Family
Adopted Into the Family
By Rod Nichols ([email protected])
My oldest daughter was diagnosed with severe endometriosis when she was sixteen years old. The doctors told us that she would never be able to conceive a child and even if she did, she would not be able to carry it full term. We chose not to believe the doctor’s report and believe in our God and His promises. Our daughter now has two beautiful boys. God is good!
A few years ago, due to complications related to the endometriosis, it became necessary to have a complete hysterectomy. This was devastating to her, because she loves children and had always talked about have ten or more. I think she was kidding about having ten, but she did want to have more than two and would love to have a daughter, so she and my son-in-law have been looking into adoption.
Adoption is an interesting process. My daughter and son-in-law must first work through an adoption agency. The agency will then find them a child and help them complete all the necessary paperwork (the legalities). Once all that is completed the child will be part of their family and ours. She will be a daughter and a granddaughter, with all the same legal rights as the sons who were born to my daughter. When her parents pass away, the adopted daughter will inherit the same percentage as the sons. In the eyes of the law, even though my daughter did not physically give birth to her, the adopted daughter has the same birth rights as the sons.
Now, let’s shift gears for a moment. Imagine that one day you were walking along the street and up walked a well-known billionaire. He points his finger at you and says, “I want you to be part of my family.” He then goes through the legal process necessary to adopt you into his family. Once all the legalities have been completed, you would be a son or daughter of that person. You would be an heir to a financial empire. Sounds great doesn’t it? Well, it’s not likely to happen, however it is possible for every person on the earth to be adopted into the most wealthy and powerful family in the world.
Ephesians 1:3-6 reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
God, the Father chose us, before the beginning of time, to be His adopted children. He has completed all the legalities by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the redemption of our sin. God has grafted us into His family. He has given us His mark and name. We are now equal in His eyes to Jesus. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior now have full Kingdom family rights. These rights include the fullness of His knowledge (Matt. 13:11; Eph. 3:13-21), which God gives us through the Holy Spirit who lives in us; freedom from the indebtedness of sin (Rom. 8:1, 12-17); priority access to the throne room (Heb. 4:15-16); dominion and reigning (Rom. 5:17); and inheritance (Rom. 8:15-17).
Just as with an adopted child in this world, all rights are given to the child the moment they are adopted and these rights are irrevocable. When we chose to make Jesus our Savior and Lord, we were adopted into God’s family and received all the rights at that time. However, it is our choice as to whether we receive those rights. Let’s say that that billionaire went into the back alleys one day and adopted a homeless person who had been living on the streets and eating out of trash cans for years. He brought this person home, allowed him to take a shower, don some new clothes, and then invited him to eat at the banquet table. Would this person, who was now part of that wealthy family, ever want to go back out to the back alley and eat from the garbage can? Of course not! Yet, that is what many Christians are doing. They have the full rights of an adopted son or daughter of God and yet they are still out eating from the garbage cans of life. Why? They continue to wallow in the muck of the world because they don’t fully understand or believe in adoption. How about you? Are you acting like a King’s kid or a pauper?
If you are still acting as a pauper, it’s time to accept your royal rights and begin living life as a child of God. You can have access to Him any time of day or night, just by calling out His name. He will leave high powered meetings with the angels, just to come talk with you. If you are quiet, you will hear Him talk with you and teach you how to be what He has chosen you to be.
It’s time for you to receive your inheritance. That inheritance was given to you the day that Jesus died. It included your salvation and the elimination of all curses. Illness is a curse that was destroyed by Christ’s death on the cross (Gal. 3:13). If you are struggling with poor health, it is time that you claim your inheritance of divine health. Begin speaking to your body and tell it to get in line. It is the temple of the living God and should not be sick. Divine health is your right as a child of God, but you have to believe and receive it. God calls things that are not, as thought they were (Rom. 4:17) and He expects His children to do the same.
Indebtedness and poverty are curses that Christ eliminated on the cross. All of the wealth of the world is God’s (1 Cor. 10:26) and He gave everything He had to Jesus (Matt. 11:27), which means that since we are co-heirs with Jesus, half of everything God has is ours. It’s like having won the lottery, but not knowing it. All you have to do is go to the bank and claim it. All you have to do is go to God and claim your financial inheritance. Now, if you have not been a good steward of what He has given you to this point, God may not give you all of your inheritance. Have you been a faithful steward? Have you given God’s 10% (tithe) of everything you have earned? Have you given to or looked after the poor, widows, and orphans? Have you shown that you can handle wealth by being faithful with little? If so, then you are in line for a huge inheritance. If not, then get in line and God will reward you when He feels you are ready.
God’s children should be the happiest, healthiest, and wealthiest children on earth. It’s time for us to take our place in the royal family and receive our rights as King’s kids. Then those who are in the world will stop looking to the world for the good life and instead will look to God for their salvation and adoption into His family.
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Rod Nichols is an Associate Pastor at Truth and Grace Foursquare Church in Tacoma, WA. He is also a published author and accomplished public speaker and teacher. Rod’s latest articles and books can be found at www.RodNichols.com. Rod is married with five children. He and his wife Karen live in beautiful Washington State. Rod is available as a freelance writer. If you'd like to hire him, e-mail [email protected].
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