1. Mark in his gospel tells of an interesting story about Jesus and his family. The story begins with an individual informing Jesus that his mother and brothers had come looking for him (Jesus was inside teaching a houseful of people). Jesus asked the man, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:33-35).
Wow! Isn’t that an incredible thought! You and I – if we are following
Jesus – WE are a part of HIS family! The
Creator-God of this vast universe is our Father. Jesus, God’s Son and our Savior is our
brother. This realization is both comforting and sobering. Comforting to know that in this troubled and
often painful world, we don’t have to go it alone! We are part of a divine family. And as part of HIS family, God will take care
of us! But this truth is also sobering. Since we are part of God’s family, we must
ask ourselves if others see in us “the family resemblance.” When my two oldest children worked as servers at the local Red Lobster, my wife and I would often stop in when they were working and request to be seated at one of their tables (it felt good being served by our kids!). They would often tell us later how many of
their co-workers commented on how much they looked like us (not really what two twenty-something young adults wanted to necessarily hear!). But neither our kids nor my wife and I were
surprised. They should look something
like us – after all we are family! How
about YOU? Do you resemble your Father
and Brother? Make spending time with Him
a priority. As you do, you will grow increasingly like Him!
2. Another Valentine's Day has come and gone. I took my wife to dinner and we had a wonderful time going through the Drive thru at the nearby McDonald's! Ha! Not really. We went out to a much nicer restaurant, requested a table close to the fireplace and enjoyed some quiet time together. Valentine's Day is a good time to let your special someone know just how special they are. But it's also a wonderful day to remind ourselves of just how much God loves us. And how much does he love us? Enough to give us the very life of his son ... who died on a cross some 2000 years ago to pay in full the penalty for our sin that a just God requires. How thankful I am EVERYDAY for the love of God in Christ!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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