14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For 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."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and 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.
Our hearts cry out to know God better - that Spirit of adoption operates in our hearts. But, if we are caught up in pleasing ourselves, we can suppress or even ignore that yearning in our soul to know our Father, the prompting of the Holy Spirit that tells us we belong to God. So, we can make it our aim to discover and grow in the relationship that He has provided for us, knowing that we are His child, releasing His power to live that out.
We look at our God as a healer and restorer, who looked upon us, under bondage to sin, and took the necessary steps, in love, to bring us out. In Galatians 4, we read:
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
It was certainly a shot for the ages - a resounding three-pointer to give the Villanova Wildcats the NCAA men's basketball tournament victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels Monday night. There are some who are saying that the game may have been one of the greatest of all time!
Kris Jenkins is the young man who hit the shot at the end, just a few seconds after the Tar Heels had tied the game with a three-pointer of their own. And, on the other side, it was a bittersweet occasion for Carolina's Nate Britt, who said, according to USA Today: "You could see it happening,” adding, “When I saw him trailing, I knew he was getting the ball and would probably knock it down.”
He should know. After all, the story says that the two of them were AAU teammates, high school teammates - and...brothers since Britt’s parents took Jenkins under their roof and became his legal guardians.
Britt is quoted as saying that after the game, "I just told him congratulations,” adding, “He hit a big-time shot. He said he loved me and we’ll be back next season. Obviously right now it hurts more than anything. Both of us wanted to win this game and he came out on top. I am happy for him and happy he hit the shot to win the game, but this hurts more than anything.”
A story on the SBNation website says that:
Even though you may not be totally comfortable with the idea of a parent actually transferring that responsibility to someone else, you have to recognize that there will be times in all of our lives when we need some help. Felicia Jenkins had experienced the loss of a marriage, the loss of a child, and saw a loss of character in her son - so, she reached out to the Britts. From a Biblical standpoint, humility is a characteristic that is consistent with Scripture, and we have to be willing to humble ourselves - before the Lord and before people who can lend a helping hand. Pride can short-circuit the operation of God in our lives.
And, of course, we think about the Britts and their willingness to become the legal guardians of Kris. They saw a child in need and they essentially adopted Him. We were all children in need, and our Heavenly Father has adopted us, and the recognition of that sacrificial love can produce in us thankfulness for what God has done and a challenge to look for ways in which we can reflect the love of our Father.
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We look at our God as a healer and restorer, who looked upon us, under bondage to sin, and took the necessary steps, in love, to bring us out. In Galatians 4, we read:
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
It was certainly a shot for the ages - a resounding three-pointer to give the Villanova Wildcats the NCAA men's basketball tournament victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels Monday night. There are some who are saying that the game may have been one of the greatest of all time!
Kris Jenkins is the young man who hit the shot at the end, just a few seconds after the Tar Heels had tied the game with a three-pointer of their own. And, on the other side, it was a bittersweet occasion for Carolina's Nate Britt, who said, according to USA Today: "You could see it happening,” adding, “When I saw him trailing, I knew he was getting the ball and would probably knock it down.”
He should know. After all, the story says that the two of them were AAU teammates, high school teammates - and...brothers since Britt’s parents took Jenkins under their roof and became his legal guardians.
Britt is quoted as saying that after the game, "I just told him congratulations,” adding, “He hit a big-time shot. He said he loved me and we’ll be back next season. Obviously right now it hurts more than anything. Both of us wanted to win this game and he came out on top. I am happy for him and happy he hit the shot to win the game, but this hurts more than anything.”
A story on the SBNation website says that:
The story begins when Jenkins was a youngster. His mother, Felicia, was a college basketball player and later a coach, and taught her son the game from a young age. The Jenkins met the Britts through basketball, as Nate's father coached an AAU team called DC Assault.
Felicia and Jenkins' father separated and she took Kris to Baltimore, and Kris played for the Britts' AAU team. While there, Kris' baby sister, Kori, got sick. While Felicia was in the hospital with Kori, Jenkins essentially lived with the Britts. Kori died at 11 months. Felicia took a job as head coach of Division II Benedict College in South Carolina, but wanted to let Kris continue playing AAU ball in Maryland, often staying for extended periods of time with the Britts.
For a variety of reasons — the moving, the turmoil, and a sudden dip in Kris' grades and off-court behavior — Felicia became worried for her son. As a former military police officer, she liked the way Nate's dad, an ex-cop, brought discipline to Kris' life and game. So she asked the Britts to take Kris full-time.A quote from Kris from the News and Observer website was included:
"It was tough at first, but the Britts, they accepted me," said Jenkins, who still keeps in touch with Kelvin and Felicia, who is now an assistant . "The whole family just made me feel so welcome, and they accepted me for who I was and elevated me as a person and made me better. It's something that I'm always thankful for. I thank God for it every day."In the concluding paragraph of the SBNation story, you can read:
Everybody in this scenario behaved in a way that required generosity, love, openness, and extraordinary care for the welfare of other humans, even at one's own expense. It's touching to see it pay off so satisfactorily.A great story - two adoptive brothers on opposite sides of the biggest game of the year. And, it opens up some concepts for us to discuss today.
Even though you may not be totally comfortable with the idea of a parent actually transferring that responsibility to someone else, you have to recognize that there will be times in all of our lives when we need some help. Felicia Jenkins had experienced the loss of a marriage, the loss of a child, and saw a loss of character in her son - so, she reached out to the Britts. From a Biblical standpoint, humility is a characteristic that is consistent with Scripture, and we have to be willing to humble ourselves - before the Lord and before people who can lend a helping hand. Pride can short-circuit the operation of God in our lives.
And, of course, we think about the Britts and their willingness to become the legal guardians of Kris. They saw a child in need and they essentially adopted Him. We were all children in need, and our Heavenly Father has adopted us, and the recognition of that sacrificial love can produce in us thankfulness for what God has done and a challenge to look for ways in which we can reflect the love of our Father.
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