Galatians 4:4-7
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts to shout, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if you are a son, then you are also an heir of God through Christ.
Dear Heavenly Father,
At the right moment in all time, you executed your plan of salvation to redeem us all who are under sin’s curse. You created our first parents to be your holy children, but sin severed us from you. Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lies and desired to be like you; they fell into sin’s temptation, so all mankind is now continuously infected by sin.
Even 2000 years after your Son came to save us, we reflect on what this means. To be saved, we must live in perfect love toward you and those around us, but we fail miserably. Someone says or does something that agitates us, and while we might not come unglued outright, our thoughts are a different matter. Jesus told us even our thoughts condemn us. We fail!
Yet, Jesus lived flawlessly under the law to credit us with his perfection, so he now covers us in his righteousness. We thank you because this gift comes to each of us by faith in your Son, knowing he lived a flawless, perfect life and then died an innocent death on the cross for all our sins. Thus, we trust the forgiveness that has removed all our sins and restored us to you, so we are adopted as your sons and daughters.
Being adopted means regardless of how ugly our sins are, your love has overcome them, and we are your children because of your love and mercy. We are no longer slaves to sin but have been given the gifts of heaven, salvation, and eternal life all through faith in Jesus. Thank you for the best gift we could ever receive—your love and mercy. Let us share our gifts this year with those who do not know or trust you so they, too, will be redeemed and confidently know your love and mercy. Please grant them saving faith in the One who came at the right time. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
God’s timing is perfect! He sent his Son to redeem you and his Spirit to begin faith in you. We are what is imperfect, and our sin has a hard time believing God could love us. However, he does love you and has made salvation possible for all who stop rejecting his love.