Read: Romans 8:14-17

Leo sat at the dining room table with his mom, dad, and two older brothers. He had been part of the family for exactly nine years now. They bowed their heads, and Leo’s dad prayed. “Father in heaven, today we celebrate the day You brought Leo to our family. Thank You for letting us adopt him. He has brought us great joy. Bless our son in every way. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

When Leo looked up and saw his mother’s smile, he felt warm and wonderful inside. Even though being adopted held mysteries and he’d been asking his parents a lot of questions about it lately, he was glad to be part of his family.

After dinner they had family devotions, and Leo listened closely when Dad talked about adoption during Bible times. “Historians tell us that many sons were adopted,” said Dad. “In fact, some people believe Mary’s husband, Joseph, adopted Jesus as his very own son, even though God Himself was Jesus’s real Father.”

Mom smiled. “You’re in good company, Leo,” she said, giving him a hug.

“In Bible times, a man with no children would adopt a son in order to pass on all that he owned,” Dad continued. “That son took the man’s name and called him ‘Father.’”

“Hey! No fair!” Leo’s brother Corbin kicked at him playfully. “We’ll be glad to share the inheritance with you, but you don’t get it all!”

“Dad was talking about guys with no children,” said Leo. “Mom and Dad had children when they adopted me.”

“Right,” said Dad. “So the three of you will share the inheritance. And there’s an even better inheritance that all of us get to share as God’s adopted children.”

“There is?” asked Leo’s other brother, Timothy. “What is it?”

“When we trust Jesus as our Savior, we’re adopted into God’s family. Then we can call God ‘Father’ and share in the inheritance of Jesus—an eternal inheritance far greater than our little minds can fathom. The Bible says we’re heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.”

“Wow,” said Leo. “I’m glad I’m part of God’s family.” He grinned at everyone seated around the table. “And this family too!”

–Christi B. Kehn

How about you? Did you know that God wants to be your heavenly Father? He paid a great price. He gave Jesus, His only Son, to take the punishment for your sin and give you eternal life. Become His adopted child by trusting Jesus to save you from sin. Then you’ll become part of God’s family and share an inheritance with Jesus that lasts forever! (To learn more, go to https://keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse: God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Christians are God’s children