Thursday, 10 July’s devotional.
“…so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
You are not an afterthought in God’s kingdom. You are not a late addition to His plan. God’s love for you didn’t begin the day you first believed or when you cleaned up your life. It began long before that. Paul writes that God “predestined [you] to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29, CSB).
Mark reminded us that “God forneew relationally a people that he would save.” God did not merely foresee decisions. “He chose people.” That means you were known. Before your first breath, before your first choice, God set His love on you. He saw you and wanted you. Mark said, “This is God knowing intimately, even relationally, those whom he had created in his own image even before they came into existence.”
Jesus is not just your Savior. He is your older brother. He is “the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Mark explained, “When Jesus died and then rose again, he became the first fruits of salvation… As we become sons of God, we honor God and we honor Jesus who is the firstborn among many brethren.” You have a place in the family of God because Jesus made room for you by His death and resurrection.
This means that your life has meaning beyond your performance today. You may feel unappreciated in the office or unnoticed in your home. But your identity is not built on being seen by people. It is built on being chosen by God. Mark put it this way: “God predestined before the foundation of the world a people who’d be conformed toward the image of his son so that Jesus would receive much praise and much glory from a people who have been set aside to him forever and ever.”
God wrote your story in love and secured your place in His family through Jesus. You are not alone, and you are not forgotten. You are a son. You are a daughter. And Christ is your brother.
When you feel unseen or unappreciated, remember: Jesus is your older brother, and you are part of God’s forever family.
Tell your children or spouse a story about when you first felt God’s love. Show them where they fit in His family story too.
What would it look like to live today like someone chosen and deeply loved?
Father, thank You for choosing me and placing me in Your family. Help me live today with the confidence of Your love. Amen.
This week’s series of blog posts have been created from Mark’s notes. Read them for additional insight into the passage.
Watch the sermon here.
This devotional content is not penned by the preacher. It is derived from the sermon notes. We aim to provide bite-sized reflections throughout the week for devotion and reflection.