Did the title catch your attention? 🙂 I hope so. This is a posting that has been on my heart for months. I have waited a long time to write it for various reasons. Primarily my delay was due to the fact that I could not settle on how I wanted to write it. A topic this important can?t be approached lightly. For this reason, I think now would be a good time for you to go get a hot cup of coffee or tea, settle in comfortably without distraction, and then read on?

This week I sat on the floor with my boys and watched ?The Christmas Child?. I was excited to see this movie because one of my favorite artists, Steven Curtis Chapman, was in it. I thought the story was precious and enjoyed it. (It is airing on the Lifetime channel this season but you can also purchase the DVD). The heart of the movie centers around an adult adoptee. SCC adopted 3 baby girls from China over the last few years and each time I see pictures of Shaohannah, Stevie Joy, and Maria, I end up with tears pouring down my face. SCC wrote a song for his girls called ?When Love Takes You In? and this music video was on the DVD. I held Ty watching this video and couldn?t stop the tears. His little eyes were glued to the screen the whole time too?Ty loves music.

The chorus of this song says:

?When love takes you in and everything changes. A miracle starts with the beat of a heart. When love takes you home and says you belong here, the loneliness ends and a new life begins. When love takes you in.? (Steven Curtis Chapman, Declaration CD)

I have said many times that I believe adoption was God?s gift to me more than a gift to my children. Love did take Tanner and Ty in?true?.but it was also an incredible love that let them go.

Love let Jesus go too. Can you even imagine it? God sent His own son to die. God understands the plight of a birth parent. He placed His own child in the care of Mary and Joseph. His love had great purpose. Great love and great sacrifice often go hand in hand. God also understands the heart of an adoptive parent. He is one. He adopted me. I have shared the stories of my boys adoptions but now I will share my adoption story. If there is ever any diary entry that I hope to save for my children and grandchildren, it will be this one. There is nothing of greater importance I would ever have to say them.

My adoption story begins in 1972. No, that is not the year of my birth. It is the year of my conception. My parents found out that year that God had created a new life and that they were going to be the recipients of a baby girl. 1972 is not the year that God first knew me. I had been in His heart for an eternity prior to that. Before my conception, He knew me. In His full knowledge of all things past, present, and future, He acknowledged me as His child.

My dad was a young pastor at the time of my birth and by the time I was four, he moved our family to sunny Phoenix, AZ so that he could fill a pastoral position (where he has been for the last 27 years). When I was five, my dad and mom came in to my bedroom one night and drew some pictures for me. I remember them drawing a black heart, a red heart and a cross. They explained God?s plan of salvation to me in a simple way that a 5 year old could understand. After they left the room, I called to them and asked them to come back in. I told them that I wanted Jesus to be in my heart. On June 29th, 1978 I acknowledged my adoption. I knew that Jesus had called me to Him and in response I chose to receive Him into my life?with the faith of a child.

At 5 years of age, my faith was very sincere. Sometimes I wonder if children are capable of embracing things that adults cannot. As we grow and learn and mature, we often make simple things much more complex. When I got into Junior High School I had a ?crisis of belief?. I was in 7th grade at the time, and was at a point of becoming very self introspective. I questioned much of what I had been taught. I wondered if I had clung to the beliefs of my parents without a true belief of my own. I wondered if they were right. I wondered if there truly was ONE path to heaven. I met many people who thought that was an incredibly narrow viewpoint and could not possibly reflect a loving God. My science classes were teaching me that we were not created. We evolved. What should have been taught as theory, was taught as fact.

I am the type of person who will ponder and evaluate all sides of an equation before feeling resolved. I challenged myself that year to check things out for myself. I told no one. I started researching other religions/beliefs, evaluating my own beliefs and studying the ?science? behind evolution. I don?t remember much of what I was taught in school that year, but I do remember the path my own studies took me on. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that God has no grandchildren. The relationship that we have with Him is very intimate and personal. My parents faith did not ?save? me nor could it ever have. I think God spoke softly to my heart all that year, teaching and guiding me as only He could do. One day I finally surrendered my battle. I remember those moments so clearly. In my young adolescence I said to the God of the Universe ?I believe you. I know that you created me and that I did not evolve. I know that You are the author of everything. I know that you sent your son to die in my place and that He is the ONLY way to heaven?. I trust that you mean what you say. Now I see two choices left available to me. I can follow you completely for the rest of my life or I can live life the way I choose and reject You.?

For those that know me personally, you know I am not a half way person. I can?t settle for mediocrity in anything. I wouldn?t allow myself the 3rd option. The third option was a blend of option 1 and 2 ? to believe in God and still live my life MY way. I knew I was being called to follow and that if I was going to say ?yes I will?, than it had to be complete. I knew God was calling me to follow Him and I knew that He did not offer a 3rd option. I remember the moment I said to Him ?I will choose to follow You and my decision is a ‘for life’ one. This isn?t about what anyone else thinks, feels, or believes. It is what I know is true and I will not reject You.? That statement has held true every day since. There will never be any turning back.

In America, over 80% of our population claims to be ?Christians?. The word ?Christian? has become such a generic label that I almost hate to use it because there is nothing really distinguishing about the word in our culture. Sadly, the word ?Christian? presents a very false sense of security for many people because they have claimed a label having no idea what that choice really entails.

If I were to ask you ?If you were to die tonight, do you believe you would be admitted into heaven?? what would you say? Would you say ?I am not sure.?? Would you say ?I am sure I won?t be admitted into heaven.?? Would you say ?I have sinned more than God would forgive?? Would you say ?I am a good person and I know God will let me in??

I have heard all these answers before. Let me tell you what scripture say?s though:

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.

When I was in elementary school, I would sit my friends down and tell them that if they wanted to go to heaven they had to believe in Jesus. I would have them pray with me. I would tell them to ask Jesus to forgive them for all their sins and then accept Him into their hearts. The heart of the message that I delivered was an accurate one. One does need to repent of all their offenses against God and one does need to embrace Jesus as the only path to Heaven. Unfortunately though, the way I delivered these truths sounded very much like a person simply had to utter a magical phrase?and waaaalllaaahhh..they would be eternally saved. I don?t think children hear a ?sinner?s prayer? as a magical phrase though. Adults do. This is an example of maturity robbing us of basic truths.

For those of you who grew up with a belief in Santa, I would ask you this. If you believed Santa was real and would bring presents to ?good? little girls and boys, did you keep that basic fact in mind the week before Christmas? LOL! I bet you did! Why? Because I think children know how to believe better than adults do. They know that true belief elicits action. If a child believes, truly believes in Santa, they also acknowledge that their behavior plays into the equation come Christmas morning.

When an adult talks about belief though, we are much more abstract. For example, I think the adults in our nation do BELIEVE that George W. Bush is in fact our president but there are many who say that they do not believe IN George W. Bush. They are not willing to put any faith in him as a person. Their belief is only centered upon the fact that he is legally the President.

Satan and his demons BELIEVE that God exists and even that Jesus is God?s son. They do NOT however, place their personal belief in Him. They reject Him.

(By the way, I was not trying to parallel those who don?t believe IN George W. with Satan and his demons LOL!!!! I just used that example to demonstrate the difference in belief of fact versus trusting belief.)

What is true belief then? What is the kind of belief that God requires of us? It is life-changing belief. It is more than fact-oriented belief, it is faith-oriented belief. Faith has an object and it responds accordingly. Recently I heard a description on belief that I thought very appropriate.

?Faith is confidence in God based on knowledge of God that results in obedience to God.? Let?s break this down.

1) Faith has an object.
2) It requires a personal response
3) It requires commitment

We need to first understand the object of our belief. Do you know God? Have you studied His word? One cannot claim a belief in someone they don?t know. First you must know the object of your faith.

Once you have studied the scripture and you have learned who God is and what He requires of you, you then must choose to embrace those truths or reject them. If you study scripture thoroughly, you will find that God does not allow the option of partial faith. He expects us to take Him at His word. If any part of scripture is not true, than the entire scripture would be a massive work of contradiction. Scripture claims to be the inerrant word of God. It either is all true or it isn?t true. One cannot dissect it and choose to believe some parts and not others. If something claims to be entirely true, but in fact is only partially true, than it cannot be trusted at all because the very foundation has already crumbled.

If you, through your studies come to (have come to) the conclusion that you know the object of your faith, and that you do embrace and agree with the content of that faith, then you have a choice to make. In this context, you have a few options (1) commit to the object of your faith for life?no turning back (2) relegate all these truths to the back of your mind to save for further introspection on a rainy day:) (3) Claim belief in the object of your faith but continue on with your life ignoring the fact that a response and a commitment was required of you (4) decide the price too high, the cost too much, and openly make a decision to reject Him?all truth aside. This would be a good time to remind oneself that according to scripture, only option 1 will result in an eternity with Christ.

If you do know the object of your faith, you have embraced His truths fully, you have committed yourself to Him for life, then your life will prove it. While we are not ?saved? because of our obedience, true faith does result in obedience. It wouldn?t be true faith if it didn?t. It wouldn?t be true love either. If one truly loves God with a willing heart to commit to Him for life, they WILL choose to obey. That is not to say that one won?t fall off the horse from time to time (I know ALL about that:). We are not capable of perfection and we will fail. Sin is not the issue though. Jesus paid for that. We are all sinners. Your faith will determine the choices that you make though. A heart that loves and embraces Jesus will have a tender conscience towards disobedience. A repentant heart will follow and a change in behavior will occur. If I say I love my children, but I don?t take care of them, starve them, abandon and abuse them?then there is no evidence that I do love them. A person who chooses to willfully disobey God and is not repentant?does not love God?does not embrace Him?does not pick up their cross and follow Him?is not committed to Him. It is not my intent to point a finger at who is and is not true in their commitment. It IS my intent to ask you to look inside your heart and evaluate the ?proof? in your life. If it is not there?it isn?t too late. God?s grace is offered to you. Today is a brand new day.

Is this tough to swallow? I know it is for some. The fact of the matter is though, we are all immortal. There is no question as to whether or not we will live eternally. The question is where we will spend that eternity. Hell is a real place. I am not bringing this up as a scare tactic. I am bringing it up because it goes back to my point on embracing scripture. It is all true or completely untrue. There can?t be any other way. Scripture declares hell to be a real place. Scripture states that all who do not receive and believe in Christ as the author of their salvation, will be destined for hell. I can?t apologize for that. This is what God say?s. If the bible is an inaccurate representation of God, what then would we have? Would we simply make up ?truth? as we go along based on what seems most palatable to us?

When I was young, two men, one young one older, came to our door to share their version of the ?gospel? with us. Their particular belief system did not include hell. My father listened to what they had to say and then he stood between the two men and looked directly into the eyes of the younger man. He said to him ?If you believe what this other gentlemen has taught you, you need have no fear or concern. It does not matter what you believe, you are eternally secure either way. If he is wrong though, and scripture is accurate, then you son, are on the path to hell because you have refused to acknowledge the truth of scripture.?

I remember being very nervous when I heard my dad say that! Wow!!! That was a bold statement to deliver. It was completely loving though?the most loving thing dad could have said. If I believe that the bible is the inerrant word of God, and that God truly means it when He says that there is only one way to heaven?His son, than how dare I not share that truth? If I love you, I will tell you this. If one considers the bible to be inaccurate, than one better be certain beyond all shadow of a doubt that they are correct. Their eternal future depends upon it. I have had people ask me ?Do you really believe that good people are going to be condemned to hell?? My answer is, ?If those good people reject Jesus, yes they are going to hell.” Obedience is a result of our faith but we are not saved for our good works. Salvation is all about the sovereignty of God. We cannot earn it or deserve it. That is not my answer. That is God?s answer.?

Now there is a question from my heart that begs to be asked. Do you know?I mean do you KNOW without any doubt that heaven is in your future? If you are one of those who have always claimed a Christian label but upon reflection of your life, realize that there is no or little proof of obedience unto the object of your faith, would you take a moment…right now?to make a decision? Would you consider for a moment that God had YOU in mind when I wrote this and that He is drawing you unto Himself?right now. As I write this, I have no idea who I write this ?for??only God knows. I do believe though that those that He is calling will hear Him.

If you, in this moment, know in the depths of your soul that He is calling you?please do not hesitate to respond to Him. Repent of your offenses against Him. Place your FULL belief and faith in Him?a faith that can never be altered or destroyed. Commit your life to His service. Study Him intimately. Know who He is and read His love letters to you (I would recommend the Message bible if you have no biblical background ? it reads in very contemporary easy to understand language). Find a place where you can gather with other believers to learn and to grow and to mature. Find a place where you can dedicate time to worshipping Him. The chief end of man is to bring glory to God?make that your life?s goal. Decide to today that your future will reflect your commitment. Decide that your obedience to Him will be proof of your love.

Does this sound all consuming and life changing? It should! This decision IS that big. The end result though, will be an eternal future with the one who has loved you with an undying love. Who wouldn?t want to be adopted by the King of Kings? I feel loved and secure as a princess to my Daddy God. He is my everything. Being an adoptee is the greatest title I will ever wear and I will tell the world.

Love sent Jesus to the cross. That same love will take you in. Will you embrace it?

?When love takes you in and everything changes. A miracle starts with the beat of a heart. When love takes you home and says you belong here, the loneliness ends and a new life begins. When love takes you in.?.

Because of Jesus,

Doni

P.S. If you choose to be ?taken in by love? today, or are renewing your commitment today, are you brave enough to post a comment making your decision public? (Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…)

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21)

If you are not familiar with scripture, please take the time to read the following verses. These verses are from the New International Version Bible. I also included in parenthesis ?The Message? translation. I, personally, do not ?study? from the Message translation but I love to read it for understanding general context.

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John 3:13-18
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven ? the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God?s one and only Son.
(No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up- and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life. This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn?t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person?s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.)

Hebrews 2:9
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(What we do see is Jesus, made ?not quite as high as angels,? and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory ?bright with Eden?s dawn light.? In that death, by God?s grace, he fully experienced death in every person?s place.)

Hebrews 5:8-9
Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
(Though he was God?s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey Him)

Ephesians 1:4-7
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will ? to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God?s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment ? to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God?s possession ? to the praise of his glory.
(Long before he laid down earth?s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we?re a free people ? free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. It?s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. It?s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free ? signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what?s coming, a reminder that we?ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.)

John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God ? children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband?s will, but born of God.
(But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.)
Doni?s Note: And I call this?the adoption:)!

Romans 8 28-30
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called; he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
(God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.)

Romans 3:22-23
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
(The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we?ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we are in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.)

Titus 3:4-8
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, who he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
(But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God?s gift has restored our relationship with him and gives us back our lives. And there?s more life to come ? an eternity of life! You can count on this.)

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God?s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master).

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. (Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It?s God?s gift from start to finish! We don?t play the major role. If we did, we?d probably go around bragging that we?d done the whole thing!)

I John 2;1-6
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense ? Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ?I know him,? but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God?s love is truly made complete in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
(I write this dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good ? not only ours, but the whole world?s. Here?s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. If someone claims ?I know him well!? but doesn?t keep his commandments, he?s obviously a liar. His life doesn?t match his words. But the one who keeps God?s word is the person in who we see God?s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we?re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.)

I John 4:9-10
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about ? not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they?ve done to our relationship with God)

John 6:40
For my Father?s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last days.
(This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time.)

John 14:6-7
Jesus answered, ?I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.?
(Jesus said, ?I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him, You?ve even seen him!?)

John 11:25-26
*Speaking to Martha before the resurrection of Lazarus.
Jesus said to her, ?I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this??
(You don?t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this??)