幾年前，我和父親一起前往他最想念的厄瓜多，造訪了他從小生長的家族農場。在那裡，我注意到有好幾棵樹非常奇特。父親解釋說，他小時候很調皮，會在某一棵果樹下取了一根廢棄的樹枝，然後在另一棵不同果子的果樹上切開一條縫，將樹枝插入切縫中綁緊。他曾看過大人這樣做，因此自己也如法炮製，剛開始沒人察覺他的惡作劇，直到那些果樹開始結出奇特的果實才被人發現。

父親描述這樹木嫁接的過程，使我領悟到何謂被「接在」上帝的家中。如今父親過世了，我知道他已回到天家，因為藉著信靠基督，他被「接在」上帝的家裡。

只要我們信靠基督，就能確信自己最終會進入天家。正如使徒保羅告訴羅馬的信徒，上帝開了一條道路，讓外邦人或非猶太人能與祂和好。保羅說：「你這野橄欖得接在其中，一同得著橄欖根的肥汁」（羅馬書11章17節）。當我們相信基督，我們就跟祂連接在一起，成為天父家中的一分子。耶穌說：「常在我裡面的，我也常在他裡面，這人就多結果子。」（約翰福音15章5節）

如同嫁接的果樹一樣，我們從相信基督那一刻起就成為新造的人，並且可以結出很多果子。

During a visit with my father to his beloved Ecuador a few years ago, we visited the family farm where he grew up. I noticed a group of strange trees. My dad explained that when he was feeling mischievous as a boy, he would take a discarded branch from one fruit tree, make slits in a different kind of fruit tree, and tie the loose branch to the trunk like he saw the grownups do. His pranks went unnoticed until those trees started bearing different fruit than expected.

As my dad described the process of engrafting, I got a picture of what it means for us to be grafted into God’s family. I know my late father is in heaven because he was grafted into God’s family through faith in Jesus.

We can have the assurance of eventually being in heaven as well. The apostle Paul explained to the believers in Rome that God made a way for gentiles, or non-Jews, to be reconciled with Himself: “You, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root” (Romans 11:17). When we put our faith in Christ, we’re grafted in with Him and become part of God’s family. “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5).

Similar to engrafted trees, when we place our trust in Christ, we become a new creation and can bear much fruit.