Pastor Morgan Murray
Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church
Romans 8:15-16 So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family–calling him “Father, dear Father.” 16 For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.
I’m not adopted. On a family vacation one summer I met distant relatives. I began to introduce myself but my great aunt said, “No need, honey. I could spot a Murray in a mud hole.” By my looks, my behavior, my strengths and my weaknesses I reveal my family of origin, whether I like it or not.
Nothing describes belonging like the word family. But what about adopted? I am surprised when parents tell me about their children saying, “We have two daughters Emma and Natalie, and an adopted son Connor.” Why the distinction? I’ve never had the courage to ask. But I’m sure I’d be told that all the children are equally claimed as family, and equally loved.
In God’s family, there is one child that is more equal than others. Jesus, the unique Son of the Father, is the one who taught his disciples to address his Father as “Papa,” which became a name for God in early Christian prayers (Mt 6:9, Gal 4:6). He is the one who sends the Spirit, who in turn speaks to our hearts with the loving words, “You belong to me.” The Spirit enables us to grow increasingly in the Father’s likeness as we imitate his only begotten Son.
Roman adoption—which could take place at any age—canceled all previous debts and relationships, defining the new child wholly in terms of his or her new relationship to the father, becoming his heir. We were once slaves to sin, and the quality of our lives showed it. But, no more. God’s claim on us changes all that. And God’s claim is forever.
Prayer: Loving Father, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit, enable me to live into my identity as your child with confidence and courage. Amen.
May we hear the Spirit’s voice above the voice of the crowd today. Might we consciously have moments where we identify the opportunity to live our of our identity. Grant us Father the courage and belonging to chose to walk in the family likeness. Might we too be be clearly identifiable even in our mudholes! Thanks Morgan
How wonderful that, no matter what our human backgrounds are, we can all have healthy self images as His very own children. “Thank you Father.”
We have two adopted sons. Often, when they would be off fishing with their dad or doing something similar, people who didn’t know the children would say, “You can sure tell that these boys are Dan Baxter’s” – and the boys would giggle! If this can be true about adopted children, think how likely it is for people to recognize that we are children of God. Praise God for the wonder of His ways!
Thank you for sharing Rogene, Praise God that we all are called the children of God!
Thanks for this story, Rogene! I love it!
praise the Lord and it is also so fun to be a child of the Lord
He is so good to us even when we don’t see it.
Our family had the same experience as Rogene. We adopted a Chuck (my name), and people often commented about how much he looked like me. Neither he nor I ever found a resemblance, so we snickered to ourselves.
A neat parallel to the Roman adoption. What a comfort to know that at any age – God takes us in and cancels all our debt! I love being adopted! Thanks Morgan for your encouraging words.
I agree with you about adopted siblings: “Why the distinction?” My elder sister is, in point of fact, my half-sister. My dad adopted her when I was a baby; he’s the only father she’s ever known. When she delivered my niece, Dad walked into her hospital room and demanded, “Where is my granddaughter?” It would never have ocurred to him to ask, “Where is my step-granddaughter?” Dad has three daughters (and, now, three granddaughters). I have two sisters. Period.
Thanks Morgan. I have two adopted sons…they cost greatly and while they are not sons of our bodies, they are without question, sons of our heart that couldn’t be loved more, cared for more greatly. There are times we have let it known they are adopted to “display” the wonder and blessing of relationship as they have known they were adopted since their earliest age of understanding. Our focus has always been to build on the Biblical idea of “sons by choice” beyond birth and biology. They have been a greater “text book” than any book I studied in college or since of God’s love and sovereign choice of me…