Devotionals

Received—Not Earned

Can you imagine prospective parents saying, “We’d like to adopt Johnny, but first we want to know a few things. Will he be a good child? Healthy always? Oh, and can he fix his own meals?  Do his own laundry?”
No agency would stand for such talk. They’d say, “Wait a minute. You don’t understand. You don’t adopt this child because of what he has; you adopt him because of what he needs. He needs a home.”

The same is true with God.
John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

He doesn’t adopt us because of what we have. He doesn’t give us His name because of our intelligence, or our wallet or good attitude.… Adoption is something we receive, not something we earn.