Family

Family...
Funny thing about being in a family... you have to participate as a member before you can understand what it is about.

I knew a kid who was adopted into a loving family and readily accepted by the siblings in the family. He never "felt like a part" of the family so he didn't ACT like a part of it. Consequently he never benefitted from the adoption.People are born into a family (usually), and some are adopted into one. The same is true in the Kingdom of God! We are born (again) into His Kingdom and then adopted into a family (Body) of believers. If we don't feel like a part of it, that is our problem! It has to do with truth, not feeling!

If we don't act like a part we cannot expect others to act like we are a part... To them it looks as though we don't want the relationship so others just accept us as "visitors" in the home.

This is a true story... Shellie and I knew a multi-millionaire whio lived in Tallahassee who was a great Christian man. His son was a rebel and only used his father's name to get out of trouble. One time the man told us his son had taken a job at the airport cleaning a hanger and washing planes. One day the father was in his private plane and was taking off on one of the runways and looked down and saw his son mopping the floor in another man's hanger and he began to weep and speak to his son even though he could not hear him. He was saying, "My son, if you would just come to me you could be flying with me instead of mopping that floor."His heart was broken for his son and the way he was neglecting his father's influence and his provision. He could have been soaring with him in the skies, laughing and talking and learning instead of mopping that floor and cleaning planes.

Now that was a honest living, but it is not what he was born into! We often do the same thing. We are born for higher things than the carnal, earth-bound things. We are born again to soar!We are then adopted into local "families" so that our Christianity can be effective in influencing others to come into your Father's family. It isn't easy to be a family member! there are others to consider when making decisions. We are not the issue, the "family" is. Now this is not like many of the cultish families, this is God's family and He is the only real Father we have. The existence of a father says there is a family. Paul said there were a few fathers around, so the terminology 'family" is perfectly legitimate. We are family and he is Father!

Deal with it!!! jack