn between those at the dinner table.”
Moore’s understanding of God’s adoption model matured as he studied Scripture and traversed with his wife the road of international adoption.
Because you and I live in a day when there are 163 million orphans in the world, it’s important that we increase our understanding of what Scripture says about orphans and our role in assisting them. After all, James doesn’t exclude anyone when he exhorts believers to care for orphans and widows. “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father,” he says, “means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27).
As God’s adopted children, it’s also beneficial to grasp the riches that God eagerly waits to bestow on us. “You received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs” (Romans 8:15-17).
Ask God to show you the role(s) you should play in caring for orphans in the world. Pray too that He will help you better embrace what it means to be His adopted child so you can more confidently call Him “Abba Father.”
—Roxanne Robbins
As a believer in Jesus, how does it affect your view of God and yourself when you consider that you’ve been adopted by Him?
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