Devotional from Mike Smith (3/15)
From Orphans to Sons and Daughters
An orphan is someone who has been abandoned by their primary care giver. Even if that’s not us, we
may have all experienced the orphan tendencies:
-Carry a deep sense of emotional abandonment
-Lack of self worth
-Can’t sustain a relationship
-Feel like an outsider
-Distrust of Leaders
-Can’t make a decision
-“Going to reject me anyway”
-I am uniquely flawed
Here, forgiveness is absolutely vital. Not just forgiveness of those that hurt us, not just allowing God’s
forgiveness in our lives, but us forgiving ourselves also. We can’t always know who we are until we know
whose we are.
Ephesians 1:4-5 reads “Even before he made the world, God Loved us in Christ to be holy and without
fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself
through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do and it gave Him great pleasure.”
I’ve been through to adoption process. Consent is needed, money is needed, court approval is needed,
even time is needed. The one adopting is intentionally pursuing the one being adopted. The beautiful
thing that can so often be overlooked is this: There are no unwanted adoptions. You are not an
accident. God planned it before time began. God turns history into destiny. Having been adopted by
the King of Kings, you are are qualified to to receive all that the Father has to offer. Christ on the cross is
not about our sin. It is about God’s obsessing love for you. Enjoy your blessings today. You are loved by
the power that created the world.