In

the first-century Roman world of the Ephesians, being adopted meant

receiving a new identify and a new name. No matter what had happened

in your past, you were given a clean slate on adoption day. It was

irrevocable. There was no going back to the way it was before. It was

once and for all—a permanent arrangement.

When

the apostle Paul compares our life in God to adoption, he is saying,

“You are part of the family now.” It’s an invitation to get

comfortable and to settle into this new relationship. We need not

live in fear anymore because we belong to the Father. He has claimed

us as his own. God invites us to relate to him as his cherished

children.

No

matter what has happened in your past, God sees the person you are

becoming. So don’t live like an orphan. Recognize who you are in

Christ. You have been preapproved by God. He has adopted you and

blessed you, and he is ready for you to join in the work and

livelihood of his kingdom. You have been redeemed and forgiven. Your

sin is paid for.

Christian

faith is about more than believing certain facts; it means living

into the lordship of Christ and letting that reality permeate every

aspect of life. You are a child of the King, a recipient of the

ultimate act of hospitality—God’s hospitality. Everything has

changed. Thanks be to God!