PREPARATION

And the angels were amazed!

Totally on his own the Creator-God chose a man, called him Abraham, promised to bless him, to be family, and to be his friend. Isaiah 41:8 NIV

And the angels were stunned!

After all this time, God chose the slave-descendants of Abraham to be HIS people. It was all God's plan. But, HE didn't love them and choose them because they were so numerous, or gifted, or because they were so good and upstanding. "Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession." Deuteronomy 14:2 NIV

It was totally a God Thing. God put it this way, "On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of the house of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, I am the LORD your God!" Ezekiel 20:5 NIV. He chose them solely because HE wanted to.

And the angels were listening.

During wonder years of the holy-visit to planet Earth, Jesus chose men who became his friends. He said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you…to be my friends…to love each other." John 15 NIV

And the angels are still watching.

God has chosen you. He wants you to be part of his family. All the red tape and paperwork has been completed. It's up to you!

"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT

We have been adopted into the family. We share the same father, the same spirit, the same blood, the same family name. "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" James 2:5 NIV

Faith says we live present tense in God's family, his remnant chosen by grace. Believe it! Live like it, regardless!

INSPIRATION

Even before the earthquake, Haiti was shattered and broken. Now it's chaos.  Hundreds of thousands of people wander the streets, climbing over rubble and death. Homeless, parentless, nameless children walk the streets waiting to die. They expect nothing.

Except for 9-year-old Ronel.

Ernest Parker had been sleeping on the floor of the American Embassy for 9 days struggling in the chaos and brokenness to get clearance to bring his long-awaited new son home to the USA.

For two years prior to the quake the Parkers had been jumping through all the adoption hoops, but when the quake happened everything stopped. Ernest left his wife and his four other children and made his way to Haiti. He had come for his boy.

Debra Parker said, "Ronel nearly starved to death before the quake, now what?" All adoption processes take time and there seems to always be some last minute glitches that bring the process to a halt. Debra and friends prayed that the God who already knows how to bring starving children out of chaos and into promise would work a wonder.

Finally after all the days of the haggling with Haitian and American officials, the "mountains" moved. Ronel's name was called. His new father was allowed to take him home. God frustrated the hearts of the Embassy officials. They wanted Ernest out of their hair.

So, on Thursday evening, February 4th, Debra Parker and three of her four children stood in baggage claim at Bush International Airport waiting for Ronel. The signs reading “Welcome Ronel” in English and Creole filled the area.

When young Ronel appeared, words were lost in applause and hugs and celebration. A cousin was one of the first to speak as he thrust a Teddy bear wearing a T-shirt that said, "Welcome to the family," into Ronel's hands. "Hi," he said.

His new sister, 12-year-old Carly Parker, flipped through a Creole phrase book. "Can you read this?" she asked, pointing to the words for "Are you OK?" Ten-year-old Colton Parker reached for the book. "I need to find 'I love you,'" he said.

Ronel had nothing to compare this to; he was soaking in the experience of awe, with a touch of grace.

There is still paperwork to complete and hoops to jump through, but the angels are ever-present, watching the God of Grace be the God of wonder.
 

MOTIVATION

This is good news, right? God has chosen you. You are part of the family. Do you believe it? Have you embraced it? That piece of knowledge changes everything. Whether you feel like it or not, you are part of the family. Now, what does that feel like?

Tell HIM.

It's time to take a moment to look up, stand up, and lift up our hands. It's time to be overwhelmed about being chosen by the God of Grace.

It's time to live like a child of the God who invented family.

And the angels are longing.