Happy New Year!
From my family to yours, I wish you a Happy New Year. Justina and I lay together last evening – later than we normally do – and prayed together for the Lord to be with us in the coming year, that He would bless us as a couple, as parents, a family, that we would walk with Him in the family of God, and to bless the ministries in which we’re involved. I pray the same for each of you reading this blog.
“Family”.. interesting word, yes? A group of people brought together by necessity and design, but not chosen by each person. That is, we choose our friends, but not our family; yet, the bonds we have with family run deeper than many others. Even if we don’t have a close relationship with family, the hurt that we feel from that is deeper than most other hurts.
What does the word “family” mean when we say, “family of believers”? Again, we don’t choose who is in or out of that family. If we are in it, we don’t agree with everyone else in it, and we don’t have to (on everything); but we DO have to love each other! in Luke 6:32 Christ says, “If you love those who love you, whoopity stinking do” (RPV: Ron’s Paraphrased Version). We all like to hang around with certain people more than others, and that’s no big deal, but we need to extend ourselves, push ourselves to connect with people that we normally wouldn’t… that’s where Christ can be glorified! Sure, go to church and hang with your holies, but reach out as well. Talk to your family members! Newsflash: There’s family members lookin’ at you thinkin’, “Oh man, I guess I should push past my comfort zone and greet that guy with a holy handshake”.
If you don’t like the fact that certain people are in the family of Christ, get over it. You aren’t the Dad, and thank God for that! God Himself chooses who will be in His family, and we are called to love each of them and show them the grace that Christ showed us when He died on that cross to bring us into His family. Please be humbled by your adoption, rather than judging others’ acceptance into our family. Judging their acceptance is judging the soveriegnty of our God and His wisdom, and trust me, that’s not a place we want to be. Unity in Spirit, unity in love, not agreement on every little thing.
Have a faith-filled 2008!
Ron
