The Family of God

Every follower of Jesus Christ is part of the family of God.  It doesn’t matter what denomination you are, everyone who has trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior is part of the family of God.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  John 1:12

Celebrate

Let’s celebrate together all those things that we have in common and put aside our differences so that our Father in heaven will be proud of us.  How blessed we are to know God!  How blessed we are to walk in His presence and feel his hand guiding our lives.  We all share wonderful moments in our lives that were clearly orchestrated by God.  What a joy it is to recognize those times God poured out His love to bless our lives or answer our prayers.  How comforting it is to know that our loving God is with us every minute of every day.  His love is overwhelming!

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”  Mark 12:30

God’s love fills our hearts to overflowing.  We can’t help but share that love with others.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mark 12:31

As a follower of Jesus, His commandment to love our neighbor comes naturally. As a follower of Jesus, reaching out to those in need comes naturally.

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  James 1:27

Keeping ourselves “unstained by the world” is not always easy, but when we walk with Jesus our power to overcome the enemy is inexhaustible; and our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others in also inexhaustible when we trust Jesus.

“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”  Hebrews 13:16

Children of God

As children of God, let’s celebrate our desire to follow the early church recorded in the book of Acts, and devote ourselves to the Holy Scripture, to fellowship with other believers, to constant prayer, and to the sharing of meals together as an expression of our shared inheritance.

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  Acts 2:42

Finally, let’s celebrate all the sincere followers of Jesus who joyfully share their faith with others and demonstrate that faith every day through lives that shine the light of God’s love on the world.

“Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”  1 John 3:18

Glorify God

We are the family of God; all brothers and sisters in the Lord.  Nothing is more important than our relationship with Jesus, and our connection to one another.  Lift up your heart in prayer for your family!  Sing a joyous song of blessing for your salvation!  I pray that our God will grant you to be of the same mind with one another, fully immersed in the teachings of Jesus, and thereby with one voice and one purpose you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen!

All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context.  Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations.  In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon.  Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.

Spending Time with God