Orphans

 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  Romans 8:14-17......We're concerned about provision, protection, and position. We need none of them if we realize we are heirs of the Kingdom." Anonymous

I came across a story some years back that, if not true, is certainly true of how many of us live spiritually. A young boy was taken in by a family, but was not made part of it. His place was in the barn, which is where he lived, took his meals, and so on. Each morning, the family would gather for a hearty breakfast, and all would sit around the table, enjoying the fellowship and company of each other. The boy, having no family of his own, and longing that he would, would go to the window, look upon all that was happening, and long to be a part. But he wasn't. He believed he never could be. So he returned to his barn.

So many in the church are living as that young boy did. The difference is, we have been given, in Christ, a place at the Father's "table." Our problem is that we have been deceived by the enemy that we must earn our place there. We must do more good works, try harder to please Him. When we do enough, work enough, pass enough tests, then we can hope to have a place. This is the mentality of an orphan. A mentality that always keeps us "at the window," gazing upon something we think is beyond us, and we exhaust ourselves trying to secure it.  We don't realize that in Christ, our place has already been secured. We are not orphans but sons and daughters of the King and His Kingdom. We keep trying to get into a room that has already been opened to us. 

Someone said that too many churches are more like orphanages producing orphans. People are taught that they must try harder, work harder, do more, work more, please Him more. They may teach that we're saved by grace, but we live by the law. Our faith is completely behavior based and so we can never feel secure in Him. We always feel like we're on failure away from being put out. We never really feel like a son or daughter. We never feel at home. We feel like we're still at the window, looking in. We don't understand who we are in Him, what we have in Him, and all we can be in Him. We are accepted not because of what we've done or are doing, but because we are His, in Christ. It is Christ that makes us acceptable to Him, and it is through Christ that we enter His Kingdom as sons and daughters, full sons and daughters of the King. We miss that a works based faith keeps us centered on ourselves, what we do and don't do. We're not focused on Him. The self life is exalted over His life. It's about what we're doing, not what He has done.

I have written in my prayer journal, "Bring us daily to Your table, so that we would not only have our place there, but that we would no longer live as orphans." May we come to His table. May we feast on His life there. May His life flow out of us....as His sons and His daughters. Orphans no more.

Blessings,
Pastor O