The Rest of the Story- THE ADOPTION

My oldest daughter and her husband adopted a little boy from Ethiopia five years ago.  He is our beloved grandson, and he fits perfectly within our hearts with the other nine grandchildren.  He is not of our race or country of origin.  He looks nothing like us on the outside, for we are light skinned and he is dark skinned.  But, the more he grows up and the more I get to know him on the inside, the more he looks like and reminds me of my son-in-law, his adopted father.  How can this be?  The explanation is very close to the biblical dynamic of abiding in Christ.  It is when the father and son are living in close proximity with each other that the internal traits are picked up and shared.

When I was growing up, I heard the term "spittin image" back in Mississippi to describe how a child has similarities to the father or mother.  It actually means the spirit of a man or woman that is being seen in the child, and not the outside looks.  Therefore, you can understand how I can say that my little African grandson is the spittin image of his adopted father, even though they look nothing alike.  As they live together, the child seems more like Scott every day, and I am very glad that this is happening for Scott is a great man who I love very much.  In a similar way, when we abide in Christ we pick up His traits, and His Father, our Father, is very glad to see these traits in us, for He loves His Begotten Son and He loves His adopted sons who think and act like His Begotten Son.  So let's talk about our adoption.

We know that adoption is a legal tool or process for legally transferring a child to a parent or a family.  Unfortunately, not all adoptions are successful, for some differences or obstacles are so great that they cannot be overcome.  For instance, children may be so damaged from a previous life that turmoil in a family could begin early and never let up.  There are other reasons, such as unfit adoptive parents where there is abuse, or no love and affection, or many other things.  Even though the legal document is signed and the test of transfer is accomplished, an adoption may still fail, for a successful adoption also requires a successful integration of a child into a family and the family into the child.  Now this is where I'm headed with my example:

I believe there are many in the Body of Christ who have been adopted by Father God but have not been successfully integrated into His family.  This is no fault of the Father.  He is perfect in all of His ways. He is a gracious Father.  He is a loving, intimate Father.  In fact, He wants to be called"ABBA," which means "DADDY."  But many of us are so damaged by life and other people and the world we live in that we are walled up inside.  We do not understand the concept of intimacy with Christ.  We avoid it because we misunderstand it.  In fact it scares many to think of having such a close relationship with Christ.  Why is this?  Simple answer.  It is because they do not know Him even though He has made Himself known to them.  How does this relate to the Gospel?

The title of this devotional series is The Rest of the Story for a simple reason.  It is time that many of you realize that when you put your faith in Christ and grace was given to you through Him, you were not only given salvation but you were also given a relationship with Him to be enjoyed during this lifetime.  There is a longing need for this intimate connection with your Creator that has existed in you from birth.  It is that longing need that made you reach your hand out to grasp the hand of grace that was being extended to you.  But that need is not satisfied by a one-time grasp of God's hand.  The need is fulfilled when you hold onto it and allow Him to draw you into His embrace.  You need to feel His love, and He wants to give it to you as a loving adoptive father would want to do for his adopted child.

Our adopted grandson is very affectionate.  He is this way for from the time he came into the family, he felt our affection.  If he hadn't received this affection, would he not have felt excluded from the family?  Of course he would.  He needs our affection and we want to give it to him.  Sadly, there are many other orphaned children in the streets of Ethiopia.  They are afraid, hungry, alone, abandoned and fighting for life.  They are not affectionate, for only the aggressive and strong survive and no one has given them affection.  They are defensive, walled up, and are hurting.  These orphans seem so much like the inner condition of the world we live in, even though some might portray a life of abundance and happiness.  On the inside they are dying and longing for an intimate connection with their Creator, even though they may not realize it.  All of us started from that position.  Some of us have been adopted and have been fully integrated into God's family.  Some of you have been adopted but for some reason remain outside His house.  Maybe it is because you do not realize that there is more for you.  If this is the case, join one of our Journey Groups and we will show you what you are missing, for that is our mission, to help Christians become fully integrated into God's family through an intimate, abiding relationship with Jesus, His Son.  Even though you may not do this, you need to know this:  There is more for you than you are likely experiencing, and your life will be tremendously blessed if you will go and find it.  Make it your priority to find it.