Patti Burris

Ephesians 1:5

In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

According to the http://www.freedictionary.com the definition of predestined is to fix upon, decide or decree in advance. So, God in His love decided in advance that we were to be His adopted children. It was not a mistake. God did not wake up one day and say, “well, I guess I’ll adopt so and so.” He chose us to be His adopted children.

Usually, when a couple adopts a child, there really is no way to tell the extent of issues that child may have faced or will face due to the trauma in their lives. We have to be willing to take a chance and make a commitment to love that child regardless of what issues may come up down the road. God knows exactly what we have gone through, what sins we have committed, what mistakes we have made, what we will go through, and He chose to adopt us anyway! Nothing about us or our lives is a surprise to Him. He loves us that much!

He does require one thing from us though. We have to be willing to accept His son Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. We have to accept Jesus completely in order for our heavenly Father to adopt us. Let me put it another way, we need to accept the GIFT of Jesus in our lives to be adopted by God. There are no strings attached to receiving the gift of Jesus. It is a choice that we make on our own. It is a gift freely given, but we must accept Jesus into our hearts and our lives. God will never force Himself or Jesus on anyone.

The end of the verse says that it is His pleasure and His will that we be adopted children of the King. God does not want any of His children to suffer the consequences of not accepting Jesus. He loves us all and it is His will that WE ALL become His adopted children. Our Father does not want any of us to perish. It is up to us. The choice is ours to make.

I have accepted the gift of Jesus in my heart and my life. I know that I am the adopted daughter of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I am a princess. I am comforted in my Daddy’s arms.

If you have been struggling with the decision to accept Jesus, I encourage you to open your heart today and become the adopted child of a loving and compassionate God. It is up to you. God is waiting with open arms for you. He decided even before you were born that He wanted to adopt you. Even though you are not perfect, God wants you to be His child!

If you need someone to guide you in taking the step of receiving Jesus in your heart and life, please contact me! I am here for you. I want you to know the love and mercy of my heavenly Father. You are in my prayers, dear friend, let me know how I can help.

God loves you and so do I!