God could have chosen
any way He wanted to bring people into the world.
He chose to bring us into the world into a family.
A husband and wife who are joined together are given the privilege of
having children. Into this
relationship people are born. What
is the family? Here is one for
the mother of the family. You are
important.
I’M JUST A MOTHER?
A few months ago, when I was picking up the children at school, another mother
I knew well rushed up to me. Emily was fuming with indignation. "Do you
know what you and I are?" she demanded. Before I could answer (and I
didn't really have one handy) she blurted out the reason for her question.
It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver's license at
The County Clerk's office. Asked by the woman recorder to state her
occupation. Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a
job, or are you just a.....?"
"Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a
mother." "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation...'housewife'
covers it," said the recorder emphatically.
I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same
situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career
woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title like
"Town Registrar" or "Official Interrogator"
"And what is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped
out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and
Human Relations." The clerk
paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not
heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant
words. Then I stared with wonder as my pompous pronouncement was written in
bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said
the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"
Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply,
"I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't) in the
laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm
working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have four credits
(all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the
humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24
is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill
careers and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed
the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our
driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab
assistants - ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental
model (6 months) in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal
pattern. I felt triumphant! I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone
on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to
mankind than "just another mother."
Motherhood...what a glorious career. Especially when there's a title on the
door.
An example of a family
that becomes Christian.
Scripture
Text:
Acts 16:30 (NIV) He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?"
31
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and
your household."
32
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his
house.
33
At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then
immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34
The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was
filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole
family.
Who is the Christian
family?
Mark
3:32 (NIV) A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your
mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
33
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
34
Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are
my mother and my brothers!
35
Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
What
is a family? Definition of
family from Dictionary.com
- Family
- A
fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two
parents and their children.
- Two
or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to
one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.
- All
the members of a household under one roof.
- A
group of persons sharing common ancestry. Lineage, especially
distinguished lineage.
- A
locally independent organized crime unit, as of the Cosa Nostra.
- A
group of like things; a class.
- A
group of individuals derived from a common stock: the family of
human beings.
What
is the family?
How do you become a member
of a family / Christian family?
John
3:3 Jesus said, You must be born again.
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
You must be born into the family or adopted in.
Jesus invites all to become a member of His family.
Have you? Will you?
What is a Christian
family? A Christian
family is a Group of people who have been saved through faith in Christ and
are committed to one another. A
church is a perfect example of a Christian family.
A Christian family are those who do God’s will.
Mark 3:32-35
“…who does God’s will.”
Membership in the family? You must be saved.
God has no Grandchildren.
What
makes the family?
1.
We share the blood. The
blood is the difference. Whose
blood runs in your veins?
2.
We share Influence in the Family. We can affect each other to be who we are.
3.
We share love in the Family. Love is commitment to each other no matter what.
Love is more than a warm feeling.
It is a decision to support one another in whatever circumstance.
4.
We share a name in the Family. If we say we are in such a family then who we are.
We are like Christ. We
share his name and his life and love.
5.
We share a common goals. Our
goal is to do the will of the Father.
Our goal is to be who God wants us to be. The jailer took the
disciples and washed their wounds and were then baptized.
6.
We share a common destiny. Our
future is fixed in Jesus Christ and the family circle will not be broken in
heaven.
7.
We share a common home. We
live together in the home and in the church we have been brought together.
8.
We share common desire to help each other and build each other
up. Our love is for one another
and the desire is to life one another’s burden.
We think of the other in the family and not of ourselves.
This is the family that God has created.
The desire is to build up Christ by building up one another.
Our desire is to do the will of the Father.
9.
We Share Christ. We
have a common Savior. We have
Jesus. Will you have Jesus?
Will you share Him and His love for one another?
Will
you come into the family? Will
you share your family with another? Will
you share the love of Christ with others in this family and with those who are
not yet in the family?