Ephesians 1:4 In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
So I’m cream crackered! I’ve just walked to Sainsbury’s and back with a baby strapped to my front, trying to persuade a toddler to hold my hand. Five minutes into this adventure I realised that I’d bitten off more than I could chew. Why didn’t I take the double buggy?!
The purpose of the trip was to buy a baby monitor. One of a number of items that now fill every corner of our house. In less developed countries they seem to get buy with an extra piece of cloth to strap the infant to your back. In the UK the smallest member of the family seems to need to most kit!
And then there’s the time. Where does it go? The day seems to pass in a blur of nappies and bottles and bed times and nappies and bottles and bed times again.
Suddenly the diary has to be ordered around feeds and naps… this isn’t new, the difference is they are no longer my feeds and naps!
All this is because we’ve just welcomed two children into our family, who we have adopted. And the amazing thing is that is a huge joy. A pleasure no less!
Ephesians 1 tells us God has predestined Christians to be adopted as his sons.
That means God has ordered the diary of history so that we would be welcomed into his family.
God adopting us into his family cost him dearly. Not in time and money. But in something or rather someone far more precious. We are” adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ” or as the next verse puts it he freely gives us his grace “in the One he loves”. For us to become God’s children meant that his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, had to die in our place at the cross. He paid the ultimate price as God’s perfect child so that we could enjoy the status of being God’s forgiven children.
And why did God do this?
In love… in accordance with his pleasure and will…
Because he wanted to. Because he loves to bring people back into relationship with him.
When I’m grumpy because I’ve been woken up in the middle night by someone with a full nappy I’ll do well to remember that.