Breaking Cycles

09/06/2026

08/06/2026

Written Into His Family- Roland Heersink

“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Ephesians 1:5–6 NIV)
Adoption in the ancient world was a deliberate and permanent act. A person adopted into a family received the full legal standing of a natural child, and unlike a biological child, who could be disowned, an adopted son could not be removed. The relationship was binding in a way that could not be undone.

Paul uses this image to describe what God has done for every believer.

Your place in His family was not an accident. It was planned before the world began, carried out at great cost, and secured in Christ. The grace that made room for you is described here as glorious, something to be praised rather than merely accepted quietly.

People who have experienced rejection often struggle to believe that belonging can be permanent. They wait for the condition to appear, the clause in the agreement that makes acceptance dependent on continued performance.

They expect eventually to be found out and asked to leave.

Scripture will not allow that expectation to stand. You were adopted in love, according to God’s pleasure, not reluctantly or provisionally.

Your place at His table does not rest on your consistency. It rests on His choice, and His choice does not change.

Prayer

Father, thank You for making me Your child, not as a guest but as a son or daughter. When I feel like an outsider, remind me that You wrote my name into Your family before I ever knew You. Help me live from that permanent belonging today. Amen.

05/06/2026

Accepted Before I Proved Myself- Roland Heersink

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” – Romans 15:7 (NIV)
Most of us carry a quiet assumption that acceptance must be earned before it can be received. We adjust our words, manage our image, and monitor how we are being received.

The idea that someone might welcome us before we have demonstrated our worth feels unfamiliar, even slightly suspicious.

Paul’s instruction to the church in Rome rests on a foundation that makes human acceptance possible: Christ accepted you first. This was not a conditional welcome that would be reviewed later. It was a full and settled embrace, extended while you were still a stranger to God.

Many people carry the weight of a life spent trying to become acceptable. They bring that habit into their relationship with God without realising it. They pray as though approval must still be secured. They serve to maintain standing.

They confess the same failures repeatedly, not because they are repenting but because they are still not sure they have been fully forgiven.

Romans 15:7 gently dismantles that pattern.

Christ did not accept you because you were ready. He accepted you because He is gracious. Your standing before God does not fluctuate with your performance. It was settled at the cross, and it remains settled today.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for accepting me before I had anything to offer. Help me to stop performing for approval I already have. Teach me to receive Your welcome fully and to live from that security rather than always reaching for it. Amen.