Originally posted 5/15/20
What do you think of when you hear the word “family”? According to the dictionary, family is defined as: any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins. While that definition may be technically correct, family is a word that means so much more. It provokes many emotions, both good and bad. For some it is a word that, when spoken, promotes feelings of love and peace, happy times, and maybe even a longing to commune with the people you call family. Sadly, for others, family is a word that brings about feelings of fear and anxiety, pain, and a desire to stay as far away as possible from those people who call themselves your family. What does the Bible say about family?
We know that family is incredibly important to God. When God creates man and woman and declares his creation is very good, he created the first family. We as people are made in the image of God, and as such we were created to be in a family. Your family likely looks and behaves differently from mine. You may have a family who is loud and boisterous, or they may be soft spoken and serene. Your family may place a ton of pressure on you to be a certain way, or believe what they believe. There may be an unspoken rule that if you don’t live up to your family’s expectations, they will disown you. On the flip side, you may have a family that supports you in anything you decide to do or believe. There isn’t one family that is just like any other family in the whole world. Each family is unique with both good and bad aspects to them. Nonetheless, each family is created in the image of God.
Long before God created the world and the first family, there was already a family in existence. The Trinity, which was never created, but existed forever, with no beginning and no end, was already a family. They had God the Father, the Holy Spirit, which is often described much like women can be described, and the Son. Though they are three separate persons, they are all one. Much like we as humans are three distinct parts; the flesh/body, the soul (which is your mind, will, and emotions), and your spirit (which is brought to life when you surrender your life to Jesus). These parts work both together and independent of each other. We wouldn’t be human without all three parts. It made perfect sense to create a family since people are created in the image of God. Thus the reason that all over the world, no matter what religious belief, people are interested in identifying who is a part of their family.
The moment that you surrender your life to Jesus, and proclaim him as your savior, you are adopted into the family of God. Galatians 4:4-6 (NLT) says,
“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’”
We are now considered to be God’s children. We see this reiterated in Romans 8:29 (NLT) “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” When we are adopted into the family of God, we get certain rights and privileges. Just like when a family adopts a child here on earth, they inherit the same rights as biological children. We become the siblings of Jesus and get to have the same access to the Father as Jesus has. We actually get to step into the Kingdom of God the moment we are adopted. We don’t have to wait until we die to be citizens of God’s Kingdom. We have access to it right now; we just have to use our spiritual eyes to see it. In Ephesians 2:6 (NLT) we read, “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Colossians 3:1 says, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” Notice we are already raised from the dead, given new life, united with Christ Jesus, and are seated with him. We are already there, even if we can’t see it in the natural world.
The beauty of being in the family of God is that you get to be exactly who you are. God doesn’t put expectations on you to be someone he didn’t create you to be. You don’t have to say certain prayers or do certain things to be accepted as his child. In fact, he really just wants you to do the things that he has put in your heart to do. Think about those times when you are doing something meaningful to you, something in which you are passionate. Isn’t it those times when you feel the happiest and most fulfilled? I know I do. When I am doing the things that God put me on this earth to do, I feel the most contentment. The more I step into the roles God has given me, and the more I become the woman that God created me to be, the more confident I feel.
Have you accepted your place in God’s family? Do you see yourself as a child of God? Have you discovered your passion? How are you using that passion to show others the love of Jesus? I encourage you to ask God to show you how to use your passions for his glory, and if you don’t have a passion per se, ask him to give you a passion. Above all, remember that you are loved and treasured by God. He will never put any expectations on you to become someone other than the person he created you to be. When you are living the role he created for you, you will be the most fulfilled and content. You will realize you are truly his child, and his family is the best family ever!
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