Family
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 1 John 5:1
Some of you visited family or friends last week for Thanksgiving. Maybe you met a new little baby who belongs to a loved one. Even if you had never met that baby before, you could probably say you loved him or her. How? The baby never did anything for you. You didn't know if you would get along with the child. But you love the parents, so you also love the child.
John writes that the family of God is like a close human family in which the members truly love and care for one another. And just as you can love a niece or nephew because you love your sibling, we love our brothers and sisters in Christ because God is the father of us all.
Every Christian, near or far, is part of our family, and so we ought to care for one another.
The connection we have in Christ can never be broken. That's one reason why we have neighborhood groups (to show love within our local church), why we support church plants in other places (to care spiritually for fellow Christians), and why we organize mission trips (to care spiritually and physically for Christians around the world).
Questions for reflection and discussion
1. Is there a brother or sister you should reconcile with?
2. How can you personally care for others?
Dear God, make us a real family. Help us care about others whether they are different from us or far away. Give us extra grace to love those who are close to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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