Identity — Adoption - Friday
TODAY’S VERSE
Ephesians 1:12b-14
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
I’ll never forget the day my daughter, Landri, was born. Jessica and I were handed this precious baby girl, and I’ll be honest, here was my first thought: My wife had given birth to a mini sumo wrestler. She was a big baby, but she has since grown into this beautiful little girl. One of the sweetest moments was when we brought her home. Seeing her brother wrap his arms around her, talk to her, and tell her how much he loves her was special, considering he was only four years old himself. Bringing each of our three children home was a joy and celebration that never got old.
That memory makes me think about the young son in Jesus’ parable in Luke 15. He had left his father, wasted his inheritance, and reached a point of desperation. So he begins rehearsing his confession on the way back home in hopes that his father might let him return as a servant since he had forfeited his place as a son. Or so he thought.
The text says that while he’s still far off, his father sees him, runs to him, embraces him, and welcomes him home. What’s even better is that the father doesn’t give him a list of things to do to earn his place back. Instead, he declares, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found and they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24).
Can you imagine all of the thoughts racing through the son’s head as he made his return home? I guarantee you he wasn’t thinking about a celebration thrown on his behalf. Maybe that’s you, right now at this moment. The son came home with nothing to offer and no way to repay what he’d wasted. But his failure had not erased who he was. His father received him as a son, not a servant.
In case you’re not picking up what Jesus is putting down, the son’s father in this story is your Heavenly Father. He’s also willing to receive you as a son and daughter if you would just come home. That’s the heart of the Gospel.
Paul says the gospel of our salvation seals us with the Holy Spirit and guarantees our inheritance (verses 12-14). In other words, our identity is not earned through success or erased by failure. We can always come home because of what Christ has done for us (Hebrews 4:14-16). And once we’re secure in who we are, whose we are, and what we have, we can live “to the praise of his glory” (verses 14).
APPLICATION
Listen to the song Better Word by Leeland. Remind yourself that in Christ, our failures don’t have the final word; Jesus does. As you listen, reflect on the difference between the identity you may have given yourself because of your failures and the identity God has given you through Jesus. Then spend time in prayer thanking God for His redemptive nature and how you’ve been adopted into His family.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for the reminder that I’m never without hope and that Your love reaches far beyond my understanding. Although I have nothing to offer, I give You my life and ask that Your will be done in it. In Jesus’ name, amen.