Adopted

It's May...Yeah!  The 5/1 verse today is from 1 John 5:1, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God.  And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too."  (NLT)

God is so gracious to adopt us!  We were born into a fallen and broken world, children of a sin nature.  Without some kind of intervention we would have been separated from God forever.  But, He made a way, through His own son, Jesus, for us to be redeemed and to become His children for now and through eternity.   The process is simple and it can happen as soon as we ask Jesus to be our Savior.  It's a covenant that can never be broken.  Our name is written in His book.  Our pictures are in His heart.

I view adoption as a great picture of love.  You choose to love someone through adoption.  The second part of the verse above says that everyone who loves the Father loves his children too.  Many people choose to show God's love through adopting children that are not theirs, biologically.  But those adopted children become their children and they love them as their own.  Just as God does for us. 

At the 2011 Dove Awards for Christian music, the band Third Day sang their song, "Children of God".  The lead singer, Mac Powell, had three biological children and adopted two more.  During the song, he was joined on stage by Steven Curtis Chapman, who also has adopted children and has an organization that aids people in adoptions.  Mark Hall, from Casting Crowns, who was himself adopted, joined them also.  At the end of the song, children and adults came on stage wearing t-shirts that read, "Adopted".

You may click on the blue title above or the link below to view the video from the Dove Awards.  It's a beautiful picture of God's love.  Yes, I am so grateful to be an adopted child of God.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuqOmltcAq8&feature=related