An Agent of Reconciliation with a Faith Family Resemblance
Good Morning Friends,
2014 is twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the
Family
and it offers an opportunity to refocus on the role of families worldwide and here at home as well. Some say there has never been a time when the family faced so severe a crisis as the time in which we are now living. To be sure the assault on the family has been going on since the garden and the repercussions are serious, but despite all our collective challenges about it I believe Christian theology put into practice could offer hope for such a time as this. You see God has granted to humanity a blessing in the form of a family and it is time we recognized its importance in the development of our future as well as it critical relevance to our very salvation. Friends, God wants us to know the Son so that we will know the Father. He teaches us to join together as a family of God, a community of faith, rejoicing in the reality that as children of God we can become An Agent of Reconciliation with a Faith Family Resemblance.
Scripture: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
Genesis 3:15 (NRSV)
Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
John 14:8-12 (NRSV)
Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15 (NRSV)
Message: There are warning signs of a declining nation. Society and the family share a common fate over the falls. Even secular historians value the importance of the family for our civilization. It would seem that so go the children… so goes the family… so goes our country. It would seem for Christians that we of all people should start listening and acting on what God has to say about the family. It seems that if we call ourselves Christians we should be aware of the biblical principles on how to raise children, care for family. Here are seven key blue print directives for building families on God’s foundation:
- Join with Jesus Christ as the mortar of a Godly family that brings strength and connectivity to parents and children and a structure that teaches the ways of the Lord.
- Build up each other with greater competence by expressing love and giving guidance with consistency every day.
- Eat, work and talk together regularly sharing burdens and joys, committing and submitting to each other as a family unit.
- Give some priority time for family activities demonstrating loyalty and faithfulness in worship.
- Treat and teach each person with respect and kindness as you share the Word made flesh.
- Manage money wisely and discussed openly how it can best be used to help others
- Learn to cope with the world by laughing and crying together and forgiving as Christ forgave
Friends, when Philip asks Jesus the most staggering of questions, “Show us God the Father?” he is told that by seeing God in Jesus the Son, he can begin to see more. The answer is simple; if we want to know God …we need to know Jesus…if we want a healthy family we need Jesus as part of the relationships. Today’s scripture teaches that when we join with Jesus we join with God. And when we join with God we too challenge the fate of mankind… we too offer a second chance for the family of faith to live life to the fullest. Friends, the one thing that can add more value to your family than anything else is when Jesus is the Lord of your home. I challenge moms and dads today to make a fresh commitment to Christ. I challenge this day and in the days to come that you follow the example of Joshua and say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”
Pray we realize that God created the family beautiful and good. Pray we realize that sin has ravaged the family. Pray we realize that God did not leave the family in defeat but in the disappointment has anointed the family as the supreme instrument of producing the means of conquering evil. Pray we realize that Christ offers the family hope. Pray we build up more stable family relationships that understand the purpose of family as God intended. Pray we rejoice in the way the family of faith teaches us. Pray as parents that we make a difference in the lives of children as they grow up. Pray that mom’s are lifted up for their role in sharing in the continuing creation of God. Pray that the dads of the world are lifted up as they demonstrate their resemblance to our heavenly father by believing in Jesus. Pray we learn about God’s heart for children and the importance of having a child-like faith. Pray the family resemble Jesus by being a means of renewal and reconciliation.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 