Families can be tricky things and we live in a world and time where many are redefining what a family is. So who are we supposed to treat as “family” – or another way of asking this question is:
Who’s Your Daddy?
Imagine that you’ve been living in your house for a few years, going about your busy life: working, raising a family, going to school—all the normal stuff of life that keeps us focused on…well, ourselves. What would you do if all of a sudden you realized your own father, sister, or brother was alone–in terrible need–and had been living right next door?
Maybe they are, and you never noticed.
Who does the Bible say is in “our family”? If we consider ourselves Christians, is it just Christians, or if we are Jewish is it just other Jewish people? Can we get by with only treating people who are just like us and believe the exact same things we believe as family?
Or are we really called to treat everyone like they’re part of the family?
I guess the answer to the question of who you will treat like they’re your family is best answered by asking, would you treat Jesus like a member of your own family? Jesus told his closest friends a story one day to help them grasp the reality of how he sees everyone, and how he would hope we would see and treat others.
“When I was hungry you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, when I needed clothes you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, when I was in prison you came to visit me…. And his friends were like, “…We did…?”
He goes on and says, “I’m telling you the truth: Whenever you did one of these things for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me–you did it to me.”
I see it like this: We have some brothers and sisters out there that are estranged from Dad, from God. They don’t trust him and stopped coming to holiday meals and family functions long ago. They are having a hard time believing that he really loves them. But he does, enough that he sent a Son–Jesus– our own brother, to rescue and save them. It cost him his life, but that’s how much he loves them and wants them restored to a full and wonderful life in his family.
So let’s stop worrying about who’s in or who’s out, saved or unsaved. Let’s treat everyone like family…the way God does.[clickToTweet tweet=”Let’s stop worrying about who’s in or who’s out. Let’s treat everyone like family…the way God does. ” quote=”Let’s stop worrying about who’s in or who’s out, saved or unsaved. Let’s treat everyone like family…the way God does. “]
God is in the adoption business. He wants you and everyone else in his family. He says, I’ve got some pretty weird kids, but you’ll grow to love them!
The next best time to start treating people as part of the family is now.
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