This weekend we have two family get-togethers; one with my
mother’s side of the family, and the next day with my father’s side of the
family. A very busy weekend for sure!
Family is quite unique to say the least. Some may have a “family resemblance”; yet we
are all uniquely made with our own quirky personalities, habits, verbiage,
gait, interests and of course we all have our very own set of problems and
circumstances. Yet through it all-we
have one major thing in common – we are all related by blood! Nothing can ever
change that fact. Some may have their
disagreements – issues with another, and unfortunately in some families (thankfully
not in any of our families), may even disown a family member! But no matter what that person may have done,
they are still family by blood – that cannot change no matter what one may
do.
The same is true in the family of God. When we trust the Lord as our Savior, we
become family through the blood of Christ.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7) and “But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”(1 John
1:7). In so doing we become one body –
one family through Christ. “We are all
one body, we have one Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious
future. There is only one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over all and
in us all and living through us all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6). And in so doing we are commanded – not
suggested – to: “clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience. You must make
allowances for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must
forgive others. And the most important
piece of clothing you must wear is love.
Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule
in your hearts. For as members of one
body you are all called to live in peace.
And always be thankful. Let the
words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you
wise. Use his words to teach and counsel
each other. Sing psalms and hums and
spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
And whatever you do or say let it be as a representative of the Lord
Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Colossians
3:12-17.)
I am reminded of an old, yet powerful hymn, “There is Power
in the Blood”. It speaks about the
glorious power of the blood of Jesus.
Yet it also brings to my mind the power of the blood that is coursing
through our veins as family members. I
think about the powerful love, joy and forgiveness of loved ones gone on before
us that have helped build and mold our family into what it is today.
So as I prepare to visit with my precious yet uniquely
created family this weekend, I pray that we all will look beyond our difference
– our faults – our quirkiness – and see each other through the eyes of Christ –
our precious loving Savior who looked beyond our own faults and forgave us of
our sins. If we come together with the
mind of Christ, it will truly be a glorious weekend through fun, food and
fellowship.
1 comment:
Great post! I love the hymn you mentioned, although it has been years since I've sang it (at least in public).
Blessings,
Kim
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