The Spirit of Adoption – Week Four
Light: Isaiah 49:13-16 Shout for joy, you heavens! Rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
Rain: Before the Throne of God Above – Shane & Shane; Praise the Father – Chris Tomlin; Head to the Heart – United Pursuit
Seeds: As I have listened to Emily’s lessons, I have struggled no to fall into condemnation when I recognize more of the orphan tendencies in my life and not enough of the adopted son’s responses. But our safeguard is not in sitting back, evaluating our hearts, and trying to “do better now that you know better.” Our safety is in knowing that we belong to Him, he knows our hearts, and continues to draw us to him so that we can rest more securely in his love.
In last week’s lesson, Emily reminded us that “when we act as orphans, we act like we are still under this law. We act out of the sin engraved on our hearts, like Jesus didn’t make a way for our wholeness.
But God sent Jesus who did what no man could do. Through Jesus, God can erase the permanent marks on our hearts and engrave, instead, His teaching on our hearts.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).
Instead of sin marring and tainting our source of life, it will be God’s purposes that influence our relationships, our reactions, our choices, our faith.
Take some time to pray/confess Psalm 139 below and if at any time during the study you get tired & overwhelmed, want to hide, feel angry or sad, come back to this prayer.
‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked [orphan] way in me, and lead me in the [Son’s] way everlasting
He wants us to know Him as He already knows us, and His conviction is our freedom. Let’s commit together to keep going until we are free to love Him as our hearts were made to do,
Cindy is going to lead us through a comparison of Saul and David and their response to God’s conviction of sin. Saul is the representation of the orphan mentality, and David is the example of a true son. I encourage you to set up a table with a column for Saul, a column for David and a column for you. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you. He is tender and kind and patient and invites us to “come and reason together” so our sin can be made “white as snow.”
There are scriptures sprinkled throughout but don’t feel obligated to review them all. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead and stop and focus where He directs your attention.
Contributor: Donna Hyatt
Digging: See Cindy Chen’s comparison homework below
