by Elyse Fitzpatrick
As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
Romans 9:25

When you really live in the light of the gospel, it transforms your obedience. Because of God’s love, your obedience is no longer a burden. That’s not to say we don’t fight to believe and obey—we do. But the kind of love that comes to us through the suffering of Christ—and the raising of Christ—transforms our obedience. See, as long as my obedience is focused on me and how I’m working my way down the road of sanctification, no matter how hard I try, I will not find within myself the desire, the motivation, the power to pursue true godliness with longevity.
When I put my eyes on my own performance, in a way it’s like seeing myself as God’s foster child. As a foster child, I have to walk on eggshells and make sure not to break any of the family rules. I think that too often we all view ourselves as God’s foster children, and we’re not sure why He would choose us. But then the message of the true gospel breaks through: He’s adopted us! God has made us one of His very own.
We have to begin to see ourselves as sons and daughters with whom the Lord is well pleased. But how do we do this? We do it through the work of our big brother Jesus. Listen to this passage from Romans:
As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” (Rom. 9:25–26)
That’s who we are! Once we were not called “beloved,” but now we’re called “beloved.” Once we were not called His children, but now by faith in Jesus Christ we are. The Son of God lived perfectly in our place, died our death, and rose again for us, breaking the power of the curse of death. And in this work, He forever measures up on our behalf. When we trust in Him, His perfect obedience becomes ours. He’s done all this for you so that you can say, today, “I am His beloved child.”

Thought to Remember for Today

Those amazing words of adoption, first spoken through the prophet Hosea and later reiterated by Paul, are meant to free us from the fear that we will out-sin God’s love and welcome. Rather than living like foster children, let’s live like dearly loved sons and daughters. Let’s obey, yes, but as children, as those who cannot be disowned or turned away.

Fitzpatrick, E. (2016). Grace untamed: a 60-day devotional. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.