Family United

Unity is, and always will be, important in the body of Christ. But the Bible reminds us that it is no less important when referring to a kingdom, a city, or even a household. My father used to tell me that no matter what we face as a family, we will go through it together. What he was ultimately saying is that as a family, we will allow nothing to divide us, nothing to dismantle us and nothing to turn us against each other because unity in our family was of utmost importance. In Matthew, Jesus supported this notion after the Pharisees accused him of being in league with the prince of demons as evidence of why he was able to cast out demons. Then it says in chapter 12, verse 25:

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.’”

In making his point he continued by saying, “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?” All of this highlights the truth that unity is so important. In light of this truth, I encourage you to make every effort to strengthen the bonds of your family. Protect your brothers and sisters, love and honor your parents, represent your family well in public, and value the family unit as your primary institution of unity. Because if a household divided against itself will not stand, what can a house operating in complete unity accomplish?

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Even before creating man and woman, God knew that the institution of family would be of great importance. Everything starts in the home. The environment that is set will likely replicate itself from generation to generation through our children and grandchildren. Consider your own family. There may be traditions, values, and practices that have been passed along to your parents from your grandparents and great grandparents. Hopefully, one of these values is the importance of embracing Christ and the salvation he offers. If this is the case, I pray that it might be the primary value you pass along to your children and grandchildren. I encourage you not to take your family for granted. Jesus says that a household divided against itself will not stand. So my question to you is, how unified is your household today?

Rise To Live

It is amazing how intertwined the Holy Trinity is. In John, Jesus says that he can do nothing by himself; that he can only do what he sees the Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. It is amazing how the three personalities of the trinity compliment each other so clearly. One inevitably affects the other. Just like the parts of our body are one, but every part, in some way, affects the other. While on earth, the Father had given Jesus the authority to perform miracles and to judge. He had been given authority to judge those who were living, but also those who have died. It says in John chapter 5, verses 28 and 29:

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

Jesus is the ultimate judge, exercising the authority given to him by the Father. The Pharisees didn’t understand that. They called him a blasphemer, which I suppose would’ve been true if he wasn’t the Son of God. But he was, and he is the Son of God, given authority to judge us. And in John we are reminded that we will be judged on how we’ve lived. Jesus says, “those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned”. So I encourage you to live with eternity in mind. Do good and rise to live, not to be condemned.

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Jesus is the judge. He forgave sins while he walked the earth in human flesh, and he still forgives sins as he sits in heaven at the right hand of the Father. In the book of John, Jesus reminds us that how we live on earth will determine whether we will rise to live or rise to be condemned. If I were to say that how we live our life on earth is incredibly important, that would be an incredible understatement. I don’t think we can really comprehend the magnitude of our actions, our decisions and our behavior here in the flesh. But we really need to take them seriously. Because judgment is coming, and Jesus tells us that there are only two outcomes that can befall us. He says that “those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned”. I encourage you to be in the camp who rises to live.

Say Anything

If you are fortunate enough to have someone who is so close to you that you can share anything with, even your deepest darkest secrets, desires, fears and troubles, then consider yourself blessed. I’ve seen relationships between friends, siblings, spouses and even a parent with their child where no subject of discussion is off the table; anything can be shared, lamented about or celebrated. It is wonderful to know that God encourages, and at times orchestrates, these types of relationships. But I believe that God can be, and should be, our closest confidant. He should be the primary person we share everything and anything with. David knew that as he reveals in Psalm 142, verses 1 and 2:

“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.”

I’ve often considered how we must continue to remember that God is God and should be reverently feared and revered. I’ve said that we should approach him with humility and honor because he is holy, he is God, and he is the creator of everything we know. David learned this about God the hard way when Uzzah tried to steady the ark of the covenant with his hands and was killed right there on the spot because he neglected to revere the Lord, and his holiness. But David also knows that with God, we are able to share anything and everything. He knows everything about us anyway. The Bible tells us that he knows what we need before we even ask him. But there is something therapeutic about getting our thoughts and concerns off of our chest. God doesn’t mind. Jesus says that we are to come to him when we are weary and burdened. He says that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. So I encourage you to remember to open your heart before God when you pray. Don’t hold anything back. Tell him anything and everything.

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When I imagine very close friends, I conjure an image in my mind of two close female friends spending hours talking about their overbearing parents, the girls who are giving them trouble at school, and the boys they wish would ask them out. They hold nothing back, and trust the other implicitly with every thought, every feeling and every secret. God can be that for all of us. David said, “I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.” God doesn’t only listen, he cares. And not only does he care, he can help us, guide us and protect us. So I encourage you to talk to him today and every day. He is always listening.

Why?

If God is all-loving, all-powerful and all-knowing, why does he allow suffering and injustice to take place in our world? After all, if he is all-knowing, then he would be aware of every injustice; every wrong happening around the globe. If he is all-loving, he would care that these things are happening and his heart would break for those who are being mistreated. And if he is all-powerful, he could put a stop to it in an instant. So, if he is all of these things, why is there suffering? I get that people struggle with this question. It is one of the major stumbling blocks for those who might consider whether God exists. But these conflicting feelings aren’t only felt amongst those who question God’s existence, many believers struggle with them as well. Even the prophet Habakkuk questioned God on such matters. It says in Habakkuk chapter 1, verses 2 and 3: 

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.”

The reality is that God is all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful. He could snuff out all injustice and all violence with a single word. But he chooses not to. Our God has decided to stay his hand, at least for now. He is allowing the weeds to grow with the wheat. He is allowing the good to exist with the bad. But there will come a day when that will all change. Until then, we must live in this fallen world; a world that has departed from God’s original plan since Genesis 3. And all humanity must reap what was sown until Jesus returns. But I encourage you to put this question to rest. Yes, God is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful yet in his sovereignty he has decided to allow suffering and injustice to take place in our world… at least for now.

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Habakkuk questioned God, not understanding why he would allow such injustice and violence, even after he cried out to God for help. In response, God revealed his plan to Habakkuk; his plan to use the unrighteous Babylonians to punish God’s rebellious people. But we are not always given an answer. Probably because God doesn’t owe us one. Later in the book, God says that “the righteous will live by his faith”. That is our role; to be his creation and have faith that God knows what he is doing. So I encourage you to put this question to rest. God is all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful yet, we may still cry out to him and not receive the answer we were hoping for.

Throw Off

When I was in high school, my favorite sport was track and field. I’d run sprints, hurdles and relay races. And when doing so, I would wear clothing that was light, ventilated and aerodynamic. I wanted every advantage. I didn’t want anything to hinder, or impede, my race. It also helped to know that I had a crowd of supporters cheering me on, inspiring me to run the best race that I could. Hebrews explains that our spiritual race is similar; that we have a race to run where the prize isn’t a metal, but something much more eternal. It says in chapter 12, verse 1:  

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Notice that the author doesn’t say that we should lay aside everything that hinders, he says that we are to throw them off. This suggests that we should violently shed anything, any sin, that hinders us or entangles us. As the verse suggests, there have been many who have gone before us; a great cloud of witnesses, those who have lived and many who have died for Jesus. Let us be like them. Let us focus on our race; the race that has been marked out for us. And let us run with perseverance, not giving up and not slowing down. I encourage you to run your race with a goal to win. Throw off any sin that hinders and run with perseverance every day until you reach the finish line.

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Hebrews reminds us that we are all running a spiritual race. How is your race? We all perform best when we run without hinderances. When training, many athletes wear weight vests, wrist weights or even masks that hinder their breathing. But when the race is on, they throw off all that hinders and run to win. We should do the same, spiritually speaking. I encourage you to remember why you are here and where you are going. This is not your home, but how you run your race will determine how you will spend eternity. Will it be in heaven, will it be in hell, or will you run just hard enough to barely make it through the “pearly gates”? I encourage you to run with perseverance. I encourage you to run to win.