Over the past few weeks since my dad passed away, I have been reminded again of the importance of family. A lot of my family live in the same town as me but we don’t see each other much due to us all living busy lives – and we have a big family. However, when it matters most, I know my family is there to support me and encourage me to keep going. So what’s all wrapped up in one word family. Well for me, it is support, love, encouragement and a sense of belonging. God created family so we would have someone here on earth to be all those things for us like we are for them. Likewise, God created us so we would want to be in His family. Not all of us are in God’s family yet – only those that have made the decision to be adopted into it. So let’s look at some of the characteristics of family.
1. Family is there to provide a loving unit. God says that He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us (John 3:16). If we believe that, that is our adoption papers right there! But there is another element to love and that is that we must love God too – not when we need something but all the time.
2. Family is where you find your rightful place and discover your talents and abilities. If you really like sport, your family is the one to get you going in that area. If you like music, they will pay for your lessons. But that is not all they do. They encourage us and allow us to discover our talents with a soft place to fall if we fail. God gave us our unique talents and abilities and will work in our lives to make sure we are walking on the path to discovery. God has a purpose and plan for our lives that is so fulfilling, we will wonder what took us so long to find it.
3. Family allows us to learn from our mistakes. Family doesn’t condemn but trains and disciplines. In the same way, God loves us so much that He disciplines us – not through putting something bad on us but allowing us to go through trials and not around them. God will never let us be tempted more than we can bear but provides the way out. God will never leave us in the middle of something but does take His hands off to see how much we trust Him. If we make a mistake, then we just repent and say we’re sorry. This is the same in our earthly family.
Everything we are and do is wrapped up in family – both our earthly family and in God’s family. This is where your position needs to be. This week think about how you fit into God’s family. If you are not in it, then I encourage you to say that you believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again to take away your sins – this is recognising Jesus as your Saviour. That you know you can’t do life on your own but need Jesus to guide you and direct you. This is recognising Jesus as your Lord. The start the journey in Gods family and live the abundant life that Jesus came to give you. Bless you heaps!
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