Beloved in Christ, greetings to you in the name of our loving Lord Jesus Christ.

We very well know the life of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, because of jealousy. He was then taken to the land of Egypt where he spent the rest of his life. God being truthful to what He had promised Joseph, made him the second most powerful man in Egypt. While in Egypt, Joseph begot two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.  These two sons of Joseph would have probably heard about Jacob, their grandad, but wouldn't have seen him. Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph's sons until Joseph was away from Jacob. But, when Jacob came to Egypt to be with Joseph he adopted Ephraim and Manasseh to be his own sons. Thus, just like Jacob's own sons, Ephraim and Manasseh also became his sons. Let us read Genesis 48:5

"And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born to thee in the land of Egypt before I came into thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine."

In the same way, when we were far away from God, we were children of this world. Maybe, we would have heard about Him as God the Almighty, but wouldn't have had a personal relationship with Him. But the Lord Himself so graciously came to this earth and adopted us as His children. And by the blood of Christ, we have become members of His family. This is what we read in, Ephesians 2: 13 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." And in Ephesians 2: 19, 20 "Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone;"What a great joy it is to call the Almighty God, the creator of Heaven and Earth, "our Father". Let us take pride and thank the Lord for we have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we are no more children of this world but His.

Romans 8: 15,16 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God"Amen.