14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.15For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,17and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
This is who we are if we belong to Christ - we have been given a new identity and we can know, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, that we are a child of God. That has enormous implications for us, because at the point of our need, Christ was there for us, and as we recognize that we need Him each day, every moments, then we can experience His love and power. He enables us to break the chains of the past and walk in the freedom of our new life in Jesus Christ. By His power, we can put off the sinful behaviors of the past, of the old self, and put on our new identity, created in the image of Christ.
In Galatians 4, we read about the great and glorious news that each of us, by virtue of receiving Christ as Lord and Savior, have been adopted into God's family:
4But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,5to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.6And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"7Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
The young man shuffled to the pulpit at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. He declared, "My name is Davion and I've been in foster care since I was born. . . . I know God hasn't given up on me. So I'm not giving up either."
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Davion Navar Henry Only loves all of his names. He has memorized the meaning of each one: beloved, brown, ruler of the home, the one and only.
But he has never had a home or felt beloved. His name is the last thing his parents gave him.
He was born while his mom was in jail. He can't count all of the places he has lived.
In June, Davion sat at a library computer, unfolded his birth certificate and, for the first time, searched for his mother's name. Up came her mug shot: 6-foot-1, 270 pounds — tall, big and dark, like him. Petty theft, cocaine.
Next he saw the obituary: La-Dwina Ilene "Big Dust" McCloud, 55, of Clearwater, died June 5, 2013. Just a few weeks before.
But he has never had a home or felt beloved. His name is the last thing his parents gave him.
He was born while his mom was in jail. He can't count all of the places he has lived.
In June, Davion sat at a library computer, unfolded his birth certificate and, for the first time, searched for his mother's name. Up came her mug shot: 6-foot-1, 270 pounds — tall, big and dark, like him. Petty theft, cocaine.
Next he saw the obituary: La-Dwina Ilene "Big Dust" McCloud, 55, of Clearwater, died June 5, 2013. Just a few weeks before.
He had shared the idea of going before the church with his foster care case worker, who had facilitated this journey. She sat beside him as he heard the words of the preacher, Rev. Brian Brown, as he discussed the apostle Paul. Rev. Brown said, "He was in prison...Awaiting an uncertain future . . ."
The article related that sometimes Davion felt like that, living in a group home with 12 teenage boys, all with problems. All those rules, cameras recording everything.
Davion always longed for a family. Connie Going, his caseworker, took him to picnics, put his portrait in the Heart Gallery. But he had thrown chairs, blown his grades, pushed people away.
When he learned his birth mother was dead, everything changed. He had to let go of the hope that she would come get him. Abandon his anger. Now he didn't have anyone else to blame.
Going says, "He decided he wanted to control his behavior and show everyone who he could be." He attempted to calm his rage, he dropped some weight, applied himself in school, and decided to go to church and make his request for someone to tell and show him that he matters.
"You may be in a dark place," said the preacher. "But look for the joyful moments when you can praise God." He talked about orphans and the desire of Jesus to lift them up. Then he introduced Davion.
Davion's words were simple and honest: "I'll take anyone...Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don't care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be." So far, reportedly 2 families have responded to the appeal.
The article related that sometimes Davion felt like that, living in a group home with 12 teenage boys, all with problems. All those rules, cameras recording everything.
Davion always longed for a family. Connie Going, his caseworker, took him to picnics, put his portrait in the Heart Gallery. But he had thrown chairs, blown his grades, pushed people away.
When he learned his birth mother was dead, everything changed. He had to let go of the hope that she would come get him. Abandon his anger. Now he didn't have anyone else to blame.
Going says, "He decided he wanted to control his behavior and show everyone who he could be." He attempted to calm his rage, he dropped some weight, applied himself in school, and decided to go to church and make his request for someone to tell and show him that he matters.
"You may be in a dark place," said the preacher. "But look for the joyful moments when you can praise God." He talked about orphans and the desire of Jesus to lift them up. Then he introduced Davion.
Davion's words were simple and honest: "I'll take anyone...Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don't care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be." So far, reportedly 2 families have responded to the appeal.
Davion's story is one of hope and redemption, and illustrates for us some truths relative to the Christian life. First of all, he shows the desperation that so many children in foster care are facing. One of the encouraging trends in the church is to see families who are opening their homes and becoming the forever family for children, including those who are in foster care. There is an opportunity to help mold the lives of kids, including teens, who have experienced the uncertainty of living without a permanent home and the lack of affirmation or outright rejection from their parents.
And, there's a great spiritual application here - because each of us, even though we were created in the image of God, were born in a state of need for the love of a Savior. Sin separated us from the love of our Heavenly Father, but grace has enabled us to be adopted into His family. The love of God is powerful and compelling, and He is calling each of us to receive His love and experience true, unconditional acceptance.
Finally, we acknowledge the ability of God to give us a new identity in life. Davion was someone who was rejected, angry, afraid, insecure, and wanting to experience love. He wore that identity around his neck, and it choked him. But, he decided to take a step in the other direction - and if we are willing to forsake the past and to let go of the burdens that hold us back, we can experience true forgiveness and transformation. We have the chance to release the identity of Christ in our lives as we believe on Him.
He can take away anger, rejection, and pain, and we can know His unconditional and unlimited love.
No comments:
Post a Comment