Over 20 years ago, a scandal broke out at the Little League World Series. Coaches and parents conspired to alter birth records so that players older than the limit could play. The coaches were banished from the Little League and several leagues in the area were dissolved. Players and coaches from the area are still blackballed from many competitions. Just the name of the head coach still brings strong reactions.
If you come from a loving and supportive family, you are most likely proud of your family name. But more and more people come from abusive and unloving families. This people, and families rocked by some scandal, are not proud of their family names.
Where can we find a secure place of love and affection? Believers in Jesus Christ are adopted into God’s family. They receive the everlasting love, endless mercy, and amazing grace of God. But that is not all. Ephesians 3:14-16 says, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” God has also promised to give His family members the power to be the person we want to be. By His Spirit, we also can be loving, merciful, and kind.
The blessings of adoption into God’s family are endless and certain, resting on the power and faithfulness of God. God stands ready to adopt you. He is just waiting for you to come to Him and ask. Become a member of a family where you can always be proud of the family name.
Reluctant Retiree 