I sincerely hope this series has been a blessing to you! It’s been a joy to write and has challenged me to focus my mind and prayers on the love of our great God. Today, in closing, we come to our final word: Adopted. Admittedly, this might just be my favorite 🙂

Adoption is many things. It’s a choice and a commitment. It’s choosing to bring a child into a family and to treat them without distinction from a biological child. It’s also legal and final. Ultimately, it’s a beautiful act of love- and it’s what the eternal God has done for those who are in Christ. 

When we trust in Christ, the Son of God, for salvation, we become united to him. He in us, and we in him! It’s through this union that we are counted as sons and daughters of God. Through Christ, we are adopted into God’s family with the full blessings and benefits of sonship. This means God loves us as He loves Christ; that He will never cast us out; and that we are joint heirs with Christ. How amazing is that?!

The writers of the New Testament express this theme of adoption repeatedly. The Apostle John wrote, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). In the book of Romans the Apostle Paul stated that we have received the Spirit of adoption as sons; we have received the Spirit that cries, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15). In his letter to the Galatians, he put it this way: “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…and if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:26, 29). 

I love those verses! But my favorite words of all regarding this matter come from Jesus. Just before his crucifxion, Jesus prayed a high priestly prayer. This prayer was not only for his disciples, but for all who would believe in him. In his words we are assured of the beautiful union we have with Christ. It’s also here we see the desire of our Savior for his people: that they would know the love of the Father. Consider his prayer: 

“I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me… I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:23, 26).

In Christ, we are brought into the family of God as adopted children. As His child, God the Father lavishes His love upon us, loving us as He loves His Son. What security! We cannot be snatched from His hand nor can anything separate us from the love of God in Christ. We are His children forever. 

Spend some quiet moments re-reading the above passages of Scripture. Thank God that He has called you into His love, into His family. Pray that He will give you strength to comprehend that you are truly His child.   

As we continue our journey to comprehend the love of God, I pray your prayers have been richly fulfilled and that God has poured His love into your heart by His Spirit (Romans 5:5). In the last two posts we looked at the words chosen and forgiven. Today we turn our attention to the word, redeemed. This is a weighty word because of its connection to slavery- for to be redeemed is to be bought back with a price.

Think back for a moment to the book of Exodus: God’s people, the Israelites, had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. Generation after generation was born into- and died in- slavery. But God, true to His promise to Abraham, delivered His people. In Exodus 6:6 God instructed Moses to speak His words to the Israelites: “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.” In the exodus, God delivered His people from physical slavery and bondage and brought them to the blessed resting place of the Promised Land. In this we have a beautiful foreshadowing of the redemption that would come through Christ in the new covenant!

This theme of redemption- of buying back from bondage- is found throughout the old covenant and was a part of the Mosaic law. In Leviticus 25 and 27 we see laws designed for the redemption of property, land, and poor men. God’s law graciously allowed for this redemption through a kinsman-redeemer. Such a redeemer was a male relative who had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need (https://www.gotquestions.org/kinsman-redeemer.html). Again, the law showed us a picture of Christ and what he would do for his people. 

In Matthew 20:28 Jesus said that he came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. His death on the cross was the payment needed to redeem us from the slavery of our sin. The Apostle Paul states this clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:20 when he said that we have been bought with a price. In Ephesians 1:7 he again recounts that our redemption is through the blood of Christ. Likewise, the Apostle Peter wrote that we have been ransomed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). 

Our redemption means that sin is no longer our master- it has no hold on us! No longer are we in bondage to sin. Rather, we are free to live in obedience to Christ. It is no longer sin we serve, but Christ! Like the Israelites in slavery or the poor relative in need, we were unable to free or restore ourselves. But through the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf, we are released from spiritual bondage. We are both vindicated and blessed. 

Take a few moments to read the verses above referencing redemption. Then, ask God to help you comprehend the significance of your redemption. Thank God for His provision of a Savior. Finally, thank Jesus for being the good shepherd who willingly laid down his life to redeem his sheep. 

I pray you have been feeling the love of God as you’ve prayed for strength to comprehend His love 🙂 In the last post we focused on God’s electing love for us. Today, we’ll dive into another way in which God’s love for us is manifest: our forgiveness. 

In chapter 4 of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul gives instructions about how to walk in the new life. He wrote that we are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (v.23), to speak the truth to our neighbor (v.25), to be angry without sinning (v.26), and to build one another up (v.29). While all of these commands are challenging to say the least, he concludes the chapter with perhaps the most difficult command of all: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (v.32). 

Let’s think about that for a moment. In what manner did God forgive us? 

He forgave completely. This means there is no limit to His forgiveness. There is no sin that is beyond the bounds of what He can forgive. Murder. Adultery. Sexual immorality. Lying. Stealing. All of it is covered by the blood of Christ.  And not only is it covered, but it is fully forgiven- as in it is never held against us. It’s not even remembered! In God’s perfect love and forgiveness, He keeps no record of wrongs. As Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” 

This complete forgiveness releases us from eternal condemnation and gives us eternal life. And not only eternal life, but peace with God in the here and now. No longer are we alienated from God, but we are brought near to Him. No longer do we belong to the kingdom of darkness but to the kingdom of his marvelous light (Colossians 1:13, 1 Peter 2:9).  

He forgave graciously. While the following two posts will touch on this in more detail, for now, I wanted to communicate that God didn’t just forgive us with neutrality. Rather, the relationship between God and the sinner is one of complete reconciliation. It is a relationship that is fully restored; a relationship in which God lavishes upon us the riches of His grace. 

Of course, the forgiveness of our sin was only possible because a perfect substitute took our place. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, absorbed the full and complete wrath of God on our behalf so that God can look at us and call us fully forgiven.

I encourage you to read through the Scriptures referenced above. Use them as your prayer guides! Praise God for His forgiveness, recognizing that it is out of His love for you that He has given you this amazing gift. 

The last post focused on our need to pray for strength to comprehend God’s love (Ephesians 3:16-19). I hope you have been able to incorporate this request into your regular prayer routine! As we continue to pray for this strength, we’ll focus our attention on specific ways God’s love for us is made known in His word. For today, let’s focus on the word, chosen. 

One amazing aspect of God’s love for us is that He has chosen us to be His. Ephesians 1:4-5 makes God’s electing love very clear: “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” 

Remember: before Christ made us his own we were spiritually dead. This means we were unable to respond to God- unable to choose Him. But God. Because He loved us and chose us, He made our dead hearts alive (Ephesians 2:5) and drew us to Him (John 6:44). Now, before we get a big head, we must also know that God’s choosing was not based on any merit or effort of our own. As the Apostle Paul stated in Romans, it was not because of good or bad that we would have done, but because of God’s will and mercy (Romans 9:11,16,18)

The Apostle John echoes this truth. In Revelation 13:8 he tells us that before the foundation of the world, God wrote our names in the Lamb’s book of life. Think of it! Before we even existed- before we could do any right or wrong- our names were written! Additionally, Psalm 139:16 affirms that He knew us before we came to be; that before we were born, He saw our unformed substance. In His love, He chose to call us His own (Psalm 71:6, Psalm 22:9).  

Spend some time reading the verses mentioned above. Praise God that He is sovereign over everything, including our salvation. Praise Him for His good and perfect will. Praise Him because He is holy and good. Thank Him for setting His love upon you and for writing your name in the Lamb’s book of life. 

*I also encourage you to check out the song “Before the Earth was Formed” by Brice Davis on Youtube or Spotify. This song is a beautiful way to praise God for His electing love 🙂  

If you’ve ever struggled with knowing how to pray for someone, I encourage you to read the letters written by the Apostle Paul! His prayers for his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are some of my favorite passages in the epistles. However, one prayer ranks above them all. In chapter 3 of Ephesians, he lets his spiritual siblings know that he bows his knees before the Father so that they might have strength to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of God in Christ (Ephesians 3:16-19). 

Have you ever thought about that? Paul is telling us that God’s love is so big- so incomprehensible- that it requires God’s strength to understand it! Although our finite minds will never fully comprehend God’s love this side of eternity, our limited minds should not discourage us from trying! Just the opposite- as much as possible, we should set our minds on the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5). 

I don’t know about you, but as good as that last sentence sounds, I often have trouble executing that plan! Paul knew this too, which is why he prayed for the Spirit to empower the believers to know God’s love. 

Have you ever thought about praying this prayer for yourself? For others? Admittedly, asking for God’s help to grasp His love is something I’ve rarely prayed for. But what a beautiful thing for which to ask! Our Father in Heaven desires for us to know His love, and He will not deny His children this privilege. 

Over the next 4 posts we will focus on specific ways God has manifested His love for us in Christ. But for today, take some time to read Ephesians 3:14-19. Pray these verses and ask God to grant you strength to comprehend the depth of His love. I encourage you to keep a prayer journal for this activity! Write out your prayer. And of course, write how God answers your request 🙂 

I wonder when Robert Robinson penned the words to Come Thou Fount if he ever thought, “I bet 266 years from now some 40 something year old woman is going to be sitting at her kitchen table contemplating these lyrics while snacking on Townhouse crackers.”  Probably not. But regardless, here I am, munching away and thinking about those glorious lyrics: Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. 

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that God never runs out of mercy for His children. And more personally, that He never runs out of mercy for me. Yet, from the beginning of it all, He has done nothing but heap His steadfast love upon His rebellious creation. Garments of skin in the garden for those who first rejected His authority; manna and water in the wilderness- along with shoes and clothing that never wore out- for those who grumbled about His provision; a lasting covenant with a king guilty of adultery and murder; and restoration for a people who had been exiled for their idolatry. Streams of mercy, indeed.  

But for all of these streams, the ultimate mercy was displayed at the cross. The cross, a  permanent reminder that the only sacrifice able to pardon our debt was the sinless sacrifice of Christ. He in our place, taking the punishment we rightly deserved. Who could have imagined such a mercy? That God would make a way of entrance into His kingdom for a world full of  commandment breakers? Even so, this is the infinite mercy of God.

Sometimes I make the mistake of believing that God is stingy with His mercy- as if the stream He gives is but a trickle in a dried up river bed rather than the constant rush of Niagra Falls. As Robert Law stated, “The love of Calvary is an ever-flowing fountain.” This fountain reminds us that we are loved and redeemed children of God and heirs with Christ.  

And yet, His mercies keep on rolling. Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” This is an argument from the greater to the lesser: if He did not withhold Christ, why would He withhold what is needed for our good and growth in godliness? Truly, He supplies all that is needed to make us more like His Son. 

The mercies of God have showed up in my life many times and in many ways. Most importantly, in my salvation from a young age. I do not take this for granted and praise God that I have not known a life without Him! Daily, His mercies have looked like protection from harm and blessings in the form of family, a loving spouse, children, and brothers and sisters in Christ. Of course, His mercies have also shown up in the form of trials. While I may not have recognized them as mercies at the time, I can see now how they were used in my sanctification. All of these undeserved mercies are a reminder that my strength is found in the living water of Christ and His Spirit. They are an unrelenting encouragement to turn to His stream rather than broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13).

What’s more, I know there will be abundant mercies yet to come. How do I know this? Lamentations 3:21-23 assures us that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, that His mercies are new every morning. Streams of mercy never ceasing… what an unbelievably beautiful promise. This is the basis of our hope in the present as well as for the future! Because we know He has given us the best mercy of all, we can be confident that He will provide us with the daily mercies He knows we need. I pray we will return again and again to this truth, so that above all, our hearts will continuously call for songs of loudest praise. 

In the Spirit, Moses wrote about one of the most mind-bending attributes of God- His eternality.  “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God”  (Psalm 90:2).

We can hardly conceive of the eternal existence of God, yet we know from His Word that our God is the great “I AM.”  He is self-existent and completely unchangeable!  In his wonderful work, “The Knowledge of the Holy,” A.W. Tozer wrote of the eternal nature of God.  He said, “God dwells in eternity but time dwells in God.  He has already lived all our tomorrows as He has lived all our yesterdays.” 

I’ve been thinking a lot about this attribute of God lately.  And I have to tell you, it’s brought me so much peace.  Because He is outside of time, God sees our entire life all at once.  This means He simulatenously saw my 5 year old self alongside my present and future self.  When I thought of this the other day, it occurred to me that all I am praying for currently has already been answered!  He has ordained all that will come to pass in my life just as He ordained all that has passed.  And just as He has given me grace for all that has already been, so will He give me grace for whatever will be.  He sees and knows my whole life all at once and is actively working all for my good (that is, my sanctification) and His glory.  

I pray the eternal, timeless nature of God brings peace to your hearts as well.  As His children, we can trust Him with all of our anxieties and praise Him even now for His providence and future grace.