Family Thing!

A family thing. People meaning something to each other. People joyful about spending time together. People sharing a common interest. People ready to embrace and be embraced. People ready to act any time of day or night when the need arises. I believe God intended the family relationship to be special, but what I have really been describing is the special relationship within the spiritual family of believers more than physical blood relations. However, the spiritual relationship is also a blood relationship because it is the blood of Christ that has bought us ( 1 Peter 1:18-19) and brought about the common ground for such a family relationship. Do we recognize the significance of the JESUS CONNECTION and what comes along with it?

On an occasion when Jesus was told that his mother and brothers were outside wishing to speak to Him, we read…

“(49) And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! (50) For WHOEVER DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN IS MY BROTHER AND SISTER AND MOTHER.’” ( Matthew 12:49-50 ESV)

This FAMILY CONNECTION begins with a JESUS CONNECTION! As we consider our relationship with the Heavenly Father and with our elder brother Jesus, we should recognize the SPECIAL FAMILY we have and the bond that ought to be between us. Through our CONNECTION with JESUS we have been given the right to become children of God ( John 1:12-13) and thus members of this family. And the family relationship this JESUS CONNECTION creates is one that defies geographic separation, social level and ethnicity.

Writing to the church at Galatia, Paul encouraged…
“(26) for IN CHRIST JESUS you are ALL SONS OF GOD, through faith. (27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28) There is NEITHER JEW nor GREEK, there is neither SLAVE nor FREE, there is neither MALE nor FEMALE, for you are ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS. (29) And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” ( Galatians 3:26-29 ESV)

Family! God’s Family! All one in Christ and descendants of Abraham according to the promise of God. Adoption and marriage choices aside, we generally don’t choose our families and the members of it, but I pray we each have families that are a blessing to our life. However, when it comes to the family of God we have a choice to make. Are we willing to obey the will of God? ( Matthew 12:50) If Christ has been put on in baptism ( Galatians 3:27), having been brought into that special CONNECTION with JESUS brings us into a special relationship with each other. I pray that we each are experiencing the specialness within the family of God that the JESUS CONNECTION is meant to provide.

Have a great day KNOWING THE BLESSING OF GOD’S FAMILY!
Carl

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