Thanksgiving Countdown... Day 6

I'm going to jump on my soapbox in a later post today, but I just want to say that today I'm thankful that...

I've been adopted.

This may have thrown some of you off, but let me ask you an important question... have you been adopted yet? I truly hope you have. According to good ol' Webster 1828 (I love that dictionary), to adopt is

1. To take a stranger into one's family, as son and heir; to take one who is not a child, and treat him as one, giving him a title to the privileges and rights of a child.
   
2. In a spiritual sense, to receive the sinful children of men into the invisible church, and into God's favor and protection, by which they become heirs of salvation by Christ. 

Don't you love how the dictionary written by one of the earliest Americans actually talks of our adoption by God?! I do!

In Greek, it is the word huiothesia and can be found five times within New Testament Scripture. In Romans 9:4, it is used by Paul to describe the filial relationship between Israel and God. But with Christ's sacrifice, God allows us to become children of Him (John 1:12, Galatians 4:3-7), and thus belong to Him. What a beautiful and perfect example of God's divine love, that He gave His Son for us, so that we sinners might become His adopted children!

So as the little 2WordStory banners all over Detroit go... 

Adopted? Adopted.