Luke 14:26-27 (NLT)
“26 If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison–your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”
My friend Dana and I were reflecting on our weekends and shared a few pictures of all the activities we did with our families. We chatted about the wonderful blessing of family and how magnificent our Heavenly Father is to have provided us with this gift. Family is so awesomely important to our lives, and when they are as harmonious, supportive, and unified as God has commanded them to be, the result is that generations will be blessed.
One of the unique blessings of a family unit is to remind us of the intimacy and closeness that we can have with God. Ephesians 1:11(NLT) tells us, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” Our Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy our earthly families, but it is more important that we enjoy our relationship with Him. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength, and this is the beauty of walking and talking with Him each day. He has knit us together with Christ through salvation. Because of this, an inheritance is waiting on us, and in the life we have today and in the one to come, we can have and do all the good things that God planned for us long ago.
Heaven is our home, because it is the place where our Creator lives. Colossians 3:1(ESV) tells us, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Our lives are very busy, this is true, but they must not be so busy with other things that we neglect our relationship with God. Many people, including believers, make this mistake, but we need to turn this around, because we are called to live according to God’s purpose. Jesus Christ commands us to seek God first in all that we do.
In 2Timothy 1:8-10(NLT), the Apostle Paul teaches, “Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.”
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is our perfect example, and he always did the Will of the Father. He understood that this is the most important thing that any of us can do. So, as we go about our everyday living, the question on our minds every moment of each day should be “What about God?” What about the gratitude we owe Him for who He has made us in Christ? What about our commitment to His Word and to walk in Christ? And what about living every day in honor of His sovereignty and grace? Jesus taught us in Matthew 22:37-38 (NLT) ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” If we start our day by remembering to demonstrate gratitude for all that God has done for us, the answer to “What about God?” will always be apparent in the way that we love and value our relationship with Him. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“What About God”, written by KLizzie, edited by Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.