Adopted into the family of God

October 22^nd was a beautiful fall Sunday, five years ago.  It was a day of much celebration in our family since that was Dylan’s first birthday, his infant baptism and his official welcoming into our family as our son.  Our dear friends and family showered us with love and presents as we enjoyed the blessing and stepped into the challenging world of becoming an adoptive family.  Everyone welcomed Dylan with a joyful heart as the newest Dieter in town, not much unlike the celebration and rejoicing that takes place in heaven when a new son or daughter becomes adopted into the family of God, and his/her name gets written in the book of life.

Adoption is profoundly blessed by our Lord.  For once, it defines our relationship with Him, ⁴ for He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.  Ephesians 1: 4-5.  Adoption is also specially blessed in the fact that Jesus chose to place Himself, His whole divine self into the loving hands of an adoptive father.  He chose to come to earth as the adoptive son of a humble carpenter.  It is, also, through the divine gift of adoption that God breaks us free from bondage and makes us His children so we can cry “Abba Father.”  Romans 8:14-15. 

Our identity is in Christ, our citizenship is in heaven, and the way to this blessed eternity is through the gateway of adoption.  We declare Him Lord, and He adopts us into His holy family, with the full rights of rightful heirs.  

Dylan is our son, the heir to our name and fortune (a fortune that amounts to not much than two beat-up cars, a bunch of books and some old shoes : ) just the same as Grant is our son.  The fact that one is biological and the other one is adopted matters not.  They are both our sons, with the same rights, privileges and responsibilities of sonship, just as we, who declare Jesus as Lord and fulfill His commands are sons and daughters of our Father in heaven, by the power of adoption, since before the world began.

There is a joyful welcoming party in heaven, every time a new child is brought into the family of God.