19 Then his mother and brothers came to him, but they could not meet with him because of the crowd. 20 He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”
21 But he replied to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.”
Luke 8
What’s more important than family? Jesus. You aren’t doing your children, your parents, your spouse, or anyone else in your family a favor by giving them a “pass” for their bad behavior just because they are your family. Following Jesus many times will mean breaking with your family. They remain your family, you are still very much called to love them, but if the Bible says something along the lines of “Christians won’t do…” and they are doing those things… then you’re not helping them by pretending they are Christians even though their life choices prove otherwise. There’s a whole list of the kinds of people who “will not inherit God’s kingdom!” (1Corinthians 6:9) in the Bible. Just because they are your child, or your parent, or your grandparent, God isn’t making an exception for them because they’re in your family. Following Jesus will sometimes separate families. Jesus spoke directly to this idea:
34 Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be
the members of his household.
37 The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.Matthew 10
Do you have family members you wouldn’t be willing to give up if it means genuinely following Jesus? It doesn’t always have to be that way, but sometimes it is. Are you willing to say to that loved one “I love you, but you’re not following Jesus,” or are you too scared you might lose them if you said something? Or worse, do you change your view of right and wrong based on how they want to live?
It is so easy to make an idol of our family… Jesus wasn’t disrespecting or lessening the love he had for his family, but he was demonstrating the love he has for his church. That’s enough to keep us thinking for years to come…
Reading Plan for 2021; livestreams: Shiloh.TV
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