God has had a purpose and desirer for each of us. Long before He created the foundations of the earth He was thinking about us. God’s purpose is to have a relationship with us, not as servants but as sons. His desire is that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

even as he (God) chose us in him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will

Ephesians 1:4-5 ESV

Predestined in Greek is Strongs #4309 “proorizo” (before, ordain, predestination). The word proorizo come two-parts “pro” (above, ago, before, or ever.) and “horizo” (specify — declare, determine, limit, ordain.).

I believe that when the disciple wrote this scripture the word predestined, they were saying that before the time God declared that we would be adopted as sons and daughters. I do not ascribe to predestined as defined through Calvinism, that view removes all free will.

As a father, I have found myself declaring over my daughter things that were before time. When she was a little girl, I would say things like “she will make a good mother” or “what a wife she will be”. Just because I spoke (predestined) these things over my daughter she still has a free choice to be a wife and a mother.

God has declared over us, His adoption and that we can be holy and blameless. It is our free choice to accept Jesus and walk in these promises. Jesus told us about the Father’s love in the book of John.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

‭‭John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As a good father in the natural does so Father God does for us. He loves us and does not condemn us. As I was writing this, I heard in my heart and thought, “that is my natural father he is alway condemning me!”

This is true sometime we may not have a good father or any father in our natural lives. That does not change the nature of God and His love.

My natural father was there in the house and in my life for the most part. His love was shown to us by how he provided, he worked two jobs at times. I did not hear or feel the impact of the phase of “I love you” from him until well into my forties. He has a mooch and mouth of a sailor and the anger to match. I don’t judge my father he did the best he could without Jesus.

My dad was raised by my grandmother after his mom there and father divorced, which was harder for children and mothers back then. They did not have the support as society does today. My dad was probably the only one in his classes with divorced parents. My dad was moved to New York (Brooklyn) from a smaller Michigan city, for a short time. They ended back in Michigan for his high school years, still without a strong father input. He accepted Jesus in my forties and changed everything because he finally had a good Father’s input. God graced me to forgive my father year before his acceptance of Jesus.

If you are without the good father input I encourage you to first accept Jesus and be adopted in my family and second find a Godly mentor (fatherly) that is fifteen years older or greater. They will have a different reference and perspective on the situation them your peers. Allow them to pour their wisdom into your life. This is your free choice.

APPLICATION

• Know that you are free to choose that God is not in exhausted control of your life.
• Accept Jesus and be adopted into God family
• Find a mentor