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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Bible Verse:Matthew 12:46-50 "While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” " Message:
The subject here could not be more painful to most people, for it depicts Christ's mother — and remember, his mother was not just any woman, but the much venerated Virgin Mary — and his brothers, including (Saint) James, asking to see him; and he apparently refuses. Even more painful, there is an inference that he denied them as his family.
But note: This passage does not actually state whether Christ disavowed any member of his family or whether, on the other hand, He subsequently spoke with them. One must be careful not to confuse inference, a fallible creation of the human mind, with Scripture, the infallible Word of God. The explicit lesson here is that those who do the will of God are our family, not that we must reject natural family who are not believers.
Christ also taught, “The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter . . .” (Luke 12:49-53), but this is prophetic, not imperative.
If we consider any earthly loyalty, we are likely to find that the New Testament, at some point, admonishes us that it must take back seat to our loyalty to God and our love for our fellow believers. For example, love of country. Paul tells us: “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish . . . . Brothers, join in imitating me . . . . our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3)
Few of us have ever met, at least in our daily lives, someone so utterly devout as to abandon everything in their life but Christ; and we must always keep in mind “Rule #1 of Christianity”: Forgiveness for falling short of the glory of God, a redemption through grace. Nevertheless, even if we fall short, it should always be our goal to imitate Christ. And to Christ, family, race, nation, possessions, pride, status, and life itself were all subordinated to the Kingdom of God.
Turning back to the specific topic, having family who are nonbelievers is an issue many of us face. When a Christian is married to a nonbeliever, Paul instructs him not to divorce. (1 Corinthians 7:12-14) But he also teaches us not to make a new friend or marry someone who is not a Christian. “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
Paul's statement about making friends or marrying does not apply to parents and sibling, because it speaks to voluntary relationships; we do not choose our family. So, the quote from 2 Cor. does not tell us to disown our existing families when we accept Christ. But Christ's painful example in today's Scripture would surely instruct us that our primary allegiance is to fellow Christians: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Meditation : Prayer : Let the word of Christ richly dwell within me all this day; and whatever I do in word or deed, may I do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ...........Amen |
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