He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
(Ephesians 1:5-6)
During my time of daily worship this morning, the following quote, and devotional suggestion, from J. I. Packer’s Knowing God popped into my mind from the chapter titled “Sons of God.” (If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend you grabbing a copy.) In this chapter, Packer explains the importance of the theme of adoption within the Christian faith. Although I was familiar with the theme, after reading this book, I saw it from a fresh perspective. Packer argues that, as Christians, we should meditate on this biblical truth.
He writes,
Meanwhile, the immediate message to our hearts of what we have studied in the present chapter is surely this: Do I, as a Christian, understand myself? Do I know my own real identity? My own real destiny? I am a child of God. God is my Father; heaven is my home; every day is one day nearer. My Savior is my brother; every Christian is my brother too. Say it over and over to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing at night, as you wait for the bus, any time when your mind is free, and ask that you may be enabled to live as one who knows it is all utterly and completely true. For this is the Christian’s secret of – a happy life? – yes, certainly, but we have something both higher and profounder to say. This is the Christian’s secret of a Christian life, and of a God-honoring life, and these are the aspects of the situation that really matter. May this secret become fully yours, and fully mine.
I’ve taken Packer up on the challenge to meditate on this truth. Will you do the same?
Kevin W. Bounds 