[God] predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:5

Thousands of children are adopted each year. Without the experience we cannot fully understand the joy and happiness that come to those who adopt a child.

All Christians are adopted. When we became Christians, God adopted us into His family through this means of grace -- Word and Baptism. He made us members of the holy Christian church.

Only by God's undeserved love are we the children of God. None of us deserved to be in His family. By nature we were spiritual outcasts. Nothing in us made us worthy of His love. The sins charged against us made it impossible for us to be received as God's children if it depended on us. There was no earthly reason why God should adopt us.

But there was a heavenly reason -- His love! Through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Father made it possible for us to have our sins forgiven, to become the blood-bought sons and daughters of God. We remain God's children by clinging in childlike faith to Jesus as our only Savior.

What a privilege to be adopted as God's children! May we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, live a life of thanks and praise in His family.

PRAYER: Father, let me ever be Your faithful child; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)

Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 31-33    Mark 3:1-19

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