Romans 8:14-17

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

In these verses, Paul uses the notion of adoption to represent the relationship that a Christian has with God. We have been adopted into the family of God. We share all the rights that an heir does because we are His heirs. During Paul’s time, if a child was adopted into the family, they became full heirs of that family and everything that carried with it. The old heirship with their previous family was gone and they are heirs of their new family. In this way we can get a sense of what it means to be adopted into Christ’s family. We might not always feel that way, but God sent us the Holy Spirit to become our witness. He is inside us to remind us of who we are and to encourage us with God’s love. We no longer have to be fearful slaves, instead we are the Master’s children. Because we are God’s children, we share in great treasures as co-heirs. God has already given us the best gift, Jesus Christ, his Holy Spirit, forgiveness, and eternal life. Whose child, are you?

Dear God, thank you for being my father. Help me to remember that I am your heir, and co-heir with Christ. Help me to show your love and mercy to others so that they can have the opportunity to be heirs too. Thank you for your unmerited grace and mercy, your love, and the gift of eternal life. Thank you that I am no longer a slave to this life.  I pray this is Jesus’ name Amen.