“就如神从创立世界以前，在基督里拣选了我们，使我们在他面前成为圣洁，无有瑕疵。又因爱我们，就按着自己意旨所喜悦的，预定我们，藉着耶稣基督得儿子的名分。” - 弗 1:4-5

 Overflowing Love

He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ. . . . — Ephesians 1:4-5

 Devotion

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!

 Prayer

Holy Spirit, come and remind us that we are your children. Help us live into that reality so that our lives reflect the character of Christ. In his name, Amen.

诵读:楚云丨片头: 张妙阳

感谢《普世佳音》制作上传网络

文字校对：李清

图文编排：裕化

-END-