3 Day Bible Reading Plan - “Father’s Day”
“While we most likely have both positive and negative relationships with our earthly fathers, what we need most and what truly transforms us is when we have a relationship with our Heavenly Father.” - Pastor Daniel Johnson, 6/15/25
Day 1
Featured Verse: Ephesians 1:5 - “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons.”
How does the imagery of "adoption" in this verse shape our understanding of the relationship between God and believers, particularly in terms of intimacy, inheritance, and identity?
What does the phrase "according to the purpose of his will" suggest about the motivations and character of God in choosing to adopt believers as His children?
How might the idea of being "predestined for adoption" influence a believer’s sense of purpose, security, and calling in their daily life and spiritual journey?
Pause and Reflect: Heavenly Father, I am humbled and grateful that You predestined me for adoption as Your child through Jesus Christ, according to Your perfect will. Help me to live in the confidence and love of this identity, reflecting Your grace in all I do.
“Here specified is ‘the adoption of children.’ This is a further thing than simply to be holy…To be holy is the property of a creature, but to be adopted is the privilege of a son. Adoption is a special act of grace, whereby God taketh us into his family, maketh us heirs of himself, and co-heirs with Christ. This adoption is said to be ‘by Jesus Christ,’ because it is through his purchase and mediation that we are made sons. He is the natural Son, and we, through him, are made sons by adoption; for he, being the first-born, hath many brethren…And this adoption is ‘to himself,’ that is, to God the Father, as the fountain of this privilege, that we might be brought nigh to him, and have communion with him as our Father.” - Thomas Goodwin
Day 2
Featured Verse: Romans 8:15 - “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons.”
In what ways does the "Spirit of adoption" empower believers to overcome fear, and how does this connect to the broader themes of freedom and assurance in Romans 8?
What does the contrast between the "spirit of slavery" and the "Spirit of adoption" reveal about the transformation in a believer’s relationship with God through the Holy Spirit?
How might the assurance of adoption shape a believer’s identity and practical living, particularly in the face of suffering or spiritual opposition described in the surrounding verses?
Pause and Reflect: Gracious Father, I thank You for giving me the Spirit of adoption, through which I can boldly cry, "Abba! Father!" without fear. Fill me with Your love and assurance, that I may live as Your cherished child, trusting in Your care each day.
“The Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father is a choice mercy; for it not only assureth us of our sonship, but giveth us a filial heart to love and obey God as children. This Spirit worketh in us a confidence to approach God, not as a slave to a master, but as a child to a father; and it stirreth up in us those sweet affections which make us delight in God, and long to be with him. Oh, how great a privilege is this, that we may come to God, not trembling as at a judge’s bar, but with the boldness of children to a father’s bosom!” - William Gurnall
Day 3
Featured Verse: 1 John 3:1 - “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.”
What does the phrase "what kind of love" reveal about the nature and magnitude of God’s love in granting believers the status of children of God?
How does the designation "children of God" shape a believer’s identity and relationship with God, and what implications does this have for their daily life and spiritual growth?
How does the verse’s explanation that "the world does not know us" because "it did not know him" reflect the tension between believers and the world, and what does this suggest about the cost of being God’s children?
Pause and Reflect: Loving Father, I am overwhelmed by the incredible love You have lavished on me, calling me Your child and making me truly Yours. Help me to live confidently in this identity, reflecting Your love to a world that does not yet know You.
“This love is free, eternal, distinguishing. Free, for there is nothing in us to move him to it; eternal, for it was before the world was; distinguishing, for it is not common to all, but peculiar to the elect. This love is the ground of all our privileges, and the reason why we are called the sons of God. The world knoweth us not, because it knew not him. The world hath no knowledge of Christ, and therefore no knowledge of us, as we are in Christ.” - Thomas Manton
“Oh, the depth of this love, that God should take us into so near a relation! The world knoweth us not, because it knew not Christ; for as Christ was despised and rejected, so are his members. But this is our comfort, that God’s love is our portion, and in this we rejoice, that we are the sons of God.” - Richard Sibbes