In His Name Devotionals
THE FAMILY OF GOD
In His Name Devotionals
THE FAMILY OF GOD
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother, abides in death.” (1 John 3:14 NKJV)
Most sport enthusiast identify with their favorite team by wearing a cap or jacket associated with a given team. No so with Christians, followers of Christ. They are to be identified by their fruit. Remember Jesus said “as you do to the least of these” My brethren, you do to Me. The parable of the Good Samaritan shows Christians the attitude we are to have regarding service to our fellow man.
The Gospels as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are intended to draw us closer to God and His Son, the King of Kings. Christians are to take on a likeness of Jesus, meaning we are to talk like Him, approach each problem or opportunity with the same love and compassion He demonstrated. We will possess the same forgiving spirit. Most of all we will give God the highest respect and honor possible as our creator, and worship and praise Him as the One who knows all and provides for our every need, at the same time address Him as our Father and Jesus as our Brother. Studying the life of Jesus Christ as recorded in the first four books of the New Testament we will come to emphasize our brothers and sisters in Christ; they will take on a very special meaning in our lives. The more we know about Jesus, the more we become a family, willing to share our possessions, our time, our love, even being willing to die for others as Christ died for us.
Most of us grew up in an environment where all family members shared at least two things in common every day. First: a meal together. Second: each family member usually sat in the same seat at each meal. If someone was not present, he/she was missed. There would be concern for the absence of a family member during any meal and great concern, even panic if an unexplained absence extended for two.
The story is told about a family that always put a plate on the table for each family member. Anyone missing was immediately noticed and the family would not eat until it was known where the missing member was. Christians come together each week for a spiritual meal, the Lord’s Supper. As a family we should miss any person who fails to be at their place for this blessed meal, honoring Jesus Christ, our Lord. We should instantly be concerned about any missing family member, but especially if such an absence is observed twice. If such occurs, we should leave no stone unturned until we know why, and we do all within our power to reunite the Family.
