There are 400,000 children nationwide in the foster care system. They have been removed from their families by the state for various reasons. Some will remain caught up in the system for years, many will be shuffled from one foster home to another, few will be adopted. Some will eventually make it back to their families. The older ones may remain in foster care until they become 18 at which time the state is no longer required to care for them.
Whose Job is It?
Whose responsibility is it to care for the orphan? Is it the state’s responsibility? The Bible commands believers in Jesus Christ to care for the orphan in James 1:27 calling this “pure religion that is undefiled.” God sets the solitary in a home (Psalm 68:6). He uses us as a means to accomplish this. He tells us to teach our children as we sit and as we rise and as we walk along the way (Deuteronomy 6:7). Whose children are the foster care children anyway? When their parents’ rights have been terminated…who is to parent them? The state? Oh, church, rise up and parent the orphan; show them the same extraordinary love and kindness God showed you when He saved you out of the kingdom of darkness and adopted you into the kingdom of His dear Son.
God Adopts His Children
Before the foundation of the world, God set His affection on us, not according to any good we had done, for we had none to offer; but, according to the riches of His mercy He chose us. We can read about this in Ephesians chapter 1.
There is no more beautiful picture of our salvation than the picture of adoption. The sinner is lost in his sins, completely unable to save himself and in desperate need of a Savior. God, who is rich in mercy, chooses to save the sinner based not on any merit or attractiveness of the sinner, but merely saves the sinner according to His own good pleasure and according to His purposes. God reaches down into our pit of sin, lifts us out, purges us from our sin, redeems us, sets our feet in a spacious place, gives us an inheritance, transfers us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and calls us His dear children giving us the right to call Him “Abba Father”.
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:11-14
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4-6
What a tremendous act of mercy and grace for God to redeem a sinner and call him His child. No wonder Paul calls this the mystery of the gospel! (Ephesians 6:19) We clearly see the magnanimous magnificent heart of God in adoption.
Will You Help?
Just as we are lost and hopeless without Christ, the orphan waits for his opportunity to come, if it ever comes, for him to have a family.
Will you open your heart to adopt a child, not based on any merits of the child, but motivated by the simple fact that this is a child in great need of a family?
We have the opportunity to show the marvelous story of redemption when we too, choose to adopt.
For more information on how you can encourage your church to take a stand and follow the biblical mandate to care for the orphan, please contact us at 407-628-9051.