Our Best Option? Adoption!

Romans 8:23

   "We ourselves groan inwardly as we wait patiently for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies." 

Thoughts from Charles Spurgeon --

  "Even in this world, saints are God's children, but the only way people will discover this is by certain moral characteristics.

The adoption is not displayed; the children are not yet openly declared. Among Romans a private adoption might be kept secret for a time, but later there would be a public adoption, when the child was brought before the authorities, its old clothes removed, and the father would give new clothing suitable for its new status in life.

We are not yet clothed in the apparel of heaven's royal family; we are still wearing in the flesh and blood just what we wear as children of Adam.

Can't you imagine that a child taken from the lowest ranks in society and adopted by a Roman senator, would say to himself, 'I long for the day when I shall be publicly adopted, Then I shall discard these poor clothes and dress in clothes that depict my senatorial rank.'  Glad for what he has already received, but he still yearns for the fulness of what has been promised him.

So it is with us today; we are waiting until we can put on our fine clothes and are declared as the children of God for all to see. We are young nobles who have not yet worn our crowns. We are young brides, and the marriage day has not arrived."

Obedience or Disobedience?

 

From Chuck Colson's book, Loving God --

"We must understand that our goal as believers is to seek what we can do to please God, not what He can do for us.

True Christian maturity -- holiness, sanctification -- is God-centered.

So-called 'victorious Christian living' is self-centered.

As Jerry Bridges puts it: 'It's time for us Christians to face up to our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are defeated by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated, we are simply disobedient. It might be well if we stopped using the terms victory and defeat to describe our progress in holiness. Rather, we should use the terms obedient and disobedient.'"

Created to Frolic?

Killer whales keep ramming and sinking fishing boats and expensive yachts off the coast of Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco. 

Scientists want to know why these orca whales are behaving like this. And why are they attacking all the boat rudders? Is it vibrations? Shapes, Noises, Motion?

A multinational group of orca experts met in February and were sponsored by the governments of Spain and Portugal to investigate and then bring back a report outlining why this is happening.

It's been a great mystery -- until now.

Their report says: 'The killer orca whales are just bored and playful. They are especially intrigued by the rudders and are just playing games!

They appear to consider the boats their toys and are just playing with them!'

That's really what they concluded.

Really interesting!

Even more interesting is that God already explained that to us. We could have saved them lots of time and money.

Psalm 104:25-26 tells us: "How many are Your works, LORD! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number.  There the ships go to and fro with the giant sea monsters You formed to frolic there."

So God intended these spectacular animals to frolic and play!

But we have a different purpose -- Psalm 104:33 -- "I will sing praise to my God all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

The orcas' purpose is to play and frolic -- ours in to praise God.

They fulfill their purpose --

Let's fulfill ours!

God's Right Man for the Right Job

Wisdom from C S Lewis

   "We have in our day started getting the whole picture up-side down. Starting with the doctrine that every individual is of 'infinite value,' we then picture God as a kind of employment agency whose business it is to find suitable careers for all of us, square holes for square pegs. 

In fact, however, the value of the individual does not lie in him. He is capable of receiving value. He receives it by union with Christ.

There is no question of finding for him a place in the living temple which will do justice to his inherent value. The place was there first. The man was created for it. He will not be truly himself until he is there."

Ephesians 2:10 --"For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

 

Prayer to Start This Day

 

Lord,

  Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

  Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.

  Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

  Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King.

  Take my silver and my gold. Not a mite would I withhold. 

  Take my moments and my days -- let them flow in ceaseless praise.

  Take my will and make it Thine. It shall be no longer mine.

  Take my heart - it is Thine own. It shall be Thy royal throne.*

  Amen.

* poem written almost 200 years ago by Frances Havergal --- 

Pray daily that our lives 'flow in ceaseless praise' to our wonderful God and Savior!