Daily Devotional for Tuesday March 25, 2003

The family of God

( 2 Corinthians 6:18 )

The family of God. One of the hottest programs on television is the Soprano's, a series on HBO that deals with the life of a mafia family. For those who have been reading my Devotionals for a while know, I never tell you what to do, or not to do. That is not my role. My job is to share the truth of God's word with you so that YOU can make the best decisions. After all, I, nor anyone, can force you to do anything. Hopefully you will take on the mind of Christ and do the things that you should, out of a love and dedication to serve and glorify Him with your life. I will say that one of the issues I deal with often is the renewing of our mind. Watching what we see and hear, what we allow ourselves to be exposed to. All I will say is to pray daily about the things that you allow into your head, and simply ask yourself if it is the type of thing that is going to help you further your walk and life with Christ. The Holy Spirit will guide you. Never forget the saying, "garbage in, garbage out." My saying, "God in, God out"!!!!!

Having said that, I do want to share with you today about the family of God. Like everything satan touches, it becomes a perversion of God's original, perfect plan. The mafia "family" is based on honor, respect, loyalty, obedience, and faithful service. There is a "head" that is the sole authority which members of the family worship. The family of God is about honor, respect, loyalty, obedience, and faithful service. The family of God also has a "head" that is the sole authority which members of the family worship. Do you see how perverted satan is? He blinds the hearts of men and women, uses the positive things of God in a perverse way to entrap them and lead them on a path of destruction.

Deep down, people yearn to be part of a family. God made us to be part of a family. For those in big families, you understand what being part of a large family is all about. For those who do not have any, or very little family, you miss that interaction that family members share together. The mafia, local gangs, have all captured that need to be part of a family in how they operate their criminal enterprises. Actually, some of the best run legitimate businesses have used the family structure to successfully operate. But the ultimate family is not your earthly family, or being part of a company, or involved in a group of some kind, it is being part of the family of God.

In being part of the family of God, you are part of an eternal family, one that will live on beyond this life. God is our creator, the head of our eternal family. We are to honor those who are part of this Divine family. We should respect other members of the family. We must be loyal to our family. We need to be obedient to the rules of the family as laid out in God's Word. We need to be faithful to serve the family with our time, talents, and treasure. There is no greater family to be part of since this family will live on for eternity.

I want to encourage you today, to become part of this family, all you have to do is ask Jesus Christ into your heart and accept Him as your personal Savior. If you have never done this, and want to make that commitment today, simply go to www.liveprayer.com/SPlan.html . Pray and ask the Lord to open your heart to the words that you will read. Then read them. It is the most important thing you will do in your life, and if you accept Christ by faith, you will automatically become part of the family of God....the ultimate family!

I love you and care about you so much. Perhaps there are some out there who are part of the family of God, but you have strayed away. Your heavenly Father, the head of this family loves you unconditionally, and is waiting for you to come back to the family. Just like the father of the Prodigal Son accepted his son back, so your heavenly Father will take you back. Now is the time to come home, come back to the family of God. He still has much for you to do in your life. It is time to stop running from your family and come back home where you belong.

I will pray for you today to hear your Father calling your name. No matter how far away you have run, no matter what you have done, God is ready to forgive you if you simply ask Him to, and restore you to the family of God. This is NO ACCIDENT that you are reading these words today. Maybe in your time away you have tried other families. The fact is, you have been empty, and unfulfilled. There is no substitute for the family of God. Come home today. Your Father is waiting for you, your family is waiting for you!

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller