Daily Devo - Living Wise in Crazy Times, Day #2

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DAY 2: CARE FOR THE CHURCH FAMILY TOO

 

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Galatians 6:10, ESV

 

As believers we are called to care for the needs of others, but especially the church family. In some instances, the church family within church history and Biblical literature seem to push the emphasis of valuing the church family over the biological family.

 

For example, in the life of Jesus ministry and his ministry, he dismissed his biological family and said that his family were other believers, and his purpose was to obey his heavenly Father.  In saying "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matt. 12:46–50), he was revealing his priorities.

 

Jesus’s relational priorities are the following:

  1. God
  2. Spiritual/Church Family
  3. Natural family
  4. Others

 

In church history, third-century theologian Cyprian of Carthage famously said, “He who does not have the church for his mother cannot have God for his Father.” There is a clear indication of the high value of the church, where the spiritual family ranks just as high or higher in value to the biological family.

 

Most of our relational priorities are as follows:

  1. God
  2. Natural Family
  3. Spiritual / Church family
  4. Others

 

What needs to change? A lot. We need to value our church family more than we currently do.  Most of us don’t really value the importance nearly as high as did Jesus or church leaders or other thinkers throughout our history. 

 

Perhaps the key is to understand why we exist. Why we are here on earth as family? That answer in short is this: you were created to worship God, you and your family. You don’t worship your family, you worship withyour family! You exist as a family to glorify God, by serving together, worshiping together, being a witness together, and enjoy him forever! If you accept that truth, then accepting this idea will be much easier. The Church family is not here to serve the interests of our natural family. Rather, the natural families are here to serve the church family, as the Scriptures said, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). May our priorities look more and more like Jesus.

 

Think about how you can continue to serve or help care for your church family. God has called us brothers and sisters through Christ.