Amazing Adoption

When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. – (Galatians 4:4-5, HCSB)

But when the right time came, God sent His Son, who was born from a woman and lived under the law. God did this so that He could buy the freedom of those who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us His children. – (Galatians 4:4-5, ERV)

But when the time of fulfillment had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Yet all of this was so that He would redeem and set free those held hostage to the law so that we would receive our freedom and a full legal adoption as His children. – (Galatians 4:4-5, TPT)

God sent His Son to us in the same way that each of us arrived. Jesus was born of a woman, grew up as a human, and was subject to the same sort of trials and triumphs that we all have as a part of the human experience. However, Jesus did so without sin. He was subject to temptation as we are, yet He navigated all in accordance to the Father. Because He did, He was able to be the perfect and pure sacrifice for all so that we could come before the Father and be accepted and embraced as His own. Adoption is a beautiful grafting of a person not born into a family as one of their own. Once adopted, the law sees that individual as an equal member of the family into which they have been adopted. Beautifully, I have two dear friends who were adopted as infants, and were raised in wonderful, loving homes. Incredibly, they have also been fully accepted and embraced into their biological family as well as adults. It is through these tangible examples that my heart is best able to grasp the beauty and love that is held in the process of adoption. I am overwhelmed in knowing that the God of the entire universe calls me His own. To be the daughter of the ultimate Father is a blessing that goes beyond my understanding. Though I have done nothing to earn such a blessing, that is not how adoption works. We are received and loved for who we are, however and whenever we come to Him. May we take time to ponder the powerful love that would come from heaven to earth to make the way for each of us to become daughters and sons of the living God.

When heaven came down,

Through God’s only Son;

He showed us the way,

That battles are won.

He grew as a man,

Tempted in all ways;

Yet was without sin,

For all of His days.

He made plain the path,

Through love’s sacrifice;

For our adoption,

Into paradise.

Thank You Lord Jesus,

For making the way;

So we might be heirs,

To hope each new day.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son in such a way that He would understand all of our trials and triumphs as He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice so that we might be called Your own. Thank You that as we come to You and receive all that You offer, we are adopted as Your children. Forgive us for not receiving all that You offer and for the times that we have not represented Your family well. Teach us and grow us so that we may more clearly reflect Your likeness to the world. Lead us to love those around us as You intended. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for the privilege of being called Your sons and daughters that receive an inheritance into Your kingdom forever. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty. – 2 Corinthians 6:18

Steps for the Seekers

The naïve are heirs to foolishness, but the clever are honored with insight. – (Proverbs 14:18, VOICE)

 

This evening will be a unique experience for me. As a teacher, I have attended my school’s 8th grade celebration/graduation numerous times over the past nineteen years, yet tonight will be the first time in that my role is both as a parent and a teacher. My boys are finishing up their final days of middle school. It is bittersweet, as I have loved having them with me each morning and afternoon on the way to and from school, and there is a certain comfort in knowing that your own children are present on the campus on which you teach. That being said, they are ready for more. Neither of them has allowed themselves to get caught up in the foolishness of which some of their peers partake, and consequently, they have gained great insight and earned good grades, preparing them for that which lies ahead. Although I will miss their daily presence, I am excited to see all that awaits them in their high school experience and beyond. May we each embrace every opportunity for growth that is placed before us, so that we would operate in a space of His wisdom, rather that from our own foolishness.

 

Those who are clever,

Are rewarded well;

Insight is granted,

In wisdom they’ll dwell.

With feet both planted,

Secure on the ground;

Future before them,

Their path has been found.

It’s about moving,

Where you’re meant to go;

For that is how we,

Each learn and we grow.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we seek You, we find You, and we are rewarded with wisdom and insight through our seeking. Thank You for all of the young people who have earnestly sought You, as they are preparing for next steps in their lives – so many transitioning from elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school, high school to college or work, and beyond. Thank You that whatever the transition, You are present and leading. Forgive us for forgetting how big You are, and give us the strength to trust You more with the next steps for our progeny. Show us how to continue to lead them well, and help us to love those around us in a way that points people unto You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek Your wisdom and insight in all of our next steps. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. – James 5:11

Thankful for the Unshakeable

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. – (Hebrews 12:28, NIV)

So we should be thankful because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And because we are thankful, we should worship God in a way that will please Him. We should do this with respect and fear. – (Hebrews 12:28, ERV)

God with us, is the preview of His kingdom that is yet to come. Though we are fallible and feeble, Christ in us, is not. No matter what comes, He shall not be shaken. He knows our needs before we bring them before Him, and He holds our heart in the palm of His hand. For each of us who call Him King, He has prepared a future and a hope that we can hold. Our thankfulness unto God ought to be for who He is, and the hope that we have in Him – not for what we see in our immediate circumstance. When offered with reverence and awe for who He is, God receives our worship as pleasing before Him. May we rise up each day with thanks, ready to worship with respect and awe, as God is unshakable, and we are heirs to the glory of His kingdom that is yet to come.

God’s kingdom is ours,

for all who believe;

it can’t be shaken,

it’s ours to receive.

Therefore may we all,

give praise, thanks and awe;

with hearts of reverence,

before our great God.

His promises now,

and hope yet to come;

reasons to worship,

the Most Holy One.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Thank You that we have reason to be thankful, regardless of what goes on around us, because of You within us. Thank You that when we worship You with reverence and awe, You receive our offering as acceptable before You. Forgive us for not realizing the power that is present within us, and for not holding fast to the promise of what is yet to come. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would recognize how much greater are You who is in us, than anything that would come against us, and that no matter what comes in the here and now, we have the promised hope of eternity with You. Show us how to love others with eternity in mind. May many come to know You as their Savior and King. Be glorified O God, as we give thanks and worship You with reverence and awe, for Your kingdom that cannot be shaken. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

I thank and praise You, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power. – Daniel 2:23

The Unchanging Nature of God

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. – (Hebrews 6:17-18, NIV)

 

God wanted to prove that His promise was true. He wanted to prove this to those who would get what He promised. He wanted them to understand clearly that His purposes never change. So God said something would happen, and He proved what He said by adding an oath. These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when He says something, and He cannot lie when He makes an oath. So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours. – (Hebrews 6:17-18, ERV)

 

If God says it, He does it. Who He is, will not change. We can trust God to be true to both His nature and His word. Our hope is secure forever in Him. May we grasp the truth that we are sons and daughters – heirs of God – called His children, promised both His presence now and a permanent place dwelling with Him forever, in Heaven. Because He does not change, neither should our hold on hope.

 

True to His word,

His promises true;

He will not change,

nor lie unto you.

He is safe space,

to Whom we can run;

our hope to hold,

’til our day is done.

Heaven awaits,

for the faithful ones;

those who choose trust,

as daughters and sons.

Rise up in hope,

children of the King;

may our lives be,

pleasing offerings.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You do not change and that You keep Your promises forever. Thank You that You are a space of safety whom we can run to, and are faithful and worthy of all of our trust. Thank You that not only do You forgive and redeem us, but You adopt us as sons and daughters; heirs of Your holy inheritance. Thank You that when we choose to place our trust in You, our hope is secured in Heaven forever. Forgive us for our faltering faith, and for our lack of trust. Teach us to see things through Your lens, so that we might have an eternal perspective, recognizing that You will have the final say in all things. Help us to live our lives in love as You so lavishly love us. May many come to know the peace of Your promises as we pursue Your path for our lives. Be glorified in all that we say and do, and may our lives be a pleasing offering unto You. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence. – Acts 2:28

The Kindness of God

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. – (Titus 3:4-7, NIV)

 

But then the kindness and love of God our Savior was made known. He saved us because of His mercy, not because of any good things we did. He saved us through the washing that made us new people. He saved us by making us new through the Holy Spirit. God poured out to us that Holy Spirit fully through Jesus Christ our Savior. We were made right with God by His grace. God saved us so that we could be His children and look forward to receiving life that never ends. – (Titus 3:4-7, ERV)

 

Our salvation, the promised hope of His presence now and our future forever in heaven with Him, is a gift that He freely gives to us out of His insatiable love for His created. His love is equally available to all. There is no preferential treatment in who is saved and who is not, rather it is a matter of who is willing to receive that which He is offering to all. When we grasp but a glimpse of His kindness and love for us, we cannot help but lay hold of that which He is offering. He chose to take all of our sin and shame upon Himself, so that we could be made clean and acceptable before the Father. More than that, when He returned to the right hand of the Father, He sent His Holy Spirit to be present in the hearts of all who believe, ever renewing our minds so that we can become whom He created us to be. What a treasure we hold to be called co-heirs with Christ!

 

It is His kindness,

that showed us the way;

brought us to repent,

our hearts gone astray.

His love, it woos us,

to mercies brand new;

His grace embraces,

and carries us through.

His Spirit poured out,

to lead and to guide;

to show us the way,

always by our side.

This glorious gift,

is ours to embrace;

receive all He has,

and walk in His grace.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that it is Your kindness and love that draws us unto You. Thank You that we are not saved by our own righteousness, but by receiving that which You offer. Thank You that as we receive, You cleanse us from our unrighteousness and make us new, by Your Holy Spirit. Thank You that in You, we have help for today and hope for all of eternity. Forgive us for thinking that we somehow have to earn our salvation, rather than receive what You are offering. Thank You that as we are saved, You grow in us, the desire to do good works, and use those to bless and encourage those who need to see You in a tangible way. Help us to keep our focus on You in all things and at all times, so that our heart is right before You. May we love others as You so lavishly love us, and may many come to know the glorious gift of eternal life that You are offering. Be exalted, O God, in everything that we say and do. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. – I Peter 2:19

Made New

image by Dave Longstreth

As the kindness of God,

and our Savior appeared;

by His love, He saved us,

all our sin disappeared.

Gift not for our good deeds,

but by His mercy done;

He poured His forgiveness,

through the cross of His Son.

We are washed and renewed,

Holy Spirit rebirth;

generously poured out,

for all sin found on earth.

Justified by His  grace,

we have become His heirs;

hope for our forever,

for repentant in prayer.

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” – (Titus 3:4-7)

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that in You, we are made new – cleansed from all unrighteousness and called clean, as Your children – through the redemption received by the sacrifice of Your Son.  Forgive us for the times that we think that we have to do or be “enough” to warrant the wonder of Your grace, and help us to receive and forge forward as we are held in Your embrace.  May our motives be pure and pleasing to You, and may many come to know You as Savior and King, as we faithfully follow, our lives our offering.  We are eternally grateful for the gift of Your glorious grace.  Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present