Devotion #4: Adopted
I remember, as a kid, I loved the movie “Annie.” If you somehow have never heard of this classic film, it is a musical about a little girl who lives in an orphanage for girls, all of whom dream of being adopted by a loving family. They have no one to love them, not even their orphanage mother, Miss Hannigan. She is a mean lady who treats the orphans as her maids and servants. Annie (one of the orphan girls) is one day swept up by a very rich man who takes her into his home temporarily to give her a week of freedom from her orphanage. In that week, the rich man and his whole mansion of people fall in love with Annie and ultimately decide to permanently adopt her into their family. Annie’s dream of being someone’s daughter finally comes true (and now she is super rich, which is a perk).
The theme of the movie, of course, is orphan to daughter, but it is also mixed with the theme of rags to riches. I like to think our lives as Christians follow these same themes. Romans 8:15-17 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Before we accept Christ, we are slaves to our own sin and ultimately doomed to death. When we devote our hearts and our lives to Christ, we are given a new identity as His children and, therefore, also receive an inheritance from Him, which is life. This is what Christians mean when we call each other our brother or sister in Christ. It is not just a friendly greeting; it is a witness to all of our adoptions in Christ that we have received. The term “Abba! Father!” is a term of intimacy and trust that the Spirit enables us to call Him once we are adopted into His family.
Being a child of God means we are also co-heirs with God, and we can share in the blessings of God’s Kingdom. Of course, Paul explains here that since we share this inheritance, we must also share in Christ’s suffering. We will absolutely face challenges and trials in our life and in our walk with God, but take heart and know that our future is secure in Christ and we belong to Him. There is truly nothing more comforting than being in the safe and perfect hands of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Take some time today to pray, reflect, and fully embrace your identity as a child of God. Think about what it means to call God your true Father. You are no longer a slave to fear; you are a child of God!