January 12, 2023
Receiving the Promised Adoption
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13 (NASB)
I have a good friend who adopted a child several years ago. He told me when he finally decided to adopt a child, he could choose the sex. He said definitely, a boy. A boy who would enjoy the promises of a real father. Someone he could spend quality time with over the years. He later adopted a twelve-year-old boy. Throughout the long process (over a year and a half) the adoption team and prospective parent met with the child. This occurred almost every week or so. The child too had to agree to his new parent. “Would the child choose him,” he thought? The answer was “yes.” After the dust settled and the paperwork had been signed, he was allowed to take the boy to his new home. When they arrived at the home, the boy looked carefully around the house. He continued looking at each room as the father said, “This is all yours too.” Eventually, the father brought the boy to his bedroom The child looked in amazement. He had a new life. What began as an invitation, became reality for this little boy. Today, this young man is an adult. He has grown into the son of promise by the act of someone who gave a simple invitation. He first had to trust and place his faith in the invitation of a prospective father.
John tells us “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” When John placed his faith in Christ Jesus, he acknowledged Christ’ claims to his life as his new Father. By doing this, he first had to place his faith in Jesus Christ. This meant trusting in something which had a lot of unknowns, just like the little boy above. John says we are “becoming children.” This is seen in Scripture as “becoming what they were not before.” We become “a new creation; the old, things passed away; behold, new things have come,” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) upon salvation. John had to yield his life now as well. He would continue to trust his new Father, in obedience, as he grew from childhood forward. This new gift of becoming a son to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was not by his own strength or ability. It came by his trusting in faith first in Jesus to save him. Then he continued in faith growing into maturity. This was all possible by a Father who gave His Son to make the impossible possible. God has extended this invitation for each one of us who will receive it.
The above adopted boy also went through countless hours of meetings with the prospective father before the adoption. Would he heed the calling? The Holy Spirit calls us to salvation. He also had to start by choosing to place his faith in someone who would later become his father. This prospective father would do what was necessary to adopt this child. Your heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus. But the child had to do something too. Trust in faith. The result? The child became something he was not before. By placing his faith in the new father, he became a child of the father. He became what he was not before; an orphan to adopted. When this new life began, this child’s life became new and fresh. All the promises he would receive were from a loving father. You have a loving Father in heaven who seeks to save you today.
God the Father is waiting and extending His invitation to you today if you do not know Him. Will you receive His invitation? If you do know Christ as Savior, will you allow Him to lead your life, not just today, but every day in faith? It is God’s will for you today.