What You Become

~~~ 1 John 2:29-3:6 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:29-34 ~~~

Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

Recently some friends of ours adopted a baby.
They spent a great deal of time, effort, and money
 to make this adoption a reality.
When they had successfully completed every criteria
and were approved to just be considered they were so happy.

Now they had to wait until a birth mother
would choose them to adopt her child.
They continued to prepare their home and their hearts
 to receive a child...a child of their own...
a child that they would welcome into their open arms...
a child that they would instantly love as their own flesh and blood.

Finally the long awaited phone call came one morning.
They had been chosen by a birth mother;
she wanted to meet them in person.
They were beside themselves with excitement
tempered a bit with anxiety.
What if she did not like them after seeing them?
What if she did not like the color of their hair?
What if she did not like the sound of their voices?
So many questions swirled about in their heads.

I am sharing this story because God has adopted us to be his own.
He wanted a way to make us his for all of eternity.
We could never be like God not even if we desperately tried.
But God had a plan, as he always does.
He sent his son, Jesus, to be one of us...now we are kin.

He came as a child in order to make us his children.

He is the light and we are the children of the light.
Our friends did get a child, a son, and they do indeed
 love him as their own.

You know that he was revealed to take away sins,

and in him there is no sin. 

For in the light the darkness of sin cannot prevail.

Jesus came to save us from the darkness of sin.

We continue during this season of Joy
to praise God for all he has done for us.

Psalm 98 sings of how generous and loving God has been to us.

For three days we hear the echos of this joyful psalm.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

John saw Jesus. John baptized Jesus.
John was given the grace to recognize Jesus
as truly the only one could take away our sins.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

In God's divine plan we were adopted by a baby's birth
and then saved by him as an adult.

Only God could have devised such an awesome plan.
Let us forever sing Our God is an Awesome God.
We are adopted, saved, and
eternally Blessed.