I had the chance to spend some time yesterday with Dan Cruver (Together for Adoption), Jason Kovacs & Dwain Gullion (ABBA Fund), & two of the men I work with at Hope for Orphans Paul Pennington & Jason Weber. We had a great day of meeting – prayer, vision casting & dreaming about what the Lord might do through the three organizations we represent. One of the great benefits about connecting with like-minded folks are the reminders that inevitably come up. For me, it’s real easy to put my nose down, get to work churning out whatever widget I’m being paid to produce & to lose sight of the why behind the what.
One of the big reminders from our time yesterday was the importance of focusing on Adoption with a capital A. That is, keeping in mind that the outworking of God’s plan from eternity past involves making a way for the fallen ones – humanity & creation, to be brought back into right relationship with our Creator. This Adoption plan, with its epicenter containing the incarnation (God becoming man), the crucifixion (God unleashing His full & unbridled wrath on his Son to bring about the justification & salvation of sinners) & the resurrection (God pronouncing victory over sin & death), becomes the basis for everything that we do – including adoption with a lower case a.
The centrality of the Biblical message is God glorifying Himself through the restoration (or Adoption) of all things in Christ. It is this restoration, this Adoption that frees us to care about kids who have no one to protect & provide. It is this Adoption which frees us from the need to self-promote & to use others for our personal pleasure & gain. It is this Adoption that serves as the foundation by which all other Christ-exalting things rest on.
This is a good reminder indeed!
