In Love

"In love He [God] predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ  to Himself,
 according to the kind intention of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." 
Ephesians 1:4b-6

God is in love with you!  Because of His great love for you, He knew before the beginning of time, before the foundations of the world were laid, that He would send Jesus to die for you and return you to Him as His son or daughter.  He did it because of love.  The Word of God calls it adoption.  Look at Ephesians 2:4 - "But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ..." "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." (John 3:16) 

God is in love with you. Think on that.  Meditate on it.  Let it soak in.  God, the Creator of all, the controler, the King, the Authority, God loves you.  He loves you just as you are!  "But God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)  He knows that we are human, He made us!  He knows our thoughts and actions.  He sees us!  But He loves us just as we are anyway!  What great love!

Our part?  That we know and love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.  That we think upon God's love and respond with faithfulness and love.  That we love God the Father; that we love God the Son; that we love God the Holy Spirit.  That we give thanks.

We are the children of God.  Adopted and free.  We were transferred out of the kingdomof darkness and brought into the kingdom of light! (Colossians 1:13).  Adoption is first a legal act.  We were justified legally by the Great Judge.  He declared us righteious through Jesus.  Then adoption becomes a relationship.  We were reconciled to the Father through the blood of Jesus.  When a child in Florida is adopted by a family in Texas, he is transferred to Texas.  The papers say that he is now adopted and belongs to a new family.  It may take a while for the emotions to come alongside, but it is true that he is in Texas, even when he doesn't feel like it.  He can not stay in Florida and be in Texas at the same time!  When we were adopted we were transformed out of Satan's kingdom and into God's.  The legal transaction is done.  It may take a while to learn about our new family, to let our emotions dwell in the new family, to become fully reconciled to the fact that we are God's.  That's okay.   God's love is big enough to strengthen us until we realize His great love towards us.  It is a process.  And that's okay! 

And it was freely bestowed upon us.  He, the Father, paid the price.  We owe nothing.  Think about adoption.  The child doesn't earn it, pay for it, deserve it.  Adoption is born out of love of the parents for a child.  Glory in the fact that you were that child.  You are fully love, completely accepted, totally forgiven and loved.

Hint of the day: Love your children with unconditional love.  Don't use your love to manipulate or torment.  Give it freely and openly.  Say those words, "I love you and I am proud of you" often.  Your child will go out into the world confident and able to love others when you have loved them this way.