Transformed – teen devotion – May 26, 2024

One truth shared: Through Jesus Christ we are brought into a unique and blessed relationship with the triune God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory

Romans 8:12-17

Our Triune God Makes Us Blessed Members of His Family

How many of you have seen the musical/movie Annie? Annie is a little orphan girl, living in a pretty dumpy home run by a terrible lady who’s often drunk, and forced to do inappropriate labor. A rich man named Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks selects Annie to live at his home in order to promote his image and political career. For Annie, everything changed on that one day when she was rescued from the orphanage and brought into Daddy Warbuck’s home – her sense of family, self-worth, identity and purpose.

What’s true of Annie in that movie, is true for all believers in Christ – but in a much bigger and better way.

All people including you and me are by nature spiritual “orphans” in desperate need of rescue, without a father, with no direction or purpose in life, and no identity. Like Daddy Warbucks, God dramatically changed all that. In an amazing act of love, God sent his Son Jesus to die on a cross, and to rescue us and adopt us into his family.

What does life look like for believers restored to God’s family? Paul describes it as an incredible, beautiful life centered around a relationship with the triune God of the Bible – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

You can call God – the almighty, eternal, supreme God of the universe – your Father! You can call on him at any time, just as you would call on your earthly father, trusting that he hears you and treats you as his beloved child.

You have Jesus, the Son, as your brother. He did everything to secure God’s love and a place for you in God’s family. You are a fellow heir with him in all of God’s blessings including the gift of an eternal home in heaven.

You have the Holy Spirit, living inside of you, strengthening you in your walk of faith, testifying to the Father on your behalf, and giving you a spirit of peace, comfort and contentment.

Through Jesus you have so much more than Annie did. You have someone so much richer and powerful and caring than Daddy Warbucks – you have a heavenly Daddy. One who truly loves you. It’s no political move. It’s no stunt to promote His image. Your heavenly Father truly wants you in his family – and he planned out everything from eternity, and carried it out in time, through His Son Jesus and through the Holy Spirit, for you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for adopting me as a child into your family. Thank you for my Brother Jesus, who paid the price for my adoption. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who brought about my adoption and dwells inside of me so that I might live for you and serve you all my days.