Do you ever stop to think about where you came from? One thing about being American is that just about everyone came here from somewhere else (and if you’re a mutt like me, you can’t even really claim a nationality save American). But did you ever think beyond a few generations ago, beyond even the concept of African, or Asian, or European? Where did those people come from? And the ones before them?

There was a time way back, when God divided the world into two types of people: Jew or Gentile. Most of us are Gentiles. We’re descendents of people God didn’t pick. We weren’t chosen to be a holy nation. We weren’t given special laws and customs to set us apart. We’re descendents of the people who followed their own idols, made their own cultures, their own gods. We are descendents of people whose fathers forgot about the One God because their own fathers turned their backs on him.

Funny thing is, we descended from the same people the Jews descended from. Part of us is the same people who were saved from God’s wrath in the ark (Genesis 9:18). We all descended from people who decided to be their own gods, build their own way to heaven (Genesis 11:1-9). Things haven’t changed much since then, whether you’re a Jew or Gentile.

I’m descended from people who God could have easily obliterated, for none are without excuse (Romans 1:20). He nearly started over with Moses (Exodus 32:7-10), and many times he has wiped out entire nations for their wickedness (Genesis 19:24-25 for one).  But he found a way to bring us back. He knew what he would do as Jesus. So he waited for us. He endured the idolatry of our fathers so that he could get to us. He chose us after all. And, what’s more, he calls us his own, his heirs.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:14-17)