Coffee With The Lord

ADOPTED! A different birth father and mother… something happened to end that relationship, but then loving parents adopted the child, and legally it became the son or daughter of the parents who adopted them… But there’s a related issue… When and where and under what circumstances does the adopted child REALLY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE THE CHILD of the parents who adopted them?

Based upon my experience as a parent of adopted children, I’ve found that “sense” comes at different times, in various ways, and in an assortment of circumstances! If you ask adopted children when and where they GENUINELY FELT like they were the child of their adoptive parents, they’d probably pause, have to think about it a bit, and probably say “it just happened one day when… and then I felt like I WAS TRULY YOUR CHILD” (regardless of the circumstances of their physical birth)!

I read a passage of Scripture this morning about that issue… as it relates to our “SPIRITUAL RE-BIRTH” and “ADOPTION” as God’s children…

“When the right time finally came, God sent His own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, SO THAT WE MIGHT BECOME GOD’S CHILDREN. And to show that we are His children, GOD SENT THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON INTO OUR HEARTS, THE SPIRIT WHO CRIEES OUT, “FATHER, MY FATHER!” So then, you are no longer a slave but a child! And since you are His child, God will give you all that He has for His children!” (From Galatians 4:4-7 GNT)

There it is… all the way from when we were the child of another disqualified parent (the “devil”)… To the time when we were “born again” (a Spiritual rebirth – John 3:3-8), and then that wonderful, exquisite time when the awareness of being God’s child dawned upon us by the Holy Spirit and we found ourselves crying “Abba Father!”

How good is that… the possibility of being an authentic, genuine “child of God!!!”

What wonderful news – what a marvelous reality! …” In Christ Jesus you are all sons [and daughters] of God through faith! … There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one Christ Jesus!” (Galatians 3:26-28 ESV)

Sharon, my wife, was fussing a bit about where to she would locate a plant she had received. She had researched how much sunlight and shade it needed each day, the makeup of the soil that was ideal for it, and also the fertilizer that was best. It took several days, but finally she decided on the spot in her flowerbeds where she thought it had the best chance to flourish.

Thought of that episode in our home when I read Psalm 92 this morning… Where and when is an ideal place for a Christian to flourish?

The traditional introduction of Psalm 92 identifies a time… “A song for the Sabbath” – in other words God’s people flourish best when they make the special day when they meet together for worship a priority in their lives!

The Psalm goes on to open with these words: “It is GOOD to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness!” … For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy! How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!” … And the point? We thrive best spiritually when we are a praising, worshipping, people who testify to God’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness!! Gratefully reflecting on all that the Lord has done for us is the atmosphere where we flourish spiritually!

And listen to the assurance Psalm 92 provides for those who do these things… “The righteous flourish like the palm and grow like a cedar in Lebanon! They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God! They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green! They declare that the Lord is upright; He is their Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him!”

Wow! Where Sharon chose to put the plant in our yard is NOTHING compared to where the Lord has chosen for YOU to flourish, grow and bear fruit! His house and the fellowship of other believers is critical to your sustained growth and fruitfulness… Don’t neglect it! (Hebrews 10:24-25) And the assured benefit is not limited to the young and vibrant! Those who have been planted by the Lord can “bear fruit in old age” and give clear evidence of spiritual vitality even as they approach death!

I don’t know what your decision will be, but I intend to “bloom where I am planted!” I intend to prioritize “the Lord’s Day,” profit from the fellowship of fellow Christians, fill my mouth with praise and worship, give testimony to all the Lord has done for me, and “bear fruit even to old age!” Sounds like an exciting, profitable way to live to me! How about you?